Ask Me Help Desk - Is 15 amps enough for a house

Is 15 amps enough for a house

I have a house with 3 beds and a living room and dining room. I used 20 amp recepticles in the kitchen and for fridge and washer. Proper power for the 220 stuff. But on advice I used 15 amp receps throughout the house. Each room is separated and I ran everything but the lights with 12/2. I ran all the plugs in series giving power to the lights as well. In the bedrooms there is 4 plugs and an a fan/light. The living room has 8 recepticles but those are ran it two series of 4 running back to a junction box. The lights feeding off one. My question is will this work or should I do something. I don't have to pass inspecction but buti don't want troubles down the road. And also I AM BROKE. I do have plenty of 20 amp and 15 amp breakers. Right now I have the bedrooms on 15 and the living and dining on 20 amps. Can some one tell me what if anything I should do?

Where is this that it doesn't have to pass inspection?

I guess that's not what I meant. I just wanted to know if it would work and what breakers I should use. I wanted an answer from that stand point

Many Places 15 Amps is used and Acceptable if on a 15 Amp Breaker. You can use 15 Amp recepticles for your 20 Amp circuits and is usually/commonly done.
Do Not use 20 Amp recepticles on 15 amp circuits.
The Bedrooms or more may need to be on AFCI Breakers, depending on Location.
I use 20 Amps everywhere, seems like wherever a 15 amp circuit is, People wish it had been a 20 aamp circuit. The labor is the main cost, the cost difference in #12 and #14 is small enough to Not use 15 Amp circuits in my opinion?
It take the same amount of time to run #12 as it does #14?

What's the power at the main?
All my homes over the years were pre-1970 and had 15 amps for everything but kitchen and W/D. I've blown/tripped more of the 15 amp ones than I can count. I have fried two of them with repeated overloading. I can see your fan tripping. I can see your living room definitely being a problem, what with space heaters and electronics.
I'm not an electrician.
If you aren't going to get it inspected, do it right. Or cancel your HO insurance because they will deny any claim for all this DIY work.

If you used 12/2 wire, there is nothing wrong with putting your living room, dining room, etc. on a 20 amp circuit. However, if there is ANY 14/2 wire on a circuit, you have to drop down to a 15 amp breaker.

20 amp breakers can only be used on 12 AWG or larger. If you run 12 to wall outlets and then 14 from them for lights you have to drop back to 15 amp. 14 AWG must have a 15 amp or less breaker. Code allows a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit but only a 20 amp outlet on a 12 AWG circuit with a 20 amp breaker. Just remember that you can always run a smaller breaker on a larger wire. That is commonly done on "home run " wire. However, not the other way around.

So are the bed rooms no good? I thought those were the least of my problems. If using 15 amp receps in the living room is all right the should I just split them on a separate breaker? 2 15amps

Should I do something different in the bedrooms? They are on 15 amps now

It depends on things like ceiling fans, hair dryers - what are you using. Generally there's no reason to need 20 amps there.

Bedrooms need to be on an AFCI breaker. If you connected the 14/2 light wire to a 12/2 circuit, you need to have a 15 Amp breaker.

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Or cancel your HO insurance because they will deny any claim for all this DIY work.

This urban legend has been disproved many times. It is simply not true.

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So are the bed rooms no good? I thought those were the least of my problems. If using 15 amp receps in the living room is all right the should I just split them on a separate breaker? 2 15amps

Should I do something different in the bedrooms? They are on 15 amps now

Please be careful taking advice from those who are not professionals and not in the trades. You are getting some erroneous information in this thread.

Bottom line: If you used #12 for a circuit, in the house you describe there is absolutely no reason to use 15A breakers.
Regardless if it is getting inspected now, it is almost certain that you should be using AFCI breakers. This is not a good fact considering you say you are broke.
Broke is not a good thing to be in the middle of a home renovation.

Lights are now on there own 15 amp circuits. The living room is still an issue. Should I leave it on a 20 amp. And are the bed room recepticles on 15 amp breaker OK?

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Originally Posted by stanfortyman

Please be careful taking advice from those who are not professionals and not in the trades. You are getting some erroneous information in this thread.

Bottom line: If you used #12 for a circuit, in the house you describe there is absolutely no reason to use 15A breakers.
Regardless if it is getting inspected now, it is almost certain that you should be using AFCI breakers. This is not a good fact considering you say you are broke.
Broke is not a good thing to be in the middle of a home renovation.

So are you saying I'm fine to put the 15 amp recepticles on twenty amp breakers?

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So are you saying I'm fine to put the 15 amp recepticles on twenty amp breakers?

Yes.
What most people seem to for get, or not know at all, is that a 15A duplex receptacle is two 15A receptacles on one yoke, with a 20A feed-through rating.

Oh wow its so clear now. Thank you

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Originally Posted by stanfortyman

Yes.
What most people seem to for get, or not know at all, is that a 15A duplex receptacle is two 15A receptacles on one yoke, with a 20A feed-through rating.

Thanks

99% of the time in most any home? You will find 15 recepticles, and they are I believe most commonly on a 20 Amp circuit, I NEVER Install 15 amp circuits, Unless a special Situation. Even then, #12 Copper.
A 20 Amp 120 recpticle has a perpinducular slot, along with the usual slot.

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I NEVER Install 15 amp circuits, Unless a special Situation. Even then, #12 Copper.

Question: Why not use 15A circuits for things like lighting?
And even more, why would you waste #12 wire on a 15A circuit?

I know the standard mentality is bigger is always better, but IMO that is not always the case.

Actually Code Down here has a Supplement to the National Electrical Code, We Cannot use #14, or Aluminum wiring. Even in the Days when Aluminum was allowed elsewhere, and later determined to be dangerous, Now I don't think you can use Aluminum anywhere.

Also I would not waste #12 on a 15 Amp circuit, I would be USING #12 on a 20 Amp Circuit?
Plus I don't carry #14?
They didn't use to be allowed to use Romex Down here as well, It has been allowed I believe since the Price of Raw materials has gotten so Expensive, they made the change.
I prefer to wire a house in conduit, as I believe Romex is Obsolete the moment is installed, Pulling an extra conductor is not possible.
Done without Romex and #14 for so long, it is Automatic, Habit.

There is no ban on the use of AL. conductors, at least within the NEC.

So how can the statement, "Now I don't think you can use AL. anywhere?" be true?

We had a Supplement to the NEC, NOT allowing it, we are surrounded by Saltwater, The Mainland Florida you could use Aluminum, then it wasn't allowed, Then they started bring in Trailer/Motor Homes from other states that used it, But then changed, and now can't bring in from other states.
Our Electrical supply houses does't even carry it. If they did, Still wouldn't use it, even if code allowed, I am Talking about inside wiring, Not Service Conductors, in which case, our Coop uses it.
I have NEVER installed Aluminum wiring inside of a house?

We have a similar problem here in Virginia Beach, however the powers that be didn't catch on that Al wiring and the proximity to salt water are a problem.

AL is still heavily in use here particularly for POCO feeders. In the mid 60's through most of the 70's AL was all that was used.

Donf, are you also saying you use #12 aluminum for inside wiring?
I Never even seen a roll of #12 Aluminum, sure got to be lighter.

I have a house full of #12 Al, but don't blame me. The home was built with this crap. Personally, I never use AL, however that does not mean that AL is forbidden by code. If installed and maintained properly the stuff is fine. Its when folks that don't know what they are working with "fix" things that you have problems!

I just finished rewiring the garage because of crap DYI work and burnt insulation on AL conductors. Not to mention over-stuffed ceiling boxes. One small round box had five cables, 4 Al #12 and 1 Copper #14. Just wire-nutted together. No anti-oxidant had been put on the conductors that I could see. The Hot AL conductors had melted insulation for about 1.5 inches. The wire nut had the core burnt out and separated from the burnt cap. A handy box was put on the side of a joist and hung on one loose screw from the joist. A "Copper Only" recep had been put in the ungrounded metal box. The knockouts had been hammered back into the box and left there. One #14 Copper fed the box and one #12 AL came out of the box and went into the attic (somewhere). The neutral on the AL cable was burnt black for about 2 inches.

I used #14 Copper NMB for the lighting portion of the circuit and split the receps off that the circuit. I ran #12 Copper NMB for the receps and put them on a new 20 amp circuit. I just need to finish the run by getting the cable outside so I can get some receps out there.

I took pictures of the crap work and burnt insulation if you would like to see them.

Donf "I took pictures of the crap work and burnt insulation if you would like to see them."
I've seen many times, thanks.
It may be code elsewhere, Still not down here for at least 30 years(It was a Supplement to the NEC).
Still would not use, even if code allowed.

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Still would not use, even if code allowed.

I just wonder why?
Stock issues?

Stanforty "Still would not use, even if code allowed."

Living in the Florida Keys with the salt air, corrosion, oxidation and problems it creates.
I Fix Problems for a living, don't want to introduce any?
I'm sure it is also cheaper?

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Living in the Florida Keys with the salt air, corrosion, oxidation and problems it creates.

I'm not sure what the wire gauge has to do with this.

As far as wire gauge, Can't say it enough, seem like when extending or need 20 Amps it's there.
I would only use #14 on lighting, if allowed down here.