Purpose of 20 amp receptacles

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danickstr

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I know they are what most sparkys spec for big budget commercial jobs but how many go with the horizontal tab never used in their entire lives? Sort of a waste IMO and I see them all
The time. I am sick of them unless there is an AC window unit don’t bother me with installing these things. If you are putting these on a job you are wasting your clients money
 
For us the receptacles are specified by someone else so when they spec 20 amp devices they're wasting someone else s money not us. ;)

I wonder how many time these things are spec'd because someone actually thinks that they're required for 20 amp circuits.
 
I can’t help thinking about that poor little horizontal t tab hoping for use and never seeing a winking male plug to pull current. Breaks my heart.
 
I never use them. I can count on one hand the number of times I've needed a 20 amp, 120 volt receptacle for something.

That being said, the standard CR-20 receptacle at the supply house is pretty cheap, usually around $1.25 or so. Cost really isn't an issue when using them, that's for sure.
 
While it hasn't been often, I have installed or used enough equipment with a 5-20p to appreciate having the right receptacle already there. Maybe it doesn't matter in a hallway, but for a larger copy machine or a small IT room UPS it's rather handy. And for commercial jobs, the cost difference is noise.
 
210.21(B)(1) states that "A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit". Just sayin'

Now I'm not gonna say that this ever actually happens.

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marmathsen said:
210.21(B)(1) states that "A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit". Just sayin'

Now I'm not gonna say that this ever actually happens.

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Not sure what you mean.

Do you mean you see single 15A receptacles on a 20A circuit a lot?
 
zbang said:
While it hasn't been often, I have installed or used enough equipment with a 5-20p to appreciate having the right receptacle already there. Maybe it doesn't matter in a hallway, but for a larger copy machine or a small IT room UPS it's rather handy. And for commercial jobs, the cost difference is noise.
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Roger that, service electricians see outlets tested to the time-trip-curve limits of the circuit breaker.

Doesn't matter if in a kitchen, cubical, factory, or home office, my invoice project title is the same, "Outlet Bomb."

Its usually a debris crater where the 15A plug/GFCI was, with black streaks radiating in all directions along the wall.
 
ramsy said:
Roger that, service electricians see outlets tested to the time-trip-curve limits of the circuit breaker.

Doesn't matter if in a kitchen, cubical, factory, or home office, my invoice project title is the same, "Outlet Bomb."

Its usually a debris crater where the 15A plug/GFCI was, with black streaks radiating in all directions along the wall.
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Are you saying that 15A receptacles tend to blow up on 20A circuits?

I find that a bit hard to believe.

zbang was referring to having equipment that needed a 20A receptacle.
 
The only appliance I have that requires a 20A receptacle is my Greenlee Hot Box PVC heater. I doubt you'll see any other regularly used appliance requiring that type of receptacle. I think engineers spec those just to cover their tails.
 
Funny, I'm just thinking back several years ago when a supply house told me that they were considering stocking only 20A duplex receptacles instead of both 15A and 20A. My thought at the time was "you can install 15A duplex receptacles on a 20A circuit but would it be correct to install 20A duplex receptacles on a 15A circuit?"
 
If equipment requires a 20A plug then it needs it's own circuit, so a 20A duplex is useless in most cases.
 
I install all 20A in my own house. Don't think I have ever plugged in a 20 A plug upstairs.

Main reason for using 20A is that the edge contact does a better job over time maintaining contact pressure.

Ive replacde 100's of 15 A duplex outlets due to no plug retention remaining, only ever replaced 1 20 A due to low retention force (and that one is the one DW used a few times a week for 40 years for the vacuum cleaner)
 
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