Home wiring question....

[0roo0roo]

some of my old plug sockets need replacing, they are old funky and worn out.
the kitchen circuit seems to be 20amps at breaker. but all the plugs were normal 15amp with normal non T slot for those 20amp devices. so am i ok just sticking with 15amp sockets? i'm assuming that if a device doesn't have a T plug it won't use that much in the first place right?

20amp decorator socket costs a lot more 4x more at homedepot! serious gouging! oddly enough 20amp gfci outlet only 1 buck more

 

[Leros]

My house right now has 20A breakers and 15A outlets. It hasn't burned down yet.

 

[BoomerD]

Yep...perfectly normal. Each outlet should be 15 amps max load, while the entire circuit should be 20 amps max.

 

[0roo0roo]

ok kewl

 

[Rubycon]

As long as the wire is 12AWG you're ok.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea its damn stiff wiring

 

[Rubycon]

Stiff is good! :laugh:

 

[BoomerD]

And you SMILED when you said that!

 

[Paperdoc]

Putting 15-amp sockets in this circuit will not cause an electrical problem. Hypothetically, the small risk is that a device designed to handle up to 15 amps will be hooked up to a circuit happy to supply 20. But that is exactly what those sockets with one T-shaped slot are designed to allow. A real 20-amp plug does not have a T-shaped blade on it. It has one blade perpendicular to the other, whereras the 15-amp plug has parallel blades. The socket we are talking about is designed to allow both types of plugs to go in.

To get picky, though, electrical codes in some states require that these special sockets be used in certain places (like kitchens) where someone might try to use a real 20-amp device. And, of course, the wires in the walls and the circuit breakers have to be rated for 20 amps. So replacing the sockets the way you want MAY violate the electrical code, even though it will not cause an electrical malfunction.

 

[BigJ]

It's fine, and unless you know for certain that all the wire is 12ga, I wouldn't replace them with 20A outlets.