Tooooo late. I have opened many a panel in my day. All those residences are still standing and I'm still alive.....
Guys, CP makes a good point. If you do not have experience doing real electrical wiring call a licensed contractor. Or ask friends/family for referrals.... Too many crooks in the yellow pages.
On JPM's side, replacing a breaker is a five minute job but staying within code is essential.
@Z - California code is 12GA wire for 20A circuit. Can you reach your panel box easy enough to see what the AMP rating on your circuit breakers are? If they are already 20A then I think you are OK with a house built in 2002, it should have 12GA wire in those walls if the circuit breaker says 20A!
If you take the face plate off your panel you should be able to see the wire markings. You're looking for 12-3. Easier, look in the attic or crawlspace. It's marked every few feet.
Right. And you don't have to find the specific wires for the outlet in question. All outlets in the house would be wired the same (with the exception of the oven and dryer, of course). But yes, the wires will have it in clear printing and 99% chance they'll be yellow.
12Ga wire is typically rated at 20A, but also @ 600V, for a total capacity of 12,000W. This is why i said you could 'cheat' a little bit with 12Ga. 25A @ 110V is only 2,750W, easily handled by that wire. The next point is, just because you put a 25A fuse on the circuit does not mean the wire will even be carrying 25A. In reality it'll be no more than 21A with a 100% load on the 1500W PSU. You have plenty of fudging room here.
Word of caution, make no attempt to place a 12,000W load on the wire at any voltage other than 600V It doesn't work as a direct proportion. But putting a 25A fuse on a 12Ga. wire rated @ 20A and then only actually drawing a max of 21A is perfectly safe. The 21A *does* include room for peaks and spikes.
Another thing to note, drawing 21A on a 20A fuse won't throw it anyway, but upgrading to 25A will provide peace of mind an extend the life of the fuse itself.
Last edited by John P. Myers; 09-14-12 at 10:11 PM.