Can I use a 15 amp plug on a 20 amp circuit?

One rule of thumb is to assign a maximum draw of 1.5 amps to each receptacle, which allows for 10 receptacles on a 20-amp circuit.

NEC 240.4(D)(3) states that 14 AWG must be protected at 15A. You can not use 14 AWG anywhere on a circuit that has a 20A breaker. If you are putting 15 amp receptacles on a 20 amp circuit with 12 gauge wire, then you MUST use the screw terminals, not the back stab terminals. Just use the side terminals.

Sure, it is done all the time. Common duplex receptacles can be put on 15 or 20 ampere circuits. A 15 amp GFCI outlet may be supplied power from a 20 amp circuit. But this defeats the purpose of the 20 amp circuit as far as that outlet is concerned since it will not be possible to plug in a 20 amp load.

I can do the simple math: 180va (or 1.5 amps) per general use receptacle gives a limit of 10 receptacles per 15 amp circuit or 13 receptacles per 20 amp circuit.

The amp rating of the receptacle and circuit do not depend on whether the receptacle is a GFCI or not: If you have a 15 amp circuit, you must have 15 amp receptacles. If you have a 20 amp circuit, you can either have 20 amp receptacles, or 15 amp receptacles if there is more than one (e.g. a duplex receptacle).

Most modern residential circuits are 15 or 20 amps, so we’re looking at a max load of either (15A x 120V =) 1800 watts or (20A x 120V =) 2400 watts before the breaker trips. The breaker will be labeled either 15 or 20.

For 20 AMP you have 20A*120V or 2400 watts and 15 AMP you have 15A*120V or 1800 watts. Good Electricians will only plan for 80% load so you have 1920 and 1440 watts respectively at your disposal per circuit. Next, find out what’s on the circuit. To do this, leave the lights on that you want to connect to.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average refrigerator uses approximately 725 watts of electricity and 15 to 20 amps, which can equal 10 percent or more of your home’s total energy usage.

While standard duplex outlets feature two outlets under a cover plate held on by one screw, 2 duplex outlets feature four outlets under the same cover plate, held on by two screws. This configuration allows for up to four oversized plugs in close proximity.

Tamper resistant grounded duplex receptacle meets the 2008 NEC requirement. Shutter mechanism inside the receptacle blocks access to the contacts unless a 2 prong plug is inserted, helping ensure hairpins, keys, etc., will be locked out. Quick wire pushes in or side wired terminals.

If there are multiple receptacles on a 20 Amp circuit, the receptacles can be either 15 or 20 Amp (aside from the exceptions). This is to allow You to have multiple devices plugged in drawing less than 15 Amps each, but the total draw on the circuit may be greater than 15 Amps.

A 1800 watt hair dryer uses 15 amps (Watts=Volts x Amps) 1800 watts —- divided by 120 volts—- equals 15 amps). Here’s a simple chart. Of course, your appliance may vary. If power goes out and the breaker cannot reset, you have an electrical problem that needs to be found and corrected.

One side of the receptacle has (2) brass screws and the other side has (2) silver screws. The hot side of the circuit (black wire) should be wired to the brass screws while the neutral side of the circuit (white wire) should be wired to the silver screws. You only need to connect to (1) screw on either side.

If there are three holes in the outlet face, there should be three wires attached to the outlet. The black (hot) and white (neutral) wires carry the current, and the copper wire is the ground. Note that the outlet’s screw terminals are certain colors. The white wire goes on the silver screw.

A little hard to read, but the left side says “hot wire” and the right side says “white wire”. We’ll put the black wires on the hot side and the white wires on the left side. First connect the ground wire to the green screw at the bottom of the outlet.

The wide prong on the plug links the threaded base of light bulbs to the neutral terminal (the wider slot) in the receptacle. If the wires are reversed, the hot side of the outlet (the side that can deliver a shock) is wired to the threaded socket.

Identifying the Hot, Neutral, and Ground WiresHotNeutralTwisted Pair*plain (no stripe) wire*striped wireThree-Conductorblack wirewhite wirePlug/Socketnarrow prong/gold screwwide prong/silver screw

The left slot is called “neutral,” the right slot is called “hot” and the hole below them is called “ground.” The prongs on a plug fit into these slots in the outlet.

The power source, or “feeder wire” is a 2-wire cable with a ground, meaning it has one black (hot) wire, one white (neutral) wire and a bare copper ground wire. The black hot wire from the feeder cable is connected to the common terminal on the first switch. Neutral wires do not connect to switches.