Can I Change a 15 Amp Breaker to a 20?

RE: Can I Change a 15 Amp Breaker to a 20? Post By Dean (Guest Post) (08/26/2006) You should check the wire type.A 14/2 wire means it has 2 service wires,one hot(black)one white(neutral) and a bare copper wire(ground)and is used with a 15 amp breaker max.A 12/2 wire is used up to a 20 amp breaker.Additional outlets on the same circuit may be a problem.The max a 20amp 12/2 wire circuit can carry is 1500 amps.Total watts divided by total watts equal total amps circuit can carry.You may want to have an electrican come in and add another circuit for the additional outlets, RE: Can I Change a 15 Amp Breaker to a 20? Post by ThriftyFun (4042) | (08/26/2006) Profile | Blog! | Contact Dear William The reason the Code does not allow that, is because 20 Amps traveling through 15 Amp wires will overheat them and cause a fire in the wall. You can often get away with adding additional outlets without messing with the breaker, as long as the total load does not go higher than the rating of the wires. For example, adding outlets in more convenient locations and not using the old ones in the hard to get to spots, that's perfectly OK. The same goes for adding ten outlets to a work bench. You won't be using ten power tools at the same time, but just have more of them plugged in and ready to use, one at a time. With outlets for light loads you can usually sneak around the code and treat them like power bar outlets. For example, adding outlets for computers and battery chargers won't significantly increase the load. Keep in mind that by the time a breaker pops, the wires in the wall are already quite hot, but still safe. You are wasting electricity heating up the wall, but you won't burn it down. A 15 Amp breaker is designed to pop before 15 Amp wire gets hot enough to set walls on fire. If a breaker pops more than once, then that is a sign that you should run an additional cable with it's own breaker. Have FUN! DearWebby http://webby.com/humor