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You see, electrical codes in areas like the kitchen are different, that’s why some conventional 15 amp breaker is not advisable for the job. Of course, countertop and overhead lighting will run with other appliances, and just when you’re confident of turning it on all at once, BOOM, breaker trips. Let’s say your 20-amp breaker’s job is to handle the power load in your kitchen area. You can still wire multiple lights on one circuit in a heavy-consuming area of the house, but with stricter conditions.
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However, circuits with large kitchen appliances, washers, and devices with a dedicated circuit are part of the code’s prohibition.ĭon’t get me wrong on this one. Putting light fixtures on a 20-amp breaker is completely fine, according to the regulations of NEC. Areas Where You Can Distribute Your Lights Thus, your 20-amp breaker can carry 192 of this kind. These types of bulbs draw 10 watts or less (1/12 amp). A good example is the SYLVANIA ECO LED A19 Light Bulb. On the other hand, CFL or LED bulbs are one of the most power-saving lights you can have that give off the same brightness as an incandescent bulb with 60-watts. Still, this depends on what type of bulb you are trying to use.įor other light wattages, simply divide the maximum continuous load of a 20-amp breaker, which is 1920 watts, to the designated amount of watts written on the light fixture. With that fact, a 50-watt light on a 20-amp breaker can have a total of 38 lights on a circuit. Amount of Lights You Can Put on a 20-Amp Circuit BreakerĪ standard 50-watt light consumes less than a half amperage on a 120-Volt circuit.
#20 AMP BREAKER HOW TO#
Give space for other devices and receptacles, and learn how to limit your bulbs. Now, since we’re talking about lights on a 20 amp breaker, you should not exceed more than 16 amps all at once just for the lighting system. You should only have 1920 watts flowing through your breaker to avoid constant breaker tripping or overheating for this said safety.
#20 AMP BREAKER INSTALL#
With this watt capacity, you can install ten outlets within a circuit while minding the 80% limit rule set out by the National Electric Code (NEC) regulations.Įlectricians leave a 20% safety margin to compensate for the appliances’ heavy start-ups that consume a lot of energy. Discovering the number of watts a breaker can handle is an essential part of this job and can help determine the maximum lights per circuit later on.Ī good 20-amp breaker by 120 Volts conventional circuit (standard service) can carry out 2400 watts. Whenever you want to run multiple devices on a single breaker, always consider the risk of overloading.
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