Ever seen outlet fail due to repetitive use w/L1 cordset?

[Bob]

I have one case in my home where an outlet got quiet warm while charging the Leaf. I replaced the outlet and never had a problem since.

Bob

 

[Nubo]

As for the concern that someone could try to use a 20A plug the only danger would be if someone only put in wiring for 15A and then put in a 20A breaker. If the correct size breaker is in place it would just trip and disappoint the user.

On the other hand, even finding anything with a 20A plug is pretty rare.

No, there's danger in putting a 20A outlet on a 15A protected circuit. Breakers are for protection against accidental overloads. That's meaningfully different than purposely designing an overload into the circuit. There's a reason for the different plug designs. Are 20A plugs rare? Yes. Would it probably turn out ok? Yes, probably. Or maybe that device would draw a full 15A continuous, and not the 80% circuit rating for continuous load. The safety margin would be gone. Things would get hotter than normal Maybe it's a new owner who doesn't know the outlet is mismatched, etc...

As discussed, the quality of a 120V household outlet is not determined by its amperage rating, but by its grade specification, so there's no reason to take even a small chance.

 

[wwhitney]

No, there's danger in putting a 20A outlet on a 15A protected circuit.

However, it is a violation of the NEC unless that 20A receptacle is the only outlet on the circuit.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Nubo]

No, there's danger in putting a 20A outlet on a 15A protected circuit.

However, it is a violation of the NEC unless that 20A receptacle is the only outlet on the circuit.

Cheers, Wayne

Not sure how "however" applies to my comment?

 

[wwhitney]

No, there's danger in putting a 20A outlet on a 15A protected circuit.

However, it is a violation of the NEC unless that 20A receptacle is the only outlet on the circuit.

Not sure how "however" applies to my comment?

Sorry, misread your original comment, I thought you said "No, there's no danger . . ."

Anyway, the NEC does allow a single 20A receptacle on a dedicated 15A circuit, and there's no danger in doing that. The 15A breaker will protect the 20A receptacle, and if the user overloads the circuit, that's their problem. It's no different that any standard multi-receptacle branch circuit, which can easily be overloaded by plugging in multiple large loads.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[QueenBee]

However, it is a violation of the NEC unless that 20A receptacle is the only outlet on the circuit.

Not sure how "however" applies to my comment?

Sorry, misread your original comment, I thought you said "No, there's no danger . . ."

Anyway, the NEC does allow a single 20A receptacle on a dedicated 15A circuit, and there's no danger in doing that. The 15A breaker will protect the 20A receptacle, and if the user overloads the circuit, that's their problem. It's no different that any standard multi-receptacle branch circuit, which can easily be overloaded by plugging in multiple large loads.

Cheers, Wayne

Could you provide a reference? Why would NEC allow a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit? Table 210.21(B)(3) says 15 amp circuit requires 15 amp receptacle.

 

[wwhitney]

Could you provide a reference? Why would NEC allow a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit? Table 210.21(B)(3) says 15 amp circuit requires 15 amp receptacle.

210.21(B)(3) applies to branch circuits with two or more receptacles or outlets. 210.21(B)(1) says:

Single Receptacle on an Individual Branch Circuit. A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[TimLee]

Could you provide a reference? Why would NEC allow a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit? Table 210.21(B)(3) says 15 amp circuit requires 15 amp receptacle.

210.21(B)(3) applies to branch circuits with two or more receptacles or outlets. 210.21(B)(1) says:

Single Receptacle on an Individual Branch Circuit. A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit.

Cheers, Wayne

Still a bad idea.
Just like the people arguing you can install an EVSE that is going to run less than 3 hours as a non- continuous load.
Just because the code will allow it does not make it a good thing to do.

 

[QueenBee]

Could you provide a reference? Why would NEC allow a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit? Table 210.21(B)(3) says 15 amp circuit requires 15 amp receptacle.

210.21(B)(3) applies to branch circuits with two or more receptacles or outlets. 210.21(B)(1) says:

Single Receptacle on an Individual Branch Circuit. A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit.

Cheers, Wayne

Thanks for taking the time to cite this, Wayne. Very interesting that they left this open to include 20 amp receptacles. It obviously makes sense when dealing with 50 or 100 amp receptacles. Nice to know my 16 amp OpenEVSE that is on a 20 amp circuit but now using L6-30 is within code. It originally was for a 20 amp EVSEUpgrade but I never got around to upgrading the circuit so limited the OpenEVSE to 16 amps and switched the receptacle.