Whenever peoples buy a new home or do some renovation, they also rebuild electrical circuits or wiring. While doing or renewing the wirings, electrical circuits, and breakers, you may cling to a point.
There are a lot of determinants that play a part in the number of outlets. Frequently, it is recommendable to put ten outlets safely on a 20-amp circuit. But different factors can affect the number and lead to an increase or decrease in the amount. To have a better understanding of the reasons behind putting ten outlets, let us start from scratch.
How Many Outlets is There on a 20 Amp Circuit?
20-amp Circuit and It’s Uses
a. Definition
Amps are the abbreviation of amperes, which is the unit of current. So, amps mentioned on a circuit denote its amp rating. It tells us how much or how many amperes of current can flow through a circuit.
So, a 20-amp circuit means that it has the capacity of passing 20 amperes of current through itself safely.
It means this amount of current will not cause any damage or blowing of the circuit.
b. Dependence of Amp rating
The Amp rating of current depends on the following factors:
- Nature of wire used in the circuit.
- The thickness of the wire.
- Length of wire.
c. Usage
The amp rating mentioned on a breaker is also useable for considering the amp rating of the circuit breaker. Moreover, we can calculate the number of outlets or receptacles on a circuit by using this amp rating. You can select the no. of devices without causing any overload.
The amp rating of the circuit is also useful in determining the gauge number. For example, a 20-amp electric circuit always works best with a gauge of number 10 or 12. A smaller gauge of number 14 is also available in the market, but it can carry a current load of only 15 amperes. So, it is best to use a 20-gauge wire for better current flow.
In case you use a smaller gauge wire like that of 14, it will cause electrical hazards like fire, overheating of circuit, power surge. It is because the smaller gauge wire is unable to bear the load of current that causes problems.
Maximum Current Flow
The amp rating mentioned on a circuit is the maximum amount of current that flows through a circuit. The 20-amp rating on an electric circuit can withstand 20 amperes of electric current at maximum. It neither depicts the average or instantaneous current flowing through a circuit.
Role Of Circuit Breakers In a System
What is a circuit breaker…?
A circuit breaker is a safety device that prevents you from any electrical hazard. Circuit breakers are used in the household wirings to break the current supply. They disconnect the passage of electric current and block the flow of electrical power in case of an emergency.
Role of 20-Amp Circuit breaker
A 20-amp circuit breaker allows a current of a maximum of 20 amperes to flow through it. If the amount of current exceeds this given rating, it will automatically trip the breaker. It will help block the flow of current.
In this way, this tripping of the breaker will prevent you from many electrical hazards that may occur due to an extra amount of current. For example, fires, power surges, and the blowing of wires can occur.
Guide to know the proper number of outlets
In general, the ten outlets are the proper number of outlets put on a circuit with an ampere rating of 20. To determine the exact number of outlets, follow these steps:
- First of all, get to know the number of maximum amperes that a device can withstand. Sincerely, check the amp rating of each device.
- There is a rule ofthumb in practice that every device put on a circuit can draw a 1.5-amp current. So the number of outlets on an electric circuit is as:
20 amps/ 1.5amps = 13.33 devices
So, you can use 13 devices on a circuit of 20 amps. You will think it will be safe to use 13 devices on a circuit breaker of 20 amps. But in actuality, it is not right. Because some devices can use more amount of power at the time of start and stop. All the devices active at one time can cause damage to the circuit by overheating.
That is why in actual it is recommendable to use the 16-ampere power capacity of a 20-amp circuit. It means the electric circuit of 20 amps must bear only 80 percent load. The rest of the power capacity enables to accommodate the power surging of some devices.
It means that a 20-amp circuit can use its 80 percent power. It is about 16 amperes out of 20 amperes. So, let us calculate the number of outlets again:
15 amps/ 1.5 amps = 10 devices
So, it is safe to use a 20-amp circuit by putting ten devices on it.
Allowable Breaker Load
The National Electrical Current recommends using only 16 amps on a circuit of 20 amps. So, this is the allowable load on a breaker with 20 amps’ power. Moreover, a 20-amp electric circuit has a watt capacity of 2400 watts.
It does not matter whether you use lights or devices on the circuit of 20 amps’ power. The thing to consider is the total drawing power. The drawing power of a 20-amp must not exceed the 16 amps at most.
Can A 20-amp Circuit Breaker Deal With The 240 Volts?
The answer to this question is yes. It is better to use a 240 volts circuit as compared to 120 volts. The reason is that a 240 volts circuit minimizes the power draw on your devices.
Conclusion
So, this how-to-do guide will help you to select the number of outlets or devices allowable on a circuit of 20-amps. If you follow this number, you will never face any electrical hazard like over-heating, circuit blowing, etc.
? 20-amp circuit and its uses
Amps mentioned on a circuit denote its amp rating. It tells us how much or how many amperes
? Maximum Current Flow
The 20-amp rating on an electric circuit can withstand 20 amperes of electric current at maximum. It neither depicts the average or..
? Allowable Breaker Load
Moreover, a 20-amp electric circuit has a watt capacity of 2400 watts. It does not matter whether you use..
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