15A breaker going over 15A
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Id say 5 to 10 minutes could be an understatement depending on how much excess current is being drawn. If you look at the time current curve for the specific brand it will give you a pretty good idea of what the breaker can handle and for how long.
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They're supposed to for a few seconds to handle inrush current , but not 10 minutes..:laughing:
But with some of them they take longer than they should .
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A 15a breaker will not trip the instant it reaches 15.000000000000001 amps. It can easily run 16a forever, 17a for a day, 18 amps for 15 minutes, 20a for a minute. It's call the Trip Curve and has to do with the thermal mechanism of the breaker.
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Sparky 480 hit the nail on the head. All standard house hold breakers come with a time current curve. The more over load the faster it trips the less the longer it takes. The average 20 amp breaker can take hours to trip at 25 amps. The reason for this is inrush such as motors. Now, if the breaker sees something like 350 amps as it would on a short than it trips under 1/60th of a second.
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I agree, 480 got it.
The only thing the number on the handle means is that a breaker will never trip at less than that value.
UL 489 only requires that small molded case breakers must trip within an hour when loaded to 135%. So if a 20A breaker carries 27A for fifty-nine minutes then it's working within tolerance.
The only thing the number on the handle means is that a breaker will never trip at less than that value.
UL 489 only requires that small molded case breakers must trip within an hour when loaded to 135%. So if a 20A breaker carries 27A for fifty-nine minutes then it's working within tolerance.
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Well, technically they can. Since breakers are man-made machines, they're fallible. Not only will there be a certain +/- tolerance, but they may change over time. I've seen 20a breakers trip at 12-13 amps.
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I still think you can weld an 18 gauge plated steel semi truck with a 15 amp FPE before it trips.:whistling2:
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Little-known fact: Mr. T always carried an FPE breaker in his jumpsuit on The A-Team so he could weld anytime, anywhere.
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Pretty sure Big John ran some FPEs through a breaker testing machine and they passed.
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I doubt either of you look good topless with a miniskirt and heels. :jester:
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