Quote:
Originally Posted by lbd301  What's the difference between a countertop outlet or regular wall outlet? |
It is like one of those small apartment washing machines with a dryer on top. Very small! Can't wash but maybe a half load of clothes at a time.
Same thing with electricity. A light in the living room or bedroom is a small load. Or a TV is a small load. So small 14 gauge wire and a 15 amp breaker is OK...
But in the kitchen a microwave or deep fryer or hot plate or electric griddle is a BIG load! You need a larger wire 12 gauge and a larger breaker 20 amp to carry the load.
Then you need separate circuits for refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, etc. All these things are "big loads"!
Then you come along with the vacuum cleaner which is another big load and pop goes the circuit breaker.
Or a space heater and pop goes the circuit breaker.
Then thanksgiving comes and you have all sorts of stuff going at the same time and circuit breakers keep tripping!
Arrrggg! (Best to design these things the right way from the beginning to handle those big loads...)