is this outlet 15A or 20A

Not electric brewing related, just general electricity question.

Is this outlet a 15A or a 20A? It doesn't have the cross on the neutral plug, but over on the left side it says 125V 20A. You can't see it on the bottom, stamped on the metal just above the screw, it says 125V 15A.

Probably just a typo, but wondering if anyone can shed more light on this. I'll probably replace it just be safe, since a new outlet costs considerably less than a new house if this one burns down.

Check the circuit breaker, upgrading the outlet wont make it a 20a service.

The receptacle is 15A. It's rated to protect a 20A load on its load terminals. However, that rating is dependent on the wire and circuit breaker size of the branch circuit it's installed in.

It is a 15A GFCI outlet.

Here is a 20A GFI oulet:

raouliii said:

The receptacle is 15A. It's rated to protect a 20A load on its load terminals. However, that rating is dependent on the wire and circuit breaker size of the branch circuit it's installed in.

Click to expand...

Thanks. That's weird. If the rest of the branch circuit is good for 20A, why would it be safe and/or desirable to install a 15A outlet?

It is perfectly acceptable by NEC to install 15A receptacles on 20A breaker as long as there is more than one outlet. A duplex, like in your picture, counts as two so just one of those (or more) is, again, perfectly acceptable by Code to be on a 20A breaker.

Desirable, well, dunno about that but often somewhat less expensive and the overwhelming majority of cord connected loads in a residential environment don't have a cord or the power draw that requires the 20A-style outlet. So, in most cases there is little point to install 20A receptacles in a home yet with the 20A circuit you have 33% more load capacity than if it was a 15A circuit.

Rather than create a new thread, Ill just post this here as it is directly related.

My apartment has 2 of these exact outlets in the kitchen and the breakers are both 20A. This is my only brewing option for the next 1/2 year so is there any problem with using a "15A" plug on a 10/3 cable going to this outlet for a 2000W element?

Example plug: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pass-Sey...RCH=RV-_-RV_gm_pip_rr-9-_-NA-_-202039721-_-N#

thanks in advance!

If your asking if its ok to use a 15A plug in a 20A GFI then yes, As long as your wire from the plug is 12 gauge.

I was asking if I could use a 15A plug with a 20A draw on a 15A GFI outlet on a 20A circuit... lol. The common use of 15A GFI outlets on 20A circuits is the case here.

Either way, I have decided to not risk it and I asked the maintenance if they would swap out the sockets and if they don't, ill sack up and replace them myself and just swap em back when I move out.

Then no, the GFI would trip.

The GFCI should only trip on ground fault not overcurrent. The 15a recep has the same insides as a 20a, only the face is different.