What is the maximum number of outlets allowed on a 15-amp circuit to prevent overload?

The correct answer indicates that a maximum of 10 outlets is considered safe on a 15-amp circuit to prevent overload. This is based on the National Electrical Code (NEC) guidelines, which help ensure electrical safety and efficiency.

To determine the number of outlets, it’s important to account for the load that can reasonably be expected on a 15-amp circuit. Typically, a circuit's capacity is calculated by considering a maximum continuous load of 80% of the circuit's amperage to provide a safety buffer. Thus, for a 15-amp circuit, the safe continuous load is 12 amps (15 amps x 0.8). Assuming that an average outlet might have a device drawing a load of around 1.5 to 2 amps, the maximum number of outlets can be derived from dividing the safe continuous load by the expected load per outlet.

Therefore, you can fit approximately 10 outlets since using 10 outlets at 1.5 amps each would result in a total load of 15 amps, which is at the limit. However, this does not account for high-demand devices that might be plugged in simultaneously, hence the limitation to 10 outlets helps to avoid potential circuit overload.

This knowledge is crucial