They supply up to 240 volts to a circuit and can handle between 15 and 200 amps.
Kitchen outlet breaker size. Trish what you have is actually a perfectly normal situation which meets the code rules in many electrical jurisdictions. A circuit breaker protects the wires that the devices are connected to. Small appliance circuit countertop space wall and hallway space. There may also be wires from other circuits in the junction box so probe the box with a noncontact voltage tester try the klein ncvt 1 before you disconnect any wires.
It s generally safe and ok to use a larger size electrical wire and a larger wire size may in fact be required for longer wiring runs. This is what is known as a split receptacle kitchen circuit. If you have not done electrical work for a few years you may be surprised by this requirement. The nec requires all countertop outlets in the kitchen to.
A gfci receptacle often costs around 15. What you need to know. Each fixed kitchen island or peninsula larger than 600m x 300m requires at least one outlet 15a split or 20a t slot. This type of breaker protects two energized wires and occupies two slots on a breaker panel.
Outlets must be no more than 1 8m apart measured along the wall behind a counter top and no more than 900m from a sink stove or end point. If your breaker panel is poorly labeled plug a radio into the outlet you plan to pull power from and start shutting down breakers until the music stops. No more than 12 outlets should be on a branch circuit. Generally you want a 3 or less voltage drop.
With standard size boxes there may not be enough room to add a gfci receptacle safely making a gfci circuit breaker the better choice. All 15 amp and 20 amp outlets whether gfci or not must be tamper resistant in the following kitchen related places. If the devices that are connected to the circuit are 20 amps the wire size should be 12 wire fed from a 20 amp breaker. It is fed by a 2 pole 15a circuit breaker and uses 14 2 cable.
Understanding the kitchen split receptacle circuit. Old houses weren t built for as many electrical appliances as we. It s safe and ok to use a smaller lower ampacity fuse or circuit breaker such as a 15 amp fuse protecting a circuit wired with 12 copper wire. Cost can also be a factor in the decision.