On Mon, 16 Oct 2006 03:19:33 GMT, "ZZ" wrote:


wrote in message
...
In article , ZZ
wrote:

A 14 ga circuit should be on a 15 amp breaker, not a 20. Putting a 20
amp outlet on that same circuit is making the problem worse.


Even if the 20 amp breaker has 3 15 amp receptacles on the one circuit?




Yes, even if it does. If the circuit has been run with 14 ga wire, by
code it should NOT have a 20 amp breaker. There are several good DIY
books that will explain the rationale for this. If you have a library
nearby they will likely have one or more of them available.


--
No dumb questions, just dumb answers.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore, Maryland -

Thank you ALL for the valuable help!

I will contact my builder tomorrow regarding the wire. Once that has been
taken care of I will replace my 15 amp receptacles with 20 amp ones


Let us know when you get this resolved. I am interested in what
recourse you have when you find a building error.

I am guessing that this will be a costly mistake. The wire from the
panel to the kitchen would need to be changed and all the wire between
the receptacles. For them to change all the wire to 12 would mean
pulling it all out. Which means that if you bought 20 amp replacement
receptacles they would cost nothing to change. It all has to be
disconnected and reconnected.

If you do get the builder to replace the wiring, I would consider
trying to get an extra 20 amp circuit in the kitchen from the panel.
With all the fancy gadgets you can buy for the kitchen two are barely
adequate.

The microwave should be on one 20 amp circuit and the refrigerator
should be on the other one. Having a 3 would add to your appliance
comfort level.