Are All Circuit Breakers The Same Size In Parallel Circuits

Are All Circuit Breakers The Same Size In Parallel Circuits?

When it comes to circuit breakers, one of the most common questions is whether or not all circuit breakers are the same size in parallel circuits. The answer to this question is no, not all circuit breakers are the same size in parallel circuits. In fact, the size of the circuit breaker in a parallel circuit will depend on the total amperage of the circuit.

To understand why this is, it's important to first understand how parallel circuits work. In a parallel circuit, the current is divided equally between the branches of the circuit. This means that if you have a circuit with two branches, each branch will have half of the total current flowing through it.

Now, let's say that you have a circuit with two branches, each of which is protected by a 15-amp circuit breaker. If you add a third branch to the circuit, the total amperage of the circuit will increase to 30 amps. However, the size of the circuit breaker in the third branch does not need to be 30 amps. Instead, it can be any size that is less than or equal to 15 amps.

This is because the 15-amp circuit breaker in the first branch will be able to handle the entire 30 amps of current. The 15-amp circuit breaker in the second branch will only need to handle half of the current, or 15 amps. And the 15-amp circuit breaker in the third branch will only need to handle a third of the current, or 10 amps.

Of course, it's important to make sure that the size of the circuit breaker in each branch is large enough to handle the maximum current that could flow through it. If the circuit breaker is too small, it could overheat and trip, which could lead to a power outage.

So, to answer the question, no, not all circuit breakers are the same size in parallel circuits. The size of the circuit breaker in a parallel circuit will depend on the total amperage of the circuit.

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