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Interconnects, speaker wire, power cords. Ask the Cable Guys.

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RE: 20 amp Duplex on 15 amp circuits? yes? no? don't care?

Posted by bcowen on March 15, 2017 at 15:45:27:
Do you stay up at night?

Only for one thing, and it has no relation to wall outlets. :)

worrying your 20 amp duplex outlet will explode killing you?

Actually, with the higher current capacity, you're probably less likely to die from outlet explosion. :)

In my opinion, there's no problem using a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit, so long as the user knows it's a 15 amp circuit. If you own the home, it's basically a non-issue. But if you decide to sell it, well....

In my last house, I installed several 20 amp outlets in the audio room. Nothing expensive, just some decent commercial grade Levitons. When we put the house on the market and had an offer, the buyer sent in a home inspector which is a pretty normal routine. Most home inspectors (in my opinion) are rather superficial and many wouldn't know an outlet from a switch. But this one did. He saw the outlets, and asked if it was a 20 amp circuit. I should have just said "yes," but being honest I told him no. His next question was who installed them, and was it a licensed electrician? Had to answer in the negative on that too. He didn't seem to care so much they were 20 amp outlets as much as he was wanting to point out they weren't installed by a card-carrying electrician. To appease the prospective buyers, I had to get a licensed electrician in to inspect the wiring and certify the outlets were installed properly. Didn't cost much as I'd only replaced 4 outlets, but still a hassle.

I'm guessing the majority of the so-called house inspectors wouldn't ever pick up on this, but you never know. Next time I sell, it won't be an issue as I'm for sure not leaving my Furutechs in the wall for a new owner. I'll happily put the 15 amp contractor grade crap back in before the house goes on the market. :)