replacing a 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp

#Replacing a 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp full

This is in addition to the ground wire (or metal conduit) going back to the main panel.

#Replacing a 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp full

Keep that in mind when buying the subpanel as GFCI typically requires a full 'space' for each circuit where marketing for the panels is often based on 'circuits'/'spaces' with 'circuits' as much as 2x the number of spaces. You will need GFCI protection for most, if not all, circuits in the shed. A 100A breaker (especially if bundled with a panel) can be used even if the feed is a 50A breaker with 50A-rated wire. That main breaker can be any size from the size of the feed breaker in the main panel on up.

You will need a disconnect switch at the shed - that can be a separate switch but it is often cheaper and easier to use a main breaker in the subpanel. But far better is a big panel, often listed as a 'main panel'. The subpanel can be a small subpanel, like you may have had for your hot tub. In addition, buried cable has to be buried deeper than conduit with individual wires.įor your use, you will need 3 main wires - 2 hots and a neutral - and, unless you are using appropriate metal conduit, a ground wire. However, for outside and/or buried use, only certain cables will meet code.

The wires can be individual wires in conduit or can be a cable with all the wires together. There are a number of tables available showing wire sizes - beware that there are a few gotchas to look out for, so ask here before buying the wire, just to make sure it will work. But even though the aluminum is physically larger, it is often much cheaper. By equivalent, I mean that the physical size (AWG) for a particular current (Amps) for copper will be smaller than the physical size of aluminum wire for that same current. You can often (especially with current copper prices) find large aluminum wires available for less than equivalent copper wires. That is because most panels and breakers (unlike receptacles, etc.) are rated for use with both copper and aluminum. You can, generally, use copper or aluminum wire when going between panels. With most panels, larger breakers cost very little until some particular point - typically somewhere around 100A or so the price will double or triple (or more).

Or you may be able to use a larger breaker. The breaker in the main panel can be the existing 50A breaker.