Question

Two electricians are discussing receptacles. Electrician A says that a 15 A receptacle on a 20 A branch circuit can supply a cord-and-plug connected load of 15 A. Electrician B says that a 40 A branch circuit only can supply nonlighting loads. Which of the following statements is correct?

A. Only Electrician A is correct.
B. Neither electrician is correct
C. Both electricians are correct
D. Only Electrician B is correct

Answer 1

Only Electrician A is correct because a 15 A receptacle can supply a load of up to 15 A. Electrician B is partially correct, but without further context, we cannot affirm that a 40 A branch circuit is exclusively for nonlighting loads.

Step-by-step explanation:

Regarding the two statements made by the electricians, we have to consider the National Electric Code (NEC) and general electrical engineering practices.

Electrician A is correct because a 15 A receptacle can indeed supply a load of up to 15 A, even if it is on a 20 A branch circuit. However, continuous loads should not exceed 80% of the receptacle's ampacity, hence a continuous load should not exceed 12 A on a 15 A receptacle.

Electrician B is partially correct. While a 40 A branch circuit can supply nonlighting loads, it is not exclusively for them. Therefore, without additional context, we cannot definitively say that a 40 A branch circuit can only supply nonlighting loads.

The correct answer is A: Only Electrician A is correct.