Breakers do not limit Watts they limit Amps. When I device is connected to that circuit and draws more than 15 amps the breaker will trip to prevent overheating of the conductors and a possible fire.
However if you do some basic simple math and multiply the 15 amps by the voltage applied to the circuit you could come up with a maximum wattage that will be present.
Therefore assuming you are working with 120V: 15Amps x 120V = 1800 Watts of power.
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The electrical code states that circuit conductors can only be loaded to 80% of their capacity. So the maximum legal wattage load on a 15 amp breaker is 1800 x 80% = 1440 watts.
A 20 amp breaker will trip if the current exceeds 20 amps for an extended period of time. It is designed to protect the circuit from overheating and causing a fire hazard. So, it would take more than 20 amps to trip a 20 amp breaker.
If the current safety requirement is 30 amps, you can;t run if off of a larger circuit breaker. It violates NEC and is very unsafe. If the current requirement is 40 amps , it will continuously trip a 30 amp breaker because it is too small of a breaker in electrical requirement.
On a 15 amp breaker, you can draw up to 120 volts in a standard residential circuit. The voltage remains constant at 120 volts, but the amperage capacity is what is limited by the 15 amp breaker.
It is likely that the 15 amp tool is drawing more current than the breaker can handle, causing it to trip. The GFCI outlet might not be the issue here unless there is a ground fault causing it to trip. Consider using the tool on a circuit with a higher amperage breaker to prevent tripping.
In a typical US automobile, a 30 amp fuse will sustain a constant load of 360 watts. Fuses and circuit breakers perform on an "I squared t" rule. For example, a 30 amp fuse will not blow on 31 amps for a very long time. A 20 amp breaker can take anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours to trip on 25 amps. We simply dumb it down so that laymen and technicians need not make mistakes. Power on seven 100 watt light bulbs simultaneously. That means a circuit suddenly provides 50 amps. 50 amps does not trip a 15 amp or 20 amp breaker, again, due to the "I squared t" rule. A 50 amps load only exists for tens of milliseconds. Not long enough. A 30 amp continuous appliance will not trip a 30 amp breaker. But a safety margin means limiting 30 amp appliances to 26 amps or less. Meanwhile, an 18 gauge lamp cord wire typically rated for 10 amps will actually conduct up to 50 amps continuously. Again, that wire is oversized for other safety reasons. And to keep it simple. These concepts apply to fuses vehicles and structures.
A 20 amp breaker will trip if the current exceeds 20 amps for an extended period of time. It is designed to protect the circuit from overheating and causing a fire hazard. So, it would take more than 20 amps to trip a 20 amp breaker.
A 15 amp circuit breaker should trip at 15 amps regardless of the load voltages or impedances. If you have 277 volts and 7 ohms, the current would be 39.5 amps and a 15 amp circuit breaker should trip.
KA stands for kilo-amps, or thousands of amps. Thus a 2KA breaker means it will trip when the load exceeds 2,000 amps.
If the current safety requirement is 30 amps, you can;t run if off of a larger circuit breaker. It violates NEC and is very unsafe. If the current requirement is 40 amps , it will continuously trip a 30 amp breaker because it is too small of a breaker in electrical requirement.
On a 15 amp breaker, you can draw up to 120 volts in a standard residential circuit. The voltage remains constant at 120 volts, but the amperage capacity is what is limited by the 15 amp breaker.
It limits the current to the circuit at 20 Amps. If a load on the circuit draws more than 20 Amps the breaker will trip and interrupt the current to all devices on the circuit.
It is likely that the 15 amp tool is drawing more current than the breaker can handle, causing it to trip. The GFCI outlet might not be the issue here unless there is a ground fault causing it to trip. Consider using the tool on a circuit with a higher amperage breaker to prevent tripping.
If you never plug anything into them, there is no limit. If the total current drawn from all outlets exceeds 20 amps, the breaker will trip.
In a typical US automobile, a 30 amp fuse will sustain a constant load of 360 watts. Fuses and circuit breakers perform on an "I squared t" rule. For example, a 30 amp fuse will not blow on 31 amps for a very long time. A 20 amp breaker can take anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours to trip on 25 amps. We simply dumb it down so that laymen and technicians need not make mistakes. Power on seven 100 watt light bulbs simultaneously. That means a circuit suddenly provides 50 amps. 50 amps does not trip a 15 amp or 20 amp breaker, again, due to the "I squared t" rule. A 50 amps load only exists for tens of milliseconds. Not long enough. A 30 amp continuous appliance will not trip a 30 amp breaker. But a safety margin means limiting 30 amp appliances to 26 amps or less. Meanwhile, an 18 gauge lamp cord wire typically rated for 10 amps will actually conduct up to 50 amps continuously. Again, that wire is oversized for other safety reasons. And to keep it simple. These concepts apply to fuses vehicles and structures.
At 120 volts a 15 amp breaker can be loaded to 1800 watts before it will trip. If it is a continuous load then the electrical code states that it is only allowed to be loaded to 80%. This will be 1800 x .8 = 1440 watts. If the voltage is not 120 volts use the following equation Watts = Amps x Volts. Amps being the breaker size that is to be used.
To trip when current is in excess of 15 amps and protect the circuit components.
A 4500 watt element can work on a 20 amp breaker, but it may occasionally trip if the total load on the circuit exceeds 20 amps. It is recommended to use a 4500 watt element with a 25 amp breaker to ensure consistent performance.