On Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:53:51 +0000, LRod
wrote:
...To say a fixture is "rated for 15 A" makes it sound like
it will burn up when used on a 20A circuit...

It may sound like that to you, but not to me. A 15 amp fixture
wouldn't "burn up" if it were used on a 100amp circuit. It just
wouldn't be protected by the circuit breaker.

Why can you use a NEMA X-15 on a 20 amp circuit ONLY if there are
multiple outlets? Why won't UL list products with NEMA X-15 plugs if
they draw more than 15 amps in normal operation? Do you think it might
be because the X-15 receptacles aren't intended to carry a continuous
current greater than 15 amps? That sounds like a "rating" to me.

You want to use the word "keyed"? Fine, use it. I'll continue to use
the word "rated" and I suspect that most folks will know what I'm
talking about.

Oh, BTW, is a NEMA X-50 "keyed" for 50 amps or is it "rated" for 50
amps? I don't believe you can use the same argument here as you did
for the code exception case of multiple 15 amp outlets on a 20 amp
circuit.

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA