What makes household electrical currents different?

Question

for example, an electrical lighting circuit is 5 amps, while a socket circuit is 10 amps

Answer 1

Well a lighting circuit isnt 5amps and a socket circuit isnt 10amps in the UK

Lighting can be anything up to 10amps (normal is 6)
A ring main is 32amps
A socket radial is 16amps but the cable can manage 20amps

The reason they are at this amperage is to protect the cable from overcurrent and therefore breakdown of the insulation surrounding the cable which can lead to melting, arcing and shorting. The MCB Protects the cable ONLY, it does not protect the appliances, the internal fuse of the appliance/the BS1361 fuse in the plug top/Fused Spur protects the appliance

(Taken directly from The Regs)
When installed in referance method 1

[Which is clipped direct, or sheathed cables embedded directly in masonry, brickwork,
concrete, plaster or the like (other than thermally insulating materials)]

1.5mm Twin and Earths Maximum Current Carrying Capacity is 20amps
2.5mm Twin and Earths Maximum Current Carrying Capacity is 27amps

Answer 2

On modern consumer units the lighting circuit is protected by a 6 amp miniature circuit breaker (MCB) and the ring main (sockets) by a 32 amp MCB.

The difference is the electrical load the circuit must take. A lighting circuit will take very little current (a normal light bulb can be as little as 60 watts) and is normally wired using 1/1.5 mm twin and earth cable, the twin being a live and neutral cable. A ring main is designed to take a lot more current, for example an electric fire which can be up to 3 kilowatts (3000 watts) and is wired in 2.5mm twin and earth. A cooker circuit which can be supplying both the oven and electric rings at the same time is normally wired in 6mm twin and earth. Probably the biggest item to use power over short periods is an electric shower the circuit to which is wired in 10mm cable and protected by a 40/45 amp MCB.

You can work out how much current each individual item requires by finding the wattage of that item (normally displayed on a label on the item) and then dividing that by the voltage which in the UK is 240 volts i.e. an electric shower at 9.5 kilowatts (9500watts) = 9500 divided by 240 = 39.6 amps

Answer 3

The load it is capable of "safely" carrying.
Think about it....if the lighting circuit is 5 amps, and the socket, which contains 2 opportunities to plug a light in, is 10 amps, then there is your reasoning.
Of course, depending on the appliance, the loads can vary quite a bit. Electric stoves, for this reason, cannot be plugged into an ordinary 110 outlet. They have a 220 outlet, and use their own breaker in the electrical box. Microwave ovens should have their own breaker, otherwise there is the possibility of throwing the breaker by overloading it.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.

Answer 4

It is based on Ohm's law. Voltage (E) = Amperage (I) * Resistance (R).

The voltage in your house is a constant, 120 in the US other values elsewhere. Assuming you live in the US we can plug in 120 in the voltage slot and get 120= I*R, if you live elsewhere place the appropriate voltage in the slot. We then plug the amperage rating of a circuit into the amp slot and get 120=5R. nest we solve for R and end up with 120/5=R so the maximum resistance on this circuit would be 24 Ohms. At maximum value this circuit would handle 600 Watts, which is equal to E*I or 120*5 the socket circuit you mentioned would have a maximum allowable load of 48 ohms, and could draw a max of 1200 watts. If you live somewhere with 240VAC as the standard then all the solutions would be double the value that I gave. Since you aren't going to be plugging you toaster into a lighting fixture, and 600 Watts of light bulbs gives a lot of light you don't need a high capacity circuit for the lights. You need more amperage available on the sockets because of devices such as hairdryers and toasters, which have very high resistance and therefore draw high amperage.

Answer 5

The ampere indications of 5 or 10 amperes are not to mean that those are the currents flowing through there, but they are more of the capacity that the circuits can safely carry. So a 5-ampere lighting circuit does not mean that 5 amperes flow outright from it nor does a 10-ampere socket circuit mean 10 amperes flow outright from it.

The lights are usually not of heavy loads. In a certain room, for example, the designer estimates the number of lights that the room needs. As for the socket circuit, the usual loads that can be plugged in there can have great ampere requirements like the different appliances, such as irons, electric fans, television sets, etc.

Answer 6

Socket outlets need to carry a higher current because appliances that have heating elements in them need more power than lighting circuits. The fuse is there not only to protect an appliance, but the fixed wiring in the house. Lighting cable is rated at 5 amps, so only needs a 5 amp fuse, but power cable is rated up to 30 amps, so needs a 30 amp fuse, even if you are only drawing 10 amps.

Answer 7

Ultimately, it's the wires capability to handle load, although this is regulated. by the electrical code in your area. These codes lay out how much each different type of circuit can handle according to the size of wiring and amount of power needed. The circuit is run through a breaker or fuse that limits the upper capacity of the circuit. If too much power is drawn through the circuit, the fuse will blow (or the breaker will trip).

This means that if you asking in order to know if you can just change a fuse or breaker to increase the amount of power you can draw. Yes you can, but if the wires (in the walls) can't handle the power, you may cause a fire, therefore you shouldn't do it.

Answer 8

Simple, its for safety,
low current loads like lights Will run off a 5amp fuse and high current loads like ovens will have a 30amp or 45amp for a bigger oven.
that way if threes a fault the fuse will trip faster without tripping in normal use.
p.s. a socket ring main is 30Amps not 10amps
look up 'ohms law' for more info.

Answer 9

In the us the standard outlet is 15 amps. at 115 VAC (Volts Alternating Current)

Answer 10

Appliances all differ in what they use.5 amp lighting,30 amp ring main(sockets)cooker 60 amps.