> > Go look at any standard household lamp. It has a 5-15P on the end of > > it, which could be plugged into an outlet rated for 20 amps (5-20R), > > with 16 gauge lamp cord rated for 10 amps or less. > > Mine all seem to be NEMA 1-15P, some (most?) with 18 AWG wire. > > Have I been shortchanged? :)
I wrote that too fast, you are absolutely right. But my point remains. Appliance/load wire size is often, and many times smaller than the ampacity of the circuit. Heck, how many times have you plugged in a 14 gauge extension cord to a 5-20R?
