I am upgrading some 15A outlets on a 15A circuit. Can I install 20A outlets instead of 15A outlets? If not, why not?
Will a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit pass a home inspection? Or, is it not allowed?
I'm going to be plugging in a 14000 BTU portable air conditioner and it just seems like a good idea to have a 20A outlet to reduce heating in the outlet, even if the circuit is rated only for 15A.
NOT a duplicate of Would there be a problem installing 20A switches on a 15A circuit?, because I'm asking about outlets, NOT switches.
I don't want to violate any laws either or have problems when I go to sell the house. I am located in California, in the United States. The house is an HOA-controlled condo, but I own the condo. The outlets I'm adding will be in the garage, likely on a NON-GFCI line–I'll be tapping a new outlet off of the house's interior hallway, through the wall, into the garage for a single new receptacle in the garage. The circuit is rated at 15A. I was thinking of putting a 20A outlet. I'm not sure, but maybe this is supposed to be a GFCI-outlet too, since it's in the garage–not sure.
Update:
This Amazon product review seems relevant: it indicates putting a 20A outlet on a 15A circuit is a code violation (emphasis added):
This was titled and advertised as a 15 amp device, but is actually a 20 amp device. As such, it's against safety code to use if you are on a 15A circuit. I had to return this item and purchase a 15 amp version, as installation of this would have caused me to fail inspection.
19 May 2021: I just saw this related question too:
Best Answer
That won't have any effect. The internals of both 15A and 20A outlets are made of exactly the same stuff.
That's due to a UL requirement that 15A receps must be able to carry 20A internally, so they can be used in 20A circuits per 210.21.
If anything, 20A outlets are a bit worse, because the neutral wiper cannot be ful-width, since it must have a notch in it for the 20A sideways neutral. Of course many 15A receptacles use the same stampings.
Putting a 20A recep on a 15A breaker would defeat the entire purpose of 20A plugs being a different shape. So obviously that has to be a code violation. You don't want to plug a 20A-requiring appliance into a 15A circuit, because it would definitely overload, and ALL safety margin would rest on the breaker tripping.
If you wonder why a "single point of failure" is a bad safety strategy, watch aviation accident investigation videos.