Electricity & EquipmentQuestion 482 of 484
A salon flat iron is rated 60 watts, a salon hair dryer is rated 1875 watts, and a curling iron is rated 90 watts. Which statement BEST describes their load on a standard 120 V salon circuit?
a.All three together draw less than 1 A
b.The hair dryer alone draws approximately 15.6 A (close to or over a typical 15 A salon breaker), while the flat iron and curling iron individually draw about 0.5 A and 0.75 A; combining the dryer with another high-wattage appliance on one circuit will trip the breaker or overload the wiring
c.Wattage has no relationship to amperage, so total load cannot be calculated
d.The flat iron is the most dangerous because 60 watts is more current than 1875 watts
Explanation
Apply I = P / V (Ohm's-law power form). 1875 W / 120 V = 15.6 A, which is at or above a typical 15 A salon breaker rating; this means a salon hair dryer alone effectively saturates one circuit and should NOT share that circuit with another heat appliance. The 60 W flat iron draws 0.5 A and the 90 W curling iron draws 0.75 A. The dryer is by far the largest electrical load in the salon and is the single most common cause of nuisance breaker trips and cord overheating. California safe-equipment-use is at CCR Title 16 §979.2. Options A, C, and D contradict the basic math.
Law Reference: CCR Title 16 §979.2Practice all 484 questions free — no signup required.
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