20 amp duplex recepticle

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arnettda

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I have a 20 amp duples recepticle with the tab removed between the two hot screws and feed with two twenty amp circuits. Is my device rated for two 20 amp circuits or is the whole device rated 20 amps. It feeds kitchen equipment toaster and waffle maker both at about 13 amps.
One neutral going back to panel. Is my neutral then overloaded?
Thanks
 
arnettda said:
I have a 20 amp duples recepticle with the tab removed between the two hot screws and feed with two twenty amp circuits. Is my device rated for two 20 amp circuits or is the whole device rated 20 amps. It feeds kitchen equipment toaster and waffle maker both at about 13 amps.
One neutral going back to panel. Is my neutral then overloaded?
Thanks
Click to expand...

Sorry I meant duplex recep.
 
arnettda said:
I have a 20 amp duples recepticle with the tab removed between the two hot screws and feed with two twenty amp circuits. Is my device rated for two 20 amp circuits or is the whole device rated 20 amps. It feeds kitchen equipment toaster and waffle maker both at about 13 amps.
One neutral going back to panel. Is my neutral then overloaded?
Thanks
Click to expand...


Each receptacle is rated for a 20 Amp circuit. If this is MWBC ( seperate phases) there is nothing wrong with this. If you are trying for GFCI protection then you will have to add GFCI breakers.

Some electricians used to split the top and bottom of a duplex into two circuits for counter top
receptacles thinking that if people were to only use one of the duplex receptacles ( often happens because of location ) that it would be less likely to overload.

Probably a good idea but I'm to lazy for that and since it's not required the practice dies out.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
That should be fine with a mwbc.
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first note, why would it matter if it is or it isn't MWBC?

Twoskinsoneman said:
It certainly is if it's not a MWBC
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On a second note, we have had this discussion here many times and i don't believe it came to a final decision.
The rating of a duplex receptacles (15A & 20A) is for one receptacle on that single yoke or it is the rating of that yoke?
 
edward said:
first note, why would it matter if it is or it isn't MWBC?
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If it wasn't, the neutral would return the total of both hots combined. For instance, if there were 13 amps on one and 15 on the other and they were from the same leg (phase isn't really the correct word) the single neutral would be returning 28 amps. If those same loads were on each side of a MWBC, the neutral would be returning 2 amps.

On a second note, we have had this discussion here many times and i don't believe it came to a final decision.
The rating of a duplex receptacles (15A & 20A) is for one receptacle on that single yoke or it is the rating of that yoke?
Click to expand...

It is the rating of the device, not any individual part. 20 A is the max. In the above scenario with the overloaded neutral, a 20 A receptacle carrying 28 amps total is overloaded. If it were on a MWBC with the same loads, it would be compliant.
 
K8MHZ said:
It is the rating of the device, not any individual part. 20 A is the max. In the above scenario with the overloaded neutral, a 20 A receptacle carrying 28 amps total is overloaded. If it were on a MWBC with the same loads, it would be compliant.
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So if the tab is broken one is not allowed to install two separate two wire circuits on a receptacle?

For example if one heater draws 15Amps and the 2nd heater draws 15Amps that would be 30Amps through a 20Amp rated duplex receptacle.
 
edward said:
So if the tab is broken one is not allowed to install two separate two wire circuits on a receptacle?

For example if one heater draws 15Amps and the 2nd heater draws 15Amps that would be 30Amps through a 20Amp rated duplex receptacle.
Click to expand...

Each device can handle 20 amps so a MWBC or 2- 20 amp circuits will work.
 
If the way you look at is correct then each part could only carry 10 amps. What good is that. Remember with the tabs broken then the is no connection between the upper and lower part of the duplex.
 
edward said:
So if the tab is broken one is not allowed to install two separate two wire circuits on a receptacle?

For example if one heater draws 15Amps and the 2nd heater draws 15Amps that would be 30Amps through a 20Amp rated duplex receptacle.
Click to expand...

With separate neutrals, the max current would be 15 A, so that would be OK. (No part of the device would be carrying more than 20 amps)

To clarify, if that same receptacle was fed by a single 30 amp circuit with #10 conductors and two 15 A heaters were used on it at the same time, that would overload the receptacle, as 30 amps could be measured at a single terminal.
 
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K8MHZ said:
With separate neutrals, the max current would be 15 A, so that would be OK. (No part of the device would be carrying more than 20 amps)
Click to expand...

so then it is a receptacle issue it is a circuit neutral capacity issue.

Dennis Alwon said:
Each device can handle 20 amps so a MWBC or 2- 20 amp circuits will work.
Click to expand...

so a single yoke is not rated at 20A, but rather 20Amp per female receptacle, so a duplex 20Amp receptacle can safely carry 40Amps.
 
edward said:
so then it is a receptacle issue it is a circuit neutral capacity issue.



so a single yoke is not rated at 20A, but rather 20Amp per female receptacle, so a duplex 20Amp receptacle can safely carry 40Amps.
Click to expand...

It's not a neutral capacity issue, its an issue of how much current is measured at a single point.

With 20 amps on each (isolated) receptacle of a duplex, the only way to measure 40 amps would be to combine the current from two different points. Any single point would still measure 20 amps.
 
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