I'm replacing the 30 year old outlets in my condo. One of the circuits is 20-Amp, at least that's what the breaker says. The panel has that circuit labeled "DISHWASHER", yet there are 2 outlets nearby the dishwasher which are on the same circuit. The old outlets were 15A. Do I need to replace them both with 20A, to match the circuit breaker?

Now that AFCIs are required by NEC for most of the house, I've been wondering how 'required' they really are. I mean, how many people have put a nail through a cable? Well, 3 weeks ago, a neighbor helped me understand why they are needed. At about 9pm, my neighbor who moved in the prior week, was outside screaming... couldn't figure out what was going on, a lost dog, something domestic. Finally, she got out the word 'Fire'. We called the fire department and helped her get out of the house along with her 2 year old and dog. The house had quite a bit of smoke, and visible flames from the basement. A fire extinguisher knocked down the the flames in the basement ceiling joists, and the fire department took care of anything remaining. After the fire department called the 'all clear', it was obviously an electrical fire, started in the basement, catching the paper-faced insulation on fire, and the prior owner had burlap stretched across the ceiling for whatever reason. It probably looked nicer than just the old basement look. Some of the joists were quite charred, but it overall, not nearly as much damage as it could have been. The bundle of NM-B cables mid-basement were completely melted through, leaving only the copper wires intact. Upon first glance, everything seemed reasonably updated (especially for a 150 year old house) A few days pass with insurance claims, Servpro cleanup, etc... it turns out the TV installer put a staple through a NM-B cable while installing the cable TV. The next time the clothes dryer was turned on, the minor short caused a small arc and heating... resulting in catching the paper insulation and burlap. Their insurance company is currently suing the TV company, and repairs have just begun. Long story short, now I see the need for AFCIs. It's also a good reminder for everyone to ensure they have working smoke detectors! They luckily had one on the main floor, though it would have been better to have one downstairs too. They were all rattled, but everyone's safe. I know it's not a question, but I thought the folks here might be interested in a bit of a story. -Mike