# Another electrical question



## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I guess this qualifies as safety since I really don't want to burn down the house..
So anyway, in my electrical panel there's a series of breakers from 15A up to 40.. One is a 30A that was used for an RV, but the RV is no more. 
The question is can I remove the 30A breaker and the wire (or just disconnect it) put in a 20A breaker and new 20A wiring to reduce the spot that was a 30A circuit and reinstall 20A in its place? Makes sense to me since the long pole or whatever you call the bars that the breakers connect to have several 20 and 15A circuits already connected.. What am I missing here?


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Why do you want to downsize the breaker? You can always put lower amp draw devices on a 30 amp circuit. You just cannot go the other way.

What is it that you are really trying to accomplish?

George


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

allpurpose said:


> I guess this qualifies as safety since I really don't want to burn down the house..
> So anyway, in my electrical panel there's a series of breakers from 15A up to 40.. One is a 30A that was used for an RV, but the RV is no more.
> The question is can I remove the 30A breaker and the wire (or just disconnect it) put in a 20A breaker and new 20A wiring to reduce the spot that was a 30A circuit and reinstall 20A in its place? Makes sense to me since the long pole or whatever you call the bars that the breakers connect to have several 20 and 15A circuits already connected.. What am I missing here?


The 30a breaker is just there to protect a 10 gauge wire. There is no reason to change the breaker or the wire to run a 20A tool on it. The 30A service will provide better power than you could get with a 12 gauge wire.

I'm sure somewhere in your house you are running a nightlight on a 15A service even though the nightlight is only drawing .0125 amps. Same difference.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

You want to run the correct breaker for the correct tool.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

GeorgeC said:


> Why do you want to downsize the breaker? You can always put lower amp draw devices on a 30 amp circuit. You just cannot go the other way.
> 
> What is it that you are really trying to accomplish?
> 
> George





Steve Neul said:


> The 30a breaker is just there to protect a 10 gauge wire. There is no reason to change the breaker or the wire to run a 20A tool on it. The 30A service will provide better power than you could get with a 12 gauge wire.
> 
> I'm sure somewhere in your house you are running a nightlight on a 15A service even though the nightlight is only drawing .0125 amps. Same difference.





Rebelwork said:


> You want to run the correct breaker for the correct tool.


The correct breaker can be "oversize" with no ill effects as stated above. You just can't go "undersize" on the breaker or the wiring size. Leave it as is, except the plug will need to match/fit in the existing receptacle. There are adaptors for RV use that can be used to fit various size receptacles in trailer parks:





RV Electrical Adapters & Plugs


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Just be aware that you NEVER want exposed hot leads/prongs coming from a receptacle!


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Woodnthings are you a certified electricial?

I don't run 20 amp tools on 30-40amp breakers...


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

if you intend to run a 20 amp receptacle circuit, then yes. replace the 30 a cb with a 20a, AND run 12 gauge wire to the reptacle. the circuit breaker protetects the wire it is servicing. 10 ga wire will not fit into a 20 amp receptacle.

you didn't mention if the 30 amp circuit breaker was single pole or double pole. this is all assuming it is single. otherwise, you will be pulling a double pole but re-inserting a single pole, leaving a blank space.

Are you comfortable doing this work yourself?


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Rebelwork said:


> Woodnthings are you a certified electricial?
> 
> I don't run 20 amp tools on 30-40amp breakers...


Please explain why not. You run 5 amp tools on a 20 amp breaker do you not?

George


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> Please explain why not. You run 5 amp tools on a 20 amp breaker do you not?
> 
> George


Whats a breaker and what's it for?


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I think this need a bit of clarification, will this be the same circuit with the 30 amp outlet being changed to a 20 amp as well or will it be re-routed and just the breaker spot being used for an entirely new circuit. I am not an electrician but I believe it makes a difference.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

When your furnace is blowing 5amp fuses do you stick a 20amp in it?


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

You must use a 30 A receptacle on a 30 A circuit. To use that circuit for a tool you need to put a 30 A plug on the tool's power cord. Note that the power cable is sized for the tool's current rating, not the breaker, assuming the tool has it's own overcurrent protection, which anything of recent vintage will have.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

a tool with a low power demand has zilch to do with the breaker and wiring.
the circuit breaker amperage may not exceed the allowable wire size amperage.
a tool requiring 30 amps should have a 30 amp plug on it - which will not go into a "standard household convenience outlet"
if you change the outlet to a standard household type, you will need to change the breaker to 15 or 20 amps - see the rating on the outlet - the only reason being so the tool can be plugged in, but the outlet being lower rated must have a matching breaker size.

you do not have to change the #10 wire to #12 or #14 just because the breaker and outlet have been downgraded.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Rebelwork said:


> Whats a breaker and what's it for?


(Note: These are my own words.)

A circuit breaker is designed to cut off current flow when the current exceeds its rated limit. In essence, it is a resettable fuse. 

The purpose of a circuit breaker is to protect the circuit wiring and the structure from the harmful effects of exceeding the current capacity of the wiring. Exceeding the current capacity of the wiring could result in damage to the wiring or a structure fire. 

Additional Comments:

The circuit breaker rating must never exceed the current capacity of the associated circuit wiring. If the circuit wiring capacity is 20 amps, then you must never put a 30 amp circuit breaker on that circuit. If you require a 30 amp breaker on that circuit, then you must replace the associated wiring with thicker wires that can handle the additional current.

No harm will come from using a 20 amp breaker on a circuit whose wiring is rated at 30 amps. Of course, the circuit breaker will limit you to running 20 amps, when you could have run 30 amps with a matching 30 amp circuit breaker. 
-> _The danger in this case is that you must know and remember which 20 amp circuits have wiring that can support 30 amps, and which circuits have wiring that is actually limited to 20 amps. Putting a 30 amp circuit breaker on the latter is dangerous and could result in damage or fire. _

There is nothing wrong with running a 20 amp tool on a 30 amp circuit. It is normal and we do it all the time. In fact, you can run two 15 amp tools simultaneously on that 30 amp circuit, and then shut one off. Nothing bad will happen. If something fails in one of the tools where it shorts out and tries to draw 50 amps, then the circuit breaker will blow and protect the wiring and the building. 

Circuit breakers are not there to protect the tools. Tools may have their own circuit breakers or fuses. Sometimes they just burn out and fail ungracefully. 

Here are a few basic rules:

Circuit breakers should never exceed the current capacity of the wiring in the circuits they protect. Never replace a circuit breaker with one that exceeds the limit of the wiring in that circuit.
In my opinion, circuit breakers should match the current capacity of the corresponding circuit wiring. That way, you never have to remember which circuits have wiring that supports higher current capacities. An error could result in severe property damage.
Do not connect devices that draw more current than the circuit breaker or the limit of the circuit wiring that they are plugged into, whichever is less.
Feel free to connect electrical devices that draw less current than the limit. That applies to one tool or a combination of tools.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Tool Agnostic said:


> (Note: These are my own words.)
> 
> A circuit breaker is designed to cut off current flow when the current exceeds its rated limit. In essence, it is a resettable fuse.
> 
> ...


There ya go.... I can't type that much I start using sign language


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Maybe the thread needs a circuit breaker.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Rebelwork said:


> Woodnthings are you a certified electricial?
> 
> You meant electrician?
> 
> I don't run 20 amp tools on 30-40amp breakers...


My house has 400 AMP service to the meter, and I have five 100 AMP sub panels, one 175 AMP main and one 225 AMP main in my house, two shops and garage. I did 95% of the wiring and had a certified electrician inpsect it as well as the electrical and building inspector who thought a "professional" had done it. Short answer, NO. 
However, the adaptors I linked are made by the thousands by dozens of companies, so they can't all be "wrong" ..... just sayin'





RV Electrical Adapters & Plugs


Shop Camping World for a wide selection of electrical adapters and power plugs for all of your RV needs. Free shipping on orders $99+.




www.campingworld.com


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> Maybe the thread needs a circuit breaker.


absolutely.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

TomCT2 said:


> absolutely.


It would have to be ceratify or certified...


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Above are some examples of the lack of understanding how electricity works. Tool Agnostic's descriptions are accurate.
Suffice it to say that the current that flows through a circuit is determined by the "load" or component that is using the energy. If a 0.5A (60 watt) bulb is plugged into a circuit designed to carry 100 amps ... there will only be 0.5 amps of flow going through the wires. You can plug anything that uses up to 29 amps into a 30 amp circuit breaker. If the device uses 30 amps, it will likely trip the breaker on start up.
IF you're using AFCI/GFCI receptacles, then the 30 amp circuit breaker will only come into play if you develop a short circuit in the wiring itself. The receptacle itself will disconnect the circuit in the case of equipment problems, etc. Again, no need to replace the 30 amp breaker or the wiring.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Rebelwork said:


> Whats a breaker and what's it for?
> [/QUOTE) The 20 amp saw isn't going to draw any more power hooked to a 30 amp breaker then it would a 20 amp breaker. You would only have an issue with the electrical if you tried to run a 20 amp saw on a 15 amp circuit. The 30 amp breaker is there only to limit the amount of amperage drawn on a 10 gauge wire because if you go over the limit the wire can heat up and burn causing a fire. It's there to protect the wire, not any device that may be plugged into it.


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## Deathvalleyson (Dec 2, 2020)

Rebelwork said:


> When your furnace is blowing 5amp fuses do you stick a 20amp in it?
> View attachment 421063


Ok, I almost lost my beer there. Can't tell you how many times I ran service on a furnace or a condenser only to find the homeowner had replaced the fuse with a piece of "copper pipe" because a hard start was tripping it.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

HoytC said:


> You must use a 30 A receptacle on a 30 A circuit. To use that circuit for a tool you need to put a 30 A plug on the tool's power cord. Note that the power cable is sized for the tool's current rating, not the breaker, assuming the tool has it's own overcurrent protection, which anything of recent vintage will have.


What? Where did you get this idea?

George


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## Deathvalleyson (Dec 2, 2020)

My concern when I see a question about working in a panel, (kudos to the poster for checking on safety) is many folks are unaware of the dangers of the Bus bar, SOP for working near the buss, and the complete lack of "Required PPE, at least in Ca" to safely do so. For clarification, the Bus bar is where you are attaching the breakers. On a Main Panel "usually" there is a Main Breaker that kills power to the bus bar, although it is not uncommon to find old panels, especially ones using pushmatic breakers w/o one because someone pulled it to add more room for breakers. Additionally, a homeowner will think they are on the Main Panel when it is actually a Sub Panel, many of which do not have a main breaker, and that bus bar is live, and even if you kill the breaker at the main, but don't lock-out/tag-out someone might come along and flip it back on thinking it was just tripped. 

SOP: Electrical safety code dictates you wear high voltage rubber gloves with leather gloves over them, face shield, fireproof jacket, and pants. Real-world I have seen one SDG&E guy do that, and union guys doing parts of it. For me, I always do the following. (Your mileage may vary)

Wear Leather (dry) gloves
Wear eye protection
Kill the Main Breaker
Test for Power, re-test for power, really really test for power, on the bus bars as well as a few breakers just to be sure. 
ASSUME there is still power anyway and stay the hell away from the bus. 
Electrical Panel Trivia: From the '50s to the '70s there were a lot of bad panels installed that lost their compliance and should have been replaced as they had a nasty habit of burning down houses (Zinsco for one) On some of these panels when you pull off the panel cover which is often done by a latch on the bottom and then tilting it out if you swing the bottom too far off you will actually cross the bus bar where main power comes in from the pole on the top, there will be a bright flash and large boom, and unless you have multiple guardian angels, you will die.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Guys,
Truer words were never spoken:
"The purpose of a circuit breaker is to protect the circuit wiring and the structure from the harmful effects of exceeding the current capacity of the wiring."

Now in the real world. The current capacity in the wiring in the circuit can make a difference in tool performance. If you are running a 115 Volt table saw on a 30 amp circuit, the start up will be more efficient and smoother than on a specified minimum circuit. The reason is that the saw will be able to draw all the current it needs without IR drop issues. For the mathematical minded, the resistance in Ohms of the wire times the current in Amperes equals the voltage loss. 

Going back to our 115 volt table saw and assume it draws 14 Amperes at start up:
On a 15 Ampere (14 gauge wire) circuit and 100 feet from the breaker panel the voltage loss is 3.5 Volts.
On a 20 Ampere (12 gauge wire) circuit and 100 feet from the breaker panel the voltage loss is 2.2 Volts.
On a 30 Ampere (10 gauge wire) circuit and 100 feet from the breaker panel the voltage loss is 1.4 Volts.


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

GeorgeC said:


> What? Where did you get this idea?
> 
> George


Receptacle requirement: NEC section 210.21

Cord requirement NEC section 250.5


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

HoytC said:


> Receptacle requirement: NEC section 210.21
> 
> Cord requirement NEC section 250.5


I think that you are interpreting something wrong or out of context. Please post passage you are reading. 

George


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

GeorgeC said:


> I think that you are interpreting something wrong or out of context. Please post passage you are reading.
> 
> George


Which are you referring to? Receptacle or cord?


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## Rick Christopherson (Jun 27, 2016)

GeorgeC said:


> I think that you are interpreting something wrong or out of context. Please post passage you are reading.
> 
> George


No He is NOT! 

Every single posting you've made in this thread is wrong. That's probably because you don't have a copy of the NEC, which is why you're asking him to post the passages. Stop providing electrical advise from the seat of your pants.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I think what George is taking exception to is the notion that a 20 amp tool has to be upgraded to 30 amp wiring to be plugged into a 30 amp receptacle.


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

Steve Neul said:


> I think what George is taking exception to is the notion that a 20 amp tool has to be upgraded to 30 amp wiring to be plugged into a 30 amp receptacle.


Well, if that's the objection, that's NOT what I said. I said that the cord has to match the tool, not the receptacle. It needs to either have a 30 plug on it or use an adapter. But the 30 A circuit must have a 30 A receptacle.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Rick Christopherson said:


> No He is NOT!
> 
> Every single posting you've made in this thread is wrong. That's probably because you don't have a copy of the NEC, which is why you're asking him to post the passages. Stop providing electrical advise from the seat of your pants.


The "seat of my pants" was a minor in Electrical Engineering.

George


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

HoytC said:


> Well, if that's the objection, that's NOT what I said. I said that the cord has to match the tool, not the receptacle. It needs to either have a 30 plug on it or use an adapter. But the 30 A circuit must have a 30 A receptacle.


I still do not understand what you are trying to say. What do you mean by "the cord has to match the tool?" Obviously the cord supplied with a tool much have am amp rating equal to or greater than the rating of the tool. What are you trying to say.

What are you trying to say about the plug? It also much be equal to or higher rated. 

Never known of a manufacturer who put lessor rated cables and plugs on their tools than the rating of the tool. 

"But the 30 A circuit must have a 30 A receptacle." Do you mean a 30 amp circuit must have a 30 amp breaker?

In a house/commercial, whatever, electrical circuit, all components of that circuit must be equal or greater that the circuit rating. They can always be greater, but never less. This is a very simple concept, nothing complicated.

George


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

HoytC said:


> Well, if that's the objection, that's NOT what I said. I said that the cord has to match the tool, not the receptacle. It needs to either have a 30 plug on it or use an adapter. But the 30 A circuit must have a 30 A receptacle.


A 30 amp receptacle doesn't necessarily have to look like a dryer plug. It can look like any other receptacle but be rated for 30 amps. We just don't know what is there, the OP seems to have abandoned the thread.


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

GeorgeC said:


> "But the 30 A circuit must have a 30 A receptacle." Do you mean a 30 amp circuit must have a 30 amp breaker?
> 
> In a house/commercial, whatever, electrical circuit, all components of that circuit must be equal or greater that the circuit rating. They can always be greater, but never less. This is a very simple concept, nothing complicated.
> 
> George


Yes, in the case of only one outlet on the circuit you can use a receptacle of higher rating. Multiple receptacles must be per Table 210.21(B)(3) which says only 30 A receptacles on 30 A circuits.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> A 30 amp receptacle doesn't necessarily have to look like a dryer plug. It can look like any other receptacle but be rated for 30 amps. We just don't know what is there, the OP seems to have abandoned the thread.


Probably called a certified electrician..most every electrical question end up twisted into 50 different directions.

I was lucky in early 2000. I worked around a lot of certified electricians. I asked and ran a 95 amp box to the garage. I didn't have to come here for direction on power...

We have had several certified electricians on these forums and they all get argued with. It becomes a waste of their time...


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

HoytC said:


> Yes, i*n the case of only one outlet on the circuit you can use a receptacle of higher rating.* Multiple receptacles must be per Table 210.21(B)(3) which says only 30 A receptacles on 30 A circuits.


What? I thought the receptacle must be the same rating as the breaker, never higher because that would allow more current to pass than the wiring will safely allow before over heating, the purpose of the breaker in the first place. What am I not understanding?


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

woodnthings said:


> What? I thought the receptacle must be the same rating as the breaker, never higher because that would allow more current to pass than the wiring will safely allow before over heating, the purpose of the breaker in the first place. What am I not understanding?


NEC 210.21(B)(1) "A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating not less than that of the branch circuit."


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## Rick Christopherson (Jun 27, 2016)

HoytC said:


> Yes, in the case of only one outlet on the circuit you can use a receptacle of higher rating. Multiple receptacles must be per Table 210.21(B)(3) which says only 30 A receptacles on 30 A circuits.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

So, in the "unusual" case of the 40 AMP breaker which allows a 50 AMP receptacle, all others are equal or below. What's up with that? Is it that all rules are subject to one exception? It makes no sense to me. 😬


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> So, in the "unusual" case of the 40 AMP breaker which allows a 50 AMP receptacle, all others are equal or below. What's up with that? Is it that all rules are subject to one exception? It makes no sense to me. 😬
> [/QUOTE) ]It makes sense to me that you can use a heavier receptacle than the circuit is rated for. The breaker is there to protect the circuit. You can always go higher.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

woodnthings said:


> So, in the "unusual" case of the 40 AMP breaker which allows a 50 AMP receptacle, all others are equal or below. What's up with that? Is it that all rules are subject to one exception? It makes no sense to me. 😬


NO! NO! NEVER!

If you have a, 'per code' circuit with the appropriate sized breaker and wire size, you may install a receptacle of lesser amperage but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER install a receptacle of higher capacity than the circuit. 

Remember that the circuit breaker is intended to protect the wiring inside the wall.


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

NoThankyou said:


> NO! NO! NEVER!
> 
> If you have a, 'per code' circuit with the appropriate sized breaker and wire size, you may install a receptacle of lesser amperage but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER install a receptacle of higher capacity than the circuit.


Wrong. Section 210.21(B) of the NEC deals with receptacle ratings.










So for a single receptacle on a breaker the receptacle rating has to to equal to or greater than the breaker value. Less than is NOT allowed.

For multiple receptacles on a breaker the options are listed:










So a lower rating is allowed only for 15 or 20 A circuits and I'm not aware of any listed receptacles rated less than 15 A, so really, only one case where you can do that.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

the problem is really quite simple. too many poster do not read the OP question and/or do no have any clue as to what the implied question entails.

in this case, we have a 30 circuit to supply an RV. look up RV plugs. 30 and 50 amp types. neither one will fit an standard convenience 3 prong grounded / 2 prong non-grounded outlet.

the OP apparently want to use the circuit for something else - now that the RV no longer lives there.
so the 'specialize' outlet for the RV plug has to be replaced with a "standard household" outlet.

the wiring will support 30 amps, a standard household outlet will not support 30 amps.

enter stage left the pseudo experts pointing out all the weird situations under which a over-amperage outlet fixture can/may be installed on a higher amp circuit. all valid citation, all true situations, none of which actually apply.

anything plug-in tool intended for a standard household two/three prong outlet is _not_ going to pull 30 amps.
any standard household breaker does not instantly trip when it's amp rating is experienced.
they have "time delay" action. a sustained demand over rating results in tripping, or an instanteous mega-high amp short circuit. 

what we have here is a bunch of non-knowledgeable and knowledgeable people peeing on the other guys shoes with information irrelevant to the OP's question.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

well, edits are not long supported. 
so go with what makes sense.


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## HoytC (Dec 30, 2019)

TomCT2 said:


> the problem is really quite simple. too many poster do not read the OP question and/or do no have any clue as to what the implied question entails.
> 
> in this case, we have a 30 circuit to supply an RV. look up RV plugs. 30 and 50 amp types. neither one will fit an standard convenience 3 prong grounded / 2 prong non-grounded outlet.
> 
> ...


Good point. An appropriate reply would have been to simply recommend one of these:


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

HoytC,
It took me awhile to understand the logic of the code as quoted. I do not doubt your sources. 

To put it simply, the code is trying to prevent Joe home owner from removing a higher ampere plug and replacing it with a lower ampere plug to use the circuit. In that case the plug and receptacle and plug could become a fire hazard. An extreme scenario but possible and the code is designed to prevent all idiots from burning the house down. Yes, some day we will encounter even smarter idiots. 

OK, now back to the real world of the OP. Probably (key word probably) the RV circuit is 230 volts and uses at least #10 wire. A guy down the street had to install a 230 volt 40 ampere circuit for his 30 foot travel trailer. With the appliances in the trailer the need for higher amperage was needed. 

Lets assume that it is only a 115 volt circuit. I don't think that it would be possible to attach a normal 115 volt receptacle to #10 wire. I haven't tried it but I think that it would be very difficult. 

The biggest concern that I have, 'Is the OP 30 ampere circuit 115 or 230 volts?' 

Finally, if you look around most homes built after 1990, you'll find 12 gauge wiring for the outlets but the outlets are 15 ampere of capacity. The 20 ampere capacity receptacle will have a "T" slot on the neutral leg. It is visible just by glancing at the outlet.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

I wired my shop machine circuit with #10 and multiple double gang convenience outlets.
there is no problem or difficulty doing that.


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## Dave McCann (Jun 21, 2020)

allpurpose said:


> The question is can I remove the 30A breaker and the wire (or just disconnect it) put in a 20A breaker* and new 20A wiring* to reduce the spot that was a 30A circuit and reinstall 20A in its place?





TomCT2 said:


> the problem is really quite simple. too many poster do not read the OP question





TomCT2 said:


> the wiring will support 30 amps, a standard household outlet will not support 30 amps.


Tom, how will the new 20 amp wiring, support 30 amps?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

What he said^ ....?
Here's the original question:


allpurpose said:


> I guess this qualifies as safety since I really don't want to burn down the house..
> So anyway, in my electrical panel there's a series of breakers from 15A up to 40.. One is a 30A that was used for an RV, but the RV is no more.
> *The question is can I remove the 30A breaker and the wire (or just disconnect it) put in a 20A breaker and new 20A wiring *to reduce the spot that was a 30A circuit and reinstall 20A in its place? Makes sense to me since the long pole or whatever you call the bars that the breakers connect to have several 20 and 15A circuits already connected.. What am I missing here?


If you remove all traces of the 30 AMP circuit, including the wiring and the breaker, you can replace that double pole breaker (assuming it's a double pole for 240 volts) with two single pole breakers and run two separate 20 AMP circuits using number 12 wire to where ever you need them.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

If you want/need 2 circuits Woodsnthings idea is very good.

How,ever if you only need one circuit why would you go to all of the trouble of downgrading it to a 20 amp circuit.

Just use it and be happy that you have MORE than you need. Replace any outlets that were for RV plugs with outlets that fit the tools you are going to use. So what if the outlets are labled 20 amps, that is perfectly acceptable. I do not know of any 120 volt tools that you will have that exceed the power draw of 20 amps. 

In the future, if you find some reason to need a 30 amp circuit you will have one available.

George


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Amazing 51 posts and not a word from the OP to clarify anything. Rereading his original post it would seem the simple answer is yes as long as he knows what he is doing..


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

May have called a certified electrician...


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

deleted


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

FrankC said:


> Amazing 51 posts and not a word from the OP to clarify anything. Rereading his original post it would seem the simple answer is yes as long as he knows what he is doing..


Never know, he may have seen enough to turn and run.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Steve Neul said:


> Never know, he may have seen enough to turn and run.


Either that or hired a professional sparky.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I forgot to say one thing in my last post. The best thing for this person to do is take a trip to the city/county(depends upon where he lives) electrical inspector. There he will get an accurate answer that meets the codes of the place where he lives. This trip will cost nothing but time and fuel.

George


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