How Many Amps in 1500 Watts? [Safely Breaker Size]

In everyday household use of electricity, we often need to know some electrical parameters to ensure that everything works properly.

Different parameters are associated with different electronic devices, and they are labeled differently.

Usually the power of an appliance is marked in watts, while circuit breakers and fuses are marked in amperes.

Understanding the relationship between the two is essential to ensure our safety when using electrical equipment.

What are watts, volts, and amps?

Watts, volts, and amps are all units of measurement for electricity.

Watt (W) measures power, which is the rate at which energy is consumed or produced. It indicates how much work can be done in a given amount of time.

In our daily lives, we most often see watts and volts, such as the wh on our monthly electric bill, which refers to how many watts of electricity were used in how much time.

You can also see the wattage markings on the electrical appliances we buy, for example, a 1500 watt electric kettle means that it uses 1500 watts of electricity when it is in use.

Volt (V) measures the voltage, which is the pressure of the current passing through a unit of time.

Ampere (A) measures current, which refers to the flow of electricity passed per unit of time.

How to calculate amps from watts.

To calculate amps from watts, you can use Ohm’s Law, which states that current (amps) is equal to power (watts) divided by voltage (volts).

in formula:

Watt (W) = Volt (V) × Ampere (A)

So, if you have 1500 watts and know the voltage of the circuit, you can divide 1500 by the voltage to find the amperage.

This equation allows you to determine how much current is flowing in a given electrical system based on the power consumption.

Amps of a 1500 watt appliance at different voltages.

When it comes to calculating the amps of a 1500 watt appliance, the value will vary depending on the voltage of the circuit(120V,220V and 380V). Let’s explore a few different scenarios:

At 120 volts: If you have a 1500 watt appliance connected to a 120 volt circuit, you can use Ohm’s Law to determine the amperage. Simply divide 1500 watts by 120 volts, which gives you an approximate value of 12.5 amps.
At 220 volts: If the same 1500 watt appliance is connected to a 240 volt circuit, by use the watts amp conversion formula above, the calculated amps will be 6.8 amps.
AT 380 Volts, if the 1500W appliance is running under 380V, then it will draw 4 amps.

Implications of amperage for electrical safety.

When using electrical appliances, we need to use circuit breakers and fuses to ensure the safety of using, they are usually labeled with amperage, the size of the amperage and the power of the appliance is related, neither should too big nor too small.

When deciding on the size of the circuit breaker or wondering whether the current circuit breaker will meet your needs, you can use the above formula to do the calculations.

Conclusion: How to use this information to safely use appliances.

If you are using a 1500W unit, the amperage it needs to handle will vary depending on the current voltage, 12.5A at 120V, 6.8A at 220V, and 4A at 380V.

When selecting the size of the circuit breaker for a 1500W appliance, it should be no smaller than these values.