Outlet Question


Could not find category for outlets so I am asking here. What would be good outlets to change too? I had hospital grade from Home Depot 20 years ago but left them when I moved. Is there any good outlets for about $20 U.S. anyone can recommend? I don't want to go crazy but get something better than what is stock on homes built in the last 4 years. Any suggestions would be great!

romad

Showing 1 response by immatthewj

@romad  , a few years ago there was a good run of threads related to the ins and outs of installing dedicated circuits, and because of those I learned something that I had done was violating code and may have nullified my home owners in the event of fire.

Anyway, I had put in some new circuits for dedicated lines and I used 12 gauge wire and 20A outlets, BUT I decided I would use 15A circuit-breaker to protect those circuits with as I felt that since a 15A CB should trip at a lower heat than a 20A CB I would be going the extra mile to protect those circuits.  Which I still think is technically true, however I found out here that regardless of what size wire is used, the breaker determines what amperage the circuit actually is, and therefore a 20A outlet (which will accomodate a 20A appliance) on a 15A circuit (which is what  I turned my circuits into by installing 15A breakers, despite the 12 ga wire) is a no-no.