Electrical – If I install a 30 amp breaker in the breaker box, can I use 15 amp outlets on the circuit, provided none of the appliances used exceed 15 amps

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I have a shed that has outlets wired with either 14 or 12 gauge wire and 15 amp receptacles. I already know that my total usage will be almost 30 amps.
If I use a #10 on the first receptacle and a 30 amp breaker, can the other outlets use 12 or 14 gauge wire? Or do ALL the outlets have to have #10 wire? Can I even still have 15 amp outlets or do I need 30? I know next to nothing about wiring.

Best Answer

This simply will not work. The only receptacles you are allowed to put on a 30A breaker are 30A receptacles. Those are unfit for your purpose.

Further, if your expected loads are near 30A, you should be derating this by 125% (37.5A) and provisioning that much power - I.E. 40A. And they don't even make 120V/40A receptacles.

The right way to do this is to fit a sub panel at the shed, and have individual circuit breakers protecting each #14 or #12 circuit.

I am also concerned about what your feed cable is to the shed. This too will be a limiting factor in your total possible load. There are ways around them, but you should not use those ways until you are well past mismatching sockets, wires and breakers.