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-   -   How much can I put on a 15 amp breaker (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=183504)

  • Feb 12, 2008, 10:26 PM
    101st airborne
    How much can I put on a 15 amp breaker
    I just got a new house. I totally gutted the house and now I am rewiring it. I got 15 amp breakers. I planned to wire 1 bedroom per breaker with 10 outlets and a ceiling fan in each room. Is this too much for my breakers.
  • Feb 12, 2008, 10:30 PM
    Fr_Chuck
    Depends on what you plug into the outlets, 15 amps is just that 15 amps, not 18, not 20. So add up the amp draw for what you plan to plug in and that will give you an idea.
  • Feb 12, 2008, 11:00 PM
    101st airborne
    Is this too much for my breakers
    I just got a new house. I totally gutted the house and now I am rewiring it. I got 15 amp breakers. I planned to wire 1 bedroom per breaker with 10 outlets and a ceiling fan in each room. I don't know how to figure out how many amps I will need. Plugged into the outlets I will have the usual bedroom stuff: TV, dvd player, 2 alarm clocks, 2 lamps, cell phones etc. Is this too much for my breakers.
  • Feb 13, 2008, 04:06 AM
    tkrussell
    The new 2008 electric code calls for newly wired bedrooms, living rooms, and similar areas require outlets be protected with a Arc Fault Circuit Breaker. This includes lights, ceiling fans, and smoke detectors.

    Check local codes as some states do not want the detector on AFCI.

    One bedroom per general purpose lighting circuit as you described is fine. A good design is to have two circuits in a room if one goes out there is still some power for lights, etc.

    This circuit is OK for the appliances you mention. If there is any chance for a window AC, treadmill, or anything large, you may need to consider a separate 20 amp circuit for that appliance.

    General purpose lighting circuits are calculated by multiplying 3 watts per square foot of total living space of the home, and figuring how many 15 or 20 amp circuits will serve that total wattage to arrive at the minimum amount of circuits will be needed. More is always recommended.

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