Can I upgrade a 20 amp circuit breaker to a 30 amp? How hard is it to replace a breaker?

WOW!!!!!! DO NOT CHANGE THE BREAKER!!! You may well burn your house down. The reason that you have a 20 ampere breaker on that circuit is because that is all your house wiring will safely carry on that particular circuit. When you plug too many appliances into a given circuit the wiring in the walls heats up. Think of a light bulb: it glows brightly because of a relatively large current flowing through a very thin filament. The copper wiring in your walls is designed to carry a certain amount of current safely. Too many appliances=too much current=hot wires in the wall=burned down house!

For the same reason, DO NOT run long extension cords. PLEASE, call an electrician to your home and follow his advice.

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS INFORMATION!

Circuit Breaker 20 Amp

Odds are you can't legally replace it with a 30 amp breaker. A 20 amp circuit requires a number 12 wire while a 30 amp breaker requires a number 10 wire based on the national electric code. Your 20 amp breaker doesn't have a big enough wire to support a 30 amp breaker.

This breaker is probably 24 years old and should just be replaced with a new 20 amp breaker. These breakers do wear out over time and trip because they're faulty not overloaded. Replacing a breaker is a pretty simple task even for a novice but electricity can kill you so if you're not comfortable I suggest getting help.

If you're inexperienced I suggest killing the main breaker (probably 200 amp) that feeds the entire panel. By doing this the only wires that are hot are the main feeder wires going into that 200 amp breaker. There should be a black wire attached to your 20 amp faulty breaker. Simply loosen the screw holding the wire and remove the wire from the breaker. Pull the breaker away from the panel gripping it from the end where the wire was attached. Once it's away from the panel pull slightly away from the center of the panel to remove it from the hook that keeps it on the panel board.

To install the new one simply repeat these steps in reverse. Put the right or left side of the new breaker under the hook in the center of the panel depending on which side the breaker is on then push the other side of the breaker flat to the panel. Once it is snapped into place put the wire under the screw and tighten it down. Turn your main breaker back on and turn on the 20 amp breaker and you should be off an running. Never stand in front of an electrical panel when you turn it on, always stand to the side so if it should explode you're not directly in front of it.

If you still have problems with the new breaker tripping your circuit is overloaded and you should hire a qualified electrician to move some of the outlets on that circuit to a different circuit.

20 Amp Circuit Breaker

I have a shop with several 220 outlets for welders and several 110 outlets connected to 20 amp breakers.

My large Delta sander requires 30 amps but has a small (110) plug and trips the breaker every time I turn it on.

Can I just change the 20 amp breaker to 30?

I have a question.. Just replaced a 1920 water heater (lol) with a new Rheem. It says I should have a 25 amp breaker (and its tripping my 20 amp all the time). Can I safely put in a 25 amp in place of the 20 amp?

It's 240 and the other number is 4500

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Yes, and that will also bring the fire department! Never, never, NEVER replace a breaker with a higher rated one! The wiring in your walls is rated to handle the circuit breaker's trip current safely. The purpose of a circuit breaker is to keep your wiring from being overloaded and starting a fire in your wall. If you put in a higher rated breaker, you defeat the protection the circuit breaker provides and run the risk of burning your house down from overloaded wiring. Plug some items into outlets on another circuit. That is the only safe and reasonable immediate solution.

AAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!! EXTREME FIRE HAZARD!!! Breakers are mechanical and not meant to be reset frequently. It WILL fail to trip and you WILL have a fire. You cannot put a 30 amp breaker in because your wire is not big enough to handle the load. Call an electrician! It is cheaper than your insurance deductible on your homeowners insurance! With out any experience you are putting your life at risk changing a breaker in a live panel.

first off try replacing the breaker with a new 20 amp CB. YOU CANNOT PUT A 30 AMP BREAKER IN WITHOUT UPGRADING YOUR WIRE!!! unless you want to burn your house down.

plan b: plug some of those items on a different circuit.

EDIT: there is a chance one of your appliances plugged into that circuit is bad.

It sounds to me like you have a branch circuit wiring problem.

To be exact a small appliance branch circuit problem.

If you have dining, and living room lighting on the same circuit as kitchen outlets, there's a problem.

I doubt the circuit breaker is at fault. Circuit breakers can handle repeated overloads. What is at fault, it sounds like to me, is the total amperage on the circuit.

please keep us posted to what your sparky fixes.