Amperage?

Sorry for all of the typos.

Wino: The main breaker switch "in" our apartment is marked 15 amps while the single lines that it controls are marked 20 amps. Seems that it should be the other way around, but that's what I am dealing with. Our whole buiding had at one point been pretty much under code, so this does not surprise me. The box was replaced a few years ago and does not heat up at all nor have we have we thrown a breaker. I recently had an electrician in to repair the ground on one of the lines, but just discovered after the repair that the line still does not have a ground (when I checked it with the test light on a Monster HTS-2000 power conditioner after receiving a strong shock). The other lines however test OK for ground. I will check with the manufacturer of my amp to make certain that 15 amp cords are what I should be using (they are what I use now). Does it make any difference if the wall sockets are rated at 20 amps, when I am using 15 amp cords? I would just guess that they are just built to handle more juice but does this effect the sound at all? I had just noticed when shopping for PC's online that some (very few) are stated as being 20 amp models, which got me going on this. I then checked the wall outlets and see that they are marked 20 amps as well.

Thanks everyone: It looks like the wrong type of box was installed and that I have more to concern myself than the sound of the stereo right now. I will give the landlord a chance to repair it granted that the work is inspected by the city as the last elecrical repair performed by the owner's electrician was not properly done either.

Hi Everybody (as Dr. Nick says). I just checked the main breaker (stamped 15 amps) and it is not even wired into the system. The electrician just used the single line breaker switches that are marked 20 amps (this is a relief). The only thing to look into is that I do not beleive that the wiring is 12 gage (perhaps 14 gage) as some of the wall outlets are the type that accept the wire into a hole without screws (just push it into the hole and it locks). I was under the impression that these type of outlets were not designed to accept 12 gage wire (just smaller gages) but may be wrong on this. Anyway, I am not going to worry about it too much but will make certain that the box is up/downgraded to 15 amp breakers if it does not meet code. Sorry for the false alarm on the main breaker, but I do apprecieate all of the quick input. My wife lost everything, including pets, in an apartment fire in NYC years ago, which has influenced me anough to go through our electrical system piece by piece after discovering a cracked and water damaged wall outlet (which I would have never discovered had I not been involved in this hobby). I have just used the cheap Levitron Pro models as replacements so far (as needed), but will get something "nice" (maybe the Seymore & Pass model that Bob Crump likes) for the Hi-fi gear. I think that it's under $10.00. I will also follow the advise given and spec the PC rating to the amps themselves with the manufacturer's. If I am lucky in the process (depending on the wiring configuration) I may be able to get one "clean" line for the stero and probably use it for the digital stuff. Right now of the two lines available, one had the Fridge and the other the computer and it's external power supply. I opted for the computer line and just shut it down when I want to do some late night listening in the near field. I have a third "stray" line in the vicinity that just runs two overhead lights from what I can figure, but need to figure out where it travels throughout the walls. If I can pick it up before it travels through all of the light switches, it might make an improvement in the juice.

Thanks again for the feedback. Kelly, your response clarifies the difference between the 15 and 20 amp PC's that I have seen listed as far as the end pieces are concerned. I have never seen the male of this species and had wondered about the additional slots (let's not get funny here) on the female receptacle.