I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR

tr wrote:
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR

Personally I would replace them with 20amp outlets, good ones, not the
37¢ contractor specials. Use the screw clamp terminals not the stab
connects. I am really fuzzy about it, but as I recall it is OK to use the
15amp outlets, but I just would not do it so I am not really sure.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

In article ,
says...
tr wrote:
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR

Yes, 15A receptacles on a 20A circuit is perfectly fine. You may
not put a *single* 15A receptacle on a 20A circuit.

Personally I would replace them with 20amp outlets, good ones, not the
37¢ contractor specials.

In the kitchen, maybe. I'd go for better outlets there, but I
don't think I'd bother with 20A outlets.

Use the screw clamp terminals not the stab connects.

I agree 100%. I *never* use the stabs. I do like the ones where
the screw clamps the wire though. Almost as quick as the stabs but
as secure as a wire properly fastened by the screw.


I am really fuzzy about it, but as I recall it is OK to use the
15amp outlets, but I just would not do it so I am not really sure.

It's fine. 15A outlets are rated for 20A feed through.

--
Keith

If these are counter top or anywhere near sink, they should be 20A GFI.
If for fridge or dishwasher, dedicated 20A. If you are redoing
kitchen, you probably want to look at adding circuits/ receptacles.
Think through what you want before you start, this is the time to
upgrade elec circuits if needed.

In article .com,
"Sev" wrote:

If for fridge or dishwasher, dedicated 20A.

For fridge and other essentials, I prefer to put an often used light on
the same circuit so I will be aware when the breaker trips before the
frozen food thaws.

--
Free men own guns - www.geocities/CapitolHill/5357/

The NEC prohibits installing lights on kitchen outlet circuits, other than
ones plugged into the outlets


"Nick Hull" wrote in message
.. .
In article .com,
"Sev" wrote:

If for fridge or dishwasher, dedicated 20A.

For fridge and other essentials, I prefer to put an often used light on
the same circuit so I will be aware when the breaker trips before the
frozen food thaws.

--
Free men own guns - www.geocities/CapitolHill/5357/

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 16:48:55 -0500, "RBM" rbm2(remove
wrote:

The NEC prohibits installing lights on kitchen outlet circuits, other than
ones plugged into the outlets


Isn't that just the countertop outlets?

In article , "RBM" rbm2(remove wrote:
The NEC prohibits installing lights on kitchen outlet circuits, other than
ones plugged into the outlets

I don't think that's correct -- do you have a Code cite for it? I see where
the Code prohibits other *outlets* on those circuits (e.g. in other rooms),
but I don't see a prohibition against lighting.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

RBM wrote:
The NEC prohibits installing lights on kitchen outlet circuits, other than
ones plugged into the outlets


"Nick Hull" wrote in message
.. .
In article .com,
"Sev" wrote:

If for fridge or dishwasher, dedicated 20A.
For fridge and other essentials, I prefer to put an often used light on
the same circuit so I will be aware when the breaker trips before the
frozen food thaws.

--
Free men own guns - www.geocities/CapitolHill/5357/



The code only prohibits having lighting outlets on the counter top
receptacle circuits and although it permits the refrigerator to be
supplied from such a circuit it does not require that. So a receptacle
placed behind a refrigerator so as to be inaccessible for counter top
use could be supplied from a lighting circuit.
--
Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous
for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

FWIW: a couple of code books back, back stabbing of 12 gauge conductors
became illegal and outlet manufacturers reduced the size of the back stab
holes so only 14 gauge will fit


"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news
tr wrote:
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR

Personally I would replace them with 20amp outlets, good ones, not the
37¢ contractor specials. Use the screw clamp terminals not the stab
connects. I am really fuzzy about it, but as I recall it is OK to use the
15amp outlets, but I just would not do it so I am not really sure.


--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

In article ,
"Joseph Meehan" wrote:


Personally I would replace them with 20amp outlets, good ones, not the
37¢ contractor specials. Use the screw clamp terminals not the stab
connects. I am really fuzzy about it, but as I recall it is OK to use the
15amp outlets, but I just would not do it so I am not really sure.

I¹ve seen, and have, the 20 amp outlets that are meant to accommodate a
20 amp plug. But, I have never seen or known of any appliance, perhaps
with the exception of an air conditioner, that uses this plug. So why
are these outlets needed in the kitchen?

--
Larry Weil
Lake Wobegone, NH

Joseph Meehan wrote:

tr wrote:
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR

Personally I would replace them with 20amp outlets, good ones, not the
37¢ contractor specials. Use the screw clamp terminals not the stab
connects. I am really fuzzy about it, but as I recall it is OK to use the
15amp outlets, but I just would not do it so I am not really sure.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

A 20A circuits feeding the kitchen, yes, spending the extra $ for 20A
outlets to put on that circuit when you will *never* find a kitchen
appliance in any consumer store that actually has a 20A plug, no.

I used 20A GFCIs and 20A spec grade outlets in my shop where they may
actually see 20A plugs from time to time, but everything in the house is
15A GFCI where needed (they are rated 20A feed through) and 15A outlets
where GFCIs are not needed. Everything is on 20A circuits though, not a
single 15A circuit anywhere in the house and no 14ga wire anywhere
either, not even lighting circuits.

Pete C.

"tr" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

15a outlets are fine, unless there is just one outlet on the circuit; then
it has to be 20a.
Only reason to have a 20a outlet is to fit a 20a plug.

A DUPLEX outlet ( the standard type) is 2 outlets, not one, and thus a 15
amp duplex can actually be used alone on a 20 amp circuit, though in a
kitchen the more outlets the better so you might as well have more. When I
did my kitchen I used the 20 amp ones though to be honest I have never even
seen a 20 amp kitchen appliance, I just thought they 'might' be made a
little heavier duty than a 15 amp ones..probably wishful thinking but the
price difference wasn't much.

--

Mike S.

"Toller" wrote in message
...



15a outlets are fine, unless there is just one outlet on the circuit; then
it has to be 20a.
Only reason to have a 20a outlet is to fit a 20a plug.

All the 15A outlets at the big stores are actually rated to 20A but
only have 15A plugs. That is required by code, from what I understand.
Thus, you can use them on a 20A circuit. In fact, if you look at a
15A GFCI outlet, you'll see that they rate the secondary feed circuit
(the tabs for more outlets) at 20A.

Mikey S. states an interesting point about a duplex outlet being 2
devices. I wasn't sure how that works with code, so I just put in a
real 20A GFCI duplex outlet on the dedicated circuit in my new
bathroom. The uncertainty wasn't worth possibly failing an inspection.
Now it's the only place in the house where I could plug in my arc
welder!


-rev



tr wrote:
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR

On 15 Nov 2006 12:48:36 -0800, "The Reverend Natural Light"
wrote:

All the 15A outlets at the big stores are actually rated to 20A but
only have 15A plugs. That is required by code, from what I understand.
Thus, you can use them on a 20A circuit. In fact, if you look at a
15A GFCI outlet, you'll see that they rate the secondary feed circuit
(the tabs for more outlets) at 20A.


I think they's call that a 20A GFCI.

Mikey S. states an interesting point about a duplex outlet being 2
devices. I wasn't sure how that works with code, so I just put in a
real 20A GFCI duplex outlet on the dedicated circuit in my new
bathroom. The uncertainty wasn't worth possibly failing an inspection.
Now it's the only place in the house where I could plug in my arc
welder!


-rev



tr wrote:
I am redoing my kitchen. All of the duplex outlets are on two 20 amp
12 awg wire breakers. However...all of the old outlets are rated for
15 amp circuits ? I have come across this in kitchens many times
before.

Can you use duplexes rated for 15 amps in the kitchen with 20 amp
breakers...fed by 12 awg wires ? Is this a common practice and OK via
NEC...or should you use the 20 amp duplexes with the horizontal little
plug fitting on the receptacles ?

Thanks, TR
--
40 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

I can't say exactly what you call them, but you can buy a GFCI with 15A
plugs that'll feed a 20A circuit or a GFCI with 20A plugs that'll also
feed a 20A circuit. They're both the same internally, of course, but
one has the different shaped plug and costs 3X as much.


-rev



Mark Lloyd wrote:

I think they's call that a 20A GFCI.

Quite right Rev, it's called a 20 amp feed through


"The Reverend Natural Light" wrote in message
oups.com...
I can't say exactly what you call them, but you can buy a GFCI with 15A
plugs that'll feed a 20A circuit or a GFCI with 20A plugs that'll also
feed a 20A circuit. They're both the same internally, of course, but
one has the different shaped plug and costs 3X as much.


-rev



Mark Lloyd wrote:

I think they's call that a 20A GFCI.