5 Essential Tips for Safe Electrical Repairs

Receptacles come in different amperage ratings such as 20 amp (left) and 15 amp (right).

Courtesy of Home-Cost

All electrical wiring and devices have an amperage, or amp, rating. This is the maximum amount of electrical current they can safely carry. Most standard household circuits are rated for 15 amps or 20 amps, while large-appliance circuits (such as for electric dryers and ranges) may be rated for 30, 40, 50 amps, or even more.

When installing or replacing wiring or devices, all of the parts you use must have the appropriate amperage rating for the circuit. For example, a 20-amp circuit must have 12-gauge wiring, which is rated for 20 amps. If you install 14-gauge, 15-amp wiring on that circuit, you create a fire hazard because the 20-amp circuit breaker protecting that circuit might not shut off before the 15-amp wiring overheats.

Choosing the Right Amperage

When replacing a switch, light fixture, or outlet receptacle, make sure not to install a device that is rated for more amperage than the circuit carries. This is especially important when replacing receptacles. A receptacle rated for 20-amps has a unique prong shape in which one of the vertical slots has a T shape. This shape allows 20-amp appliances, which have a matching T-shaped prong, to be inserted. Installing such a receptacle on a 15-amp circuit makes it possible to possibly overload the circuit if you plug such a 20-amp appliance into it.

Note, however,that there is no danger to installing 15-amp receptacles in 20-amp circuits since it is perfectly fine when a plug-in device draws less power than the circuit amperage. In fact, it is quite normal for 20-amp general-use circuits to be wired with 15-amp receptacles.

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5 Essential Tips for Safe Electrical Repairs