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Asked by: Monsalud Greene
home and garden indoor environmental qualityCan you increase the size of a circuit breaker?
No! The only safe way to increase the circuit's capacity is by replacing the wire with one of adequate gauge. For 20 amps, 12 AWG copper is adequate for up to about 100 feet. If you simply replace the breaker, the wire can overheat and ignite the building from inside the walls.
Keeping this in view, can I replace a 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp breaker?
The answer: It's possible, but not advisable without an electrician evaluating the situation. You should never just upgrade from a 15-amp breaker to a 20-amp one just because the current one is tripping. Otherwise, you may burn your house down via electrical fire.
- Consult with a qualified electrician before increasing the size of a circuit breaker.
- Turn off the power to the circuit breaker box at the disconnect box.
how do I choose a circuit breaker size?
To find the current draw, you just divide this number by the voltage at which it operates, which is either 120 volts or 240 volts. Then, multiply this number by 125 percent. An easy way to do this is to divide it by 100 and then multiply it by 125. The rating of your circuit breaker must be larger than this total.
By installing that 30 amp breaker, you have raised the maximum current on that circuit 50 percent higher than it was meant for. If the load needs that much more current, you can replace the breaker, but you must also replace all the wire going from the breaker to that load and back.