Electrical Outlets

Most outlet swaps start with a cracked face, a plug that falls out, or a wish for a USB port by the bed. The outlet itself is cheap. The trick is buying the one that matches the circuit behind it and the protection that spot needs. Here’s how to pick from WBC’s wall of outlets, from the everyday 15 amp duplex to a 50 amp range outlet.

Three questions before you buy

1. What’s the circuit? Look at the breaker: 15 amp or 20 amp. The outlet has to match.
2. What protection does the spot need? Wet locations need GFCI. Kitchens and laundry may need AFCI too. Most of the house wants tamper-resistant.
3. Does it need anything extra? USB charging, a heavier commercial build, a different color.

Before you touch anything, shut off the breaker and check the outlet is dead with a voltage tester. If the box holds more than four wires plus the ground, or something about the wiring doesn’t look like the instructions, that’s a job for an electrician.

15 amp or 20 amp

You can tell them apart by the face. A 15 amp outlet (5-15R) has two straight slots. A 20 amp outlet (5-20R) has a sideways T on one slot, so it takes both ordinary plugs and the 20 amp plugs some heavy tools and appliances use.

Match the outlet to the breaker. A 20 amp outlet belongs on a 20 amp circuit, never on a 15 amp one. On a 20 amp circuit with more than one outlet, 15 amp duplexes are allowed; a single outlet alone on a 20 amp circuit has to be a 20 amp outlet. WBC carries both in white, ivory, almond and light almond, from the residential duplex (also sold in an ivory 10-pack for a whole-house refresh) to commercial and heavy-duty 20 amp duplexes, including Leviton commercial grade.

Residential or commercial grade? Commercial and heavy-duty outlets are built heavier for outlets that get plugged and unplugged all day. Put them in the shop, the garage and the kitchen counter; a living room lamp outlet does fine with residential grade.

Tamper-resistant outlets

Tamper-resistant outlets (marked TR) have shutters inside the slots that only open when both prongs push in at once, so a kid can’t jam a key or hairpin in. They’re required in most places in new and remodeled homes, and they’re the right replacement anywhere small kids live. WBC carries them in 15 amp and 20 amp duplexes in white, ivory and almond, and as commercial single outlets.

GFCI outlets: wet locations

A GFCI outlet watches for current leaking to ground, the kind that runs through a person, and cuts the power in a fraction of a second. Code requires GFCI protection in wet and damp spots: bathrooms, kitchen counters, garages, outdoors, laundry areas and unfinished basements. Your local code has the final word on exactly where.

• One GFCI can protect the outlets after it. Wired through its LOAD terminals, a GFCI protects every outlet downstream on that circuit. That’s why one bathroom outlet trips and kills the whole bathroom.
• Self-test models like Leviton SmartlockPro check themselves automatically, and won’t reset if the protection has failed. Still press TEST once a month.
• They ship tripped. A new GFCI won’t reset until it’s wired right and has power.

WBC carries residential 15 amp GFCIs in white, ivory and almond (standard and round-corner faces), commercial 15 and 20 amp GFCIs, tamper-resistant GFCIs, and Leviton SmartlockPro self-test GFCIs in 15 and 20 amp.

In a Montana garage, that GFCI is what the engine block heater and the battery charger plug into all winter. Buy a 20 amp commercial GFCI if the garage circuit is 20 amp; it’ll stand up to the plugging and unplugging.

For an outdoor outlet, the outlet itself must be rated weather-resistant (marked WR) and sit under an in-use cover that closes with the cord plugged in. A cover alone doesn’t make an indoor outlet fit for outside.

AFCI and dual-function outlets

An AFCI outlet watches for arcing, the sparking from a damaged cord or loose connection that starts fires. A dual-function outlet does both jobs, AFCI and GFCI, in one device, which is handy in kitchens and laundry rooms that need both. It’s also a way to add the required protection when you’re replacing an outlet on an older circuit. WBC carries a Leviton SmartlockPro AFCI outlet and a 15 amp tamper-resistant dual-function AFCI/GFCI.

USB outlets

A USB outlet puts charging ports right in the wall, so the phone charger stops eating a plug. WBC’s Leviton USB outlets keep both regular plugs and add USB-A and USB-C ports; they’re tamper-resistant, fit most boxes, and can go downstream of a GFCI. They charge only (no data), and they adjust output to what’s plugged in. Charging slows a little with both ports in use. Bedside, kitchen counter and the home office are where people use them most.

Two-prong outlets

A house with old two-wire wiring has no ground in the box. A two-prong outlet (1-15R) replaces a worn one like for like. Don’t put a three-prong outlet on a circuit with no ground unless it’s protected by a GFCI, and then it has to be labeled “No Equipment Ground.” That’s a good spot to call an electrician.

Range, dryer, welder and equipment outlets: 30 and 50 amp

These are 240 volt outlets, and the plug on the appliance, the outlet and the wiring in the wall all have to match.

Outlet	Use	Wires
10-30R	Dryer, older homes	3-wire, no separate ground
14-30R	Dryer, today’s standard	4-wire, with ground
10-50R	Range, older homes	3-wire, no separate ground
14-50R	Range, today’s standard; also RVs	4-wire, with ground
6-30R	30 amp 240 volt equipment, like compressors and smaller welders	3-wire
6-50R	Welder, flush-mount	3-wire

The 3-wire and 4-wire versions are not interchangeable picks off the shelf. For dryers and ranges, a 4-wire outlet needs a ground wire in the box, and new dryer and range installs use 4-wire. (The 6-30R and 6-50R are different: two hots and a ground, no neutral, and still standard for that equipment.) Changing from 3-wire to 4-wire means changing the appliance cord too, and may mean new wiring. Replacing a worn outlet with the same type is a matching job; changing the type is an electrician’s job.

The Pick

For a plain swap, the residential 15 amp duplex, tamper-resistant if kids are around. For bathrooms, kitchen counters, garages and outdoors, a GFCI, 20 amp commercial where the circuit’s 20 amp. For a kitchen or laundry that needs both protections, the dual-function AFCI/GFCI. By the bed or on the counter, a Leviton USB outlet. For a dryer or range, the same type that’s in the wall now.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I need a 15 amp or 20 amp outlet?

Check the breaker. A 20 amp outlet (with the T-shaped slot) goes only on a 20 amp circuit. A 15 amp duplex works on a 15 amp circuit, or on a 20 amp circuit that has more than one outlet.

Where do I need a GFCI outlet?

Wet and damp spots: bathrooms, kitchen counters, garages, outdoors, laundry areas and unfinished basements. One GFCI can protect the outlets downstream of it.

What’s a tamper-resistant outlet?

An outlet with shutters that only open when both prongs go in together, so kids can’t push objects into it. Most new and remodeled homes require them.

Can I replace a 3-prong dryer outlet with a 4-prong?

Not as a straight swap. A 4-prong outlet needs a ground wire at the box and a matching 4-prong cord on the dryer. Have an electrician make that change.

Can a USB outlet go on a GFCI-protected circuit?

Yes. Leviton’s USB outlets can be installed downstream of a GFCI, so a kitchen counter or bathroom can have USB charging and still be protected.