Which scenario can safetly provide enough amps to operate an 150 watt outdoor motion sensor light bulb and a 20.6 cubic Upright Freezer (requiring a 15 amp time delay fuse or circuit breaker)? ----(1)A 150 watt outdoor motion sensor light bulb and a 20.6 cubic Upright Freezer (requiring a 15 amp time delay fuse or circuit breaker) on a 15 amp breaker; ----(2)A 70 watt outdoor motion sensor light bulb to run with the 20.6 cubic Upright Freezer (requiring a 15 amp time delay fuse or circuit breaker) on the 15 amp breaker; ----(3)A 150 watt outdoor motion sensor light bulb and a 20.6 cubic Upright Freezer (requiring a 15 amp time delay fuse or circuit breaker), and change the breaker from 15 amp to 20 amp breaker.

Safely? Either one or two will suffice. 3 you just cannot do. You can't arbitrarily change the breaker without upgrading the wiring to handle the additional amperage the breaker will handle. The intermittent actions of a motion detector will not be a big factor in the operation of the circuit. Although I try very hard not to have lighting and receptacles on the same circuit, it will work.

Well it looks like none of the above. 15 amps won't do it and is wired with 14 gauge wire. You need a 20 amp breaker which can't be installed unless you can run some new 12 gauge wire. Are you trying to ask a question or is this a question on a test?

Ballengerb1... with all due respect, most if not all 20 cu. ft. freezers will operate on a 15 amp circuit, since they rarely draw more than 4 amps.

I think Missouri may have you there Bob. If gtroupe is reading the literature on the freezer it probably gives max size breaker size.

Gtroupe 150 watts is only 1.25 amps not really significant here.

I appreciate your courtosey but I am just responding to only what the poster is proposing. He tells us each feezer "20.6 cubic Upright Freezer (requiring a 15 amp time delay fuse or circuit breaker)" I think this isn't a real person asking a question it's a test question on a hypothetical situation. If all his freezers require 15 amp then any additional load would pop the breaker. As I stated in piost 3 I don't think this is a real situation.

I understand completely. It's hard to imagine that being a real situation, since real life doesn't often offer those types of scenarios. I think it's a "classroom" question, as you do.

Yep, funny gtroupe has not returned, maybe a troll. Missouri, appreaciate your good answers and work here on the desk along with the Widgetmaker.

I thank you for your kind words. Everyone needs a little help now and then, and what better place to offer and receive it than in a group forum.

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Originally Posted by ballengerb1

Well it looks like none of the above. 15 amps won't do it and is wired with 14 gauge wire. You need a 20 amp breaker which can't be installed unless you can run some new 12 gauge wire. Are you trying to ask a question or is this a question on a test??

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This is not a test question. If a 15 amp breaker is not sufficient. I was have the wiring upgraded to a 20 amp. Only if necessary.

Hey guys, I step away from my laptop. This is a real question, not a test question. I have an upright freezer that I want to plug in to an outlet that is in a room that utilize a 15 amp breaker. I want to install a 150 watt outdoor light bulb on a motion sensor and the light switch is running off the 15 amp breaker. Will this work or should I have the wiring upgraded to a 20 amp breaker?

What is the power requirement on the freezer? Should be a tag somewhere that says what the current draw is. And what else will be on this circuit? How old is the freezer? Is it energy star compliant? The more info you can supply, the better chance of getting the proper answer.

I read the manual for the freezer and it stated that it requires connection to a 15 amp time delay fuse or circuit breaker. The freezer is about two years old. Yes, the outside light switch and the freezer will be the only items pulling from that amp (which is currently a 15 amp breaker)

Electrical nomenclature tag (look on the door frame) should tell you the run and max amp of the freezer.

The manufacturer can really only specify a 15 or 20 A circuit, so naturally they are going to size up.

I (Amps) = 120 Volts/X Watts

So, as you can see, 150 W is a little over an amp.

So, unless your freezer draws 14 A, which I HIGHLY doubt, then it's not a problem.

Use the nameplate to get amps as suggested. Better yest, post the nameplate data.

Upgrade to 20 amps requires new, heavier wire, 12 gauge.