Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - Printable Version +- Woodnet Forums (https://www.forums.woodnet.net) +-- Thread: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp (/showthread.php?tid=7362341) Pages:
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Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - bpatters69 - 04-19-2021 Hello All, I want to change the breaker in my garage from 15 to 20Amps. I plan to hire someone to do it as I am not comfortable with electricity. Anyway, it should be pretty straightforward for someone who knows what they are doing. Does anything else need to be changed? Thanks, Bill RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - EricU - 04-19-2021 It seems really unlikely that the wire is rated for 20 amps. So the garage would need to be rewired. How accessible is the wiring? RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - MT Woodworker - 04-19-2021 Why do you want to go to 20 amp? RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - Roly - 04-19-2021 (04-19-2021, 10:22 AM)EricU Wrote: It seems really unlikely that the wire is rated for 20 amps. So the garage would need to be rewired. How accessible is the wiring? +1 It may just as easy if not cheaper to add a 20a circuit. Roly RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - Admiral - 04-19-2021 (04-19-2021, 10:18 AM)bpatters69 Wrote: Hello All, You need to check the gauge of the wiring in the garage. It is likely 14ga for a 15 amp service, and 20amp service requires 12ga wiring to meet code. It is possible, but unlikely, you have 12ga wiring in the garage, so the earlier suggestion of just running a new 20 amp line might be the way to go here. When put a subpanel in my shop, I wired the wall circuits with 12ga to get 20amp service everywhere. RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - MT Woodworker - 04-19-2021 (04-19-2021, 10:47 AM)Admiral Wrote: You need to check the gauge of the wiring in the garage. It is likely 14ga for a 15 amp service, and 20amp service requires 12ga wiring to meet code. It is possible, but unlikely, you have 12ga wiring in the garage, so the earlier suggestion of just running a new 20 amp line might be the way to go here. When put a subpanel in my shop, I wired the wall circuits with 12ga to get 20amp service everywhere. Plus 1 Do not overload your wiring Fire in the walls would not be good RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - srv52761 - 04-19-2021 As mentioned, in all likelihood you will need to run new wiring. As labor will be the major expense, seems wasteful to pay the labor to run a 12g wire. Run 2g copper or aluminum and put in a sub panel. Odds are good you will be looking at electric or hybrid auto sometime in the future. If you decide to go 12g consider running 12-3 and have the electrician install a multi-wire branch circuit. That would give you two 20 amp circuits in the space of one. Detached or attached? If detached, any change may require a sub panel or mwbc. RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - bpatters69 - 04-19-2021 (04-19-2021, 10:22 AM)MT Woodworker Wrote: Why do you want to go to 20 amp? I bought the Dewalt DW735 Planer and I was planning Poplar. I connected the planer to a Stanley 6 Plug, power strip and it tripped the breaker on the power strip. The strip is old so I don't know how many Amps it is rated for. I am guessing 15 at best. Along with the planer, I have 3 shop lights that are also plugged into the strip and they were all on. I should not have connected the planer to the strip, I should have connected it directly to the outlet. I looked at the breaker and it is a 15Amp breaker. I did run the planer after I connected it directly to the outlet vs the Stanley power strip. The breaker never tripped so that was good. I never take much off on any pass. I usually only turn the wheel 1/4" turn which is less than 1/16" of an inch. I am probably over reacting as the planer is new but if I can change the breaker to 20Amp without much fuss, I will do it. According to the manual, the planer only needs 15Amps but I have read that it is better to use it with 20Amps. Thanks, Bill RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - bpatters69 - 04-19-2021 (04-19-2021, 10:22 AM)EricU Wrote: It seems really unlikely that the wire is rated for 20 amps. So the garage would need to be rewired. How accessible is the wiring? Thanks. I thought the wire might be an issue. When we re-modeled the house in 2010 our contractor wired the garage for 220 for my table saw and also for my dust collector. I can see there are 20Amp breakers in the panel but I know that does not mean that all of the wiring can support 20Amp. RE: Changing 15Amp Breaker to 20Amp - Snipe Hunter - 04-19-2021 Don't use the power strip |