Outlets and Outlets.

You're at the doctor's office and notice that their outlets have  horizontal slots; Well, that is a 20 amp outlet connected to a 20 amp circuit.  The hospital equipment 20 amp  plugs have one vertical blade, one horizontal  blade and a ground.  The wiring used  on the circuit breaker is 12 gauge with ground.The smaller the number the bigger the wire.

In modern homes kitchens and bathrooms use 20 amps, but why are there only 15 amp outlets connected ? Well, in some states it is acceptable to use 15 amp outlets on a 20 amp circuit if there are series of them and not just one or two.

HOWEVER, NEVER INSTALL  A 20 AMP OUTLET TO A 15 AMP CIRCUIT THAT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. 15 amp circuits are use mostly for living rooms and bedrooms. The wiring use for a 15 amp circuit is 14 gauge with ground, which is smaller than the 12 gauge.The wiring in the 14 gauge wire is easy to bend. The 12 gauge wiring will be  a little harder to bend.

20 amps which handles more wattage than 15 amps are for heavy duty appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines etc.

Now can one plug in a 15 amp appliance like a tv into a 20 amp outlet ? The answer is yes;  If the answer was no, the plug wouldn't fit in the 20 amp outlet in the first place.

Always make sure all connections to the outlets stay; If the blades are expose  even 1/8 out of the outlet that could easily start a fire.

One can change the outlets without any hitch just follow the instructions that came with the outlet(s). However, wiring  a house is a different story, when done call in an expert to check your work and make sure all outlets and plugs are UL listed (United States) and/or CA listed (Canada).