Is there a cheap device I can buy that will tell me how many amps an outlet is?

Question

My carpet extractor has two cords that need to be plugged into two different 110v 20 amp circuits. Is there a device I can plug into the wall that will determine if it is the correct type of outlet? Hopefully cheap and at a hardware store or radio shack. I know nothing of electricity so please any information in layman's terms would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to be working in a commercial warehouse type building so would most of the outlets be this type anyway?

Answer 1

Ok... here's what you want to know.  Your contactor needs two completely seperate circuits so he doesn't overload one.  Very smart contractor....you need a very basic thing.  A light to plug in.  Put it in one outlet... and turn off breakers until it goes off.  Once it does.. make a note of it.  Now take your light and find another outlet that is still on.  Once you do, done... you now have two seperate circiuts.

Answer 2

An amp meter will tell you what current is currently being pulled by what's plugged into the outlet, but not how many amps the outlet will support.  For that, you have to check the circuit's breaker.  Remember that one breaker serves multiple outlets, so the total number of amps across all outlets on the breaker cannot reach the number of amps listed on the breaker.

Answer 3

Electricity has four measurements Volts, Amps, Watts, and Resistance .

Volts= pressure

Amps= current

Watts= consumption

Resistance= ohms

Volts you can measure by a meter plugged into the outlet but an amp meter has to be in series. In other words the appliance has to draw it's current through the meter.

With an electrical inspector on board I wold have expected at least one thumbs up

As others have written you'll need to use the safety of the circuit breaker to tell you if you have exceeded the limits of the circuit.

Answer 4

sure there are,its call an amp meter,they are cheap at a home store or tool store,hope this helps.

Answer 5

The best tools for checking the Ampacity of a receptacle are your eyes. If the receptacle looks like the standard receptacle (2 parallel slots with a grounding connection) it is rated for 15 Amps (it may be on a 20 Amp circuit, but you should plug nothing that draws more than 12 Amps into it). If one of the slots has a "T" shaped cross section to it, the receptacle is rated for a 20 Amp circuit (you should not plug a single piece of equipment into this one that is rated more than 16 Amps).

You are better off having someone show you where the breakers are located in case you trip one, anyway. In a commercial setting, I would imagine that most receptacles would be rated at 20 Amps, but there is no requirement that they be so rated. Have one of the maintenance staff show you where to plug your extractor in.

Seems like an odd way of getting 240 Volts.

Answer 6

Your eyes.  

Look at the outlet.  If both of the vertical holes where your cord plugs in are straight, it is a 15amp outlet.  If one of the vertical holes where you cord plugs in has a horizontal hash (like a T on it's side) it is a 20 amp outlet.

Now, to confirm that the plugs wasn't replaced with the wrong king of outlet by mistake, you will have to look at the wires inside the box.  14ga wires (thinner) are for 15a plugs and 12ga wires (thicker) are for 20a plugs.  

Further, you will have to look at the breaker box, determine which breaker feeds those outlets and if it is a 15a breaker or a 20a breaker.

For a 20amp circuit in the US you must have all three things:

A 20 amp outlet

12gauge or larger (smaller number but bigger wire) wire

20 amp breaker.

The voltage meter will only tell you the voltage of the current passing through the system, not the amperage of the system.  Amperage is only measured when the current is actually flowing.

Generally, the kitchen is the room with the 20amp circuits.  Older houses may not have even one 20 amp circuits.

Newer houses are required to have a minimum of 2 - 20 amp circuits in the kitchen above the countertops in the US.