300G System Electrical Amprage???

PhilipOSU

PhilipOSU

New member
I currently have 100 amp service at the house here and haven't had any issues yet, but I am about to add the 3-250W halides and the Icecap 660 pushing 2-6ft bulbs... Those 4 ballasts themselves are about an 11amp draw!! So what does everyone think do i need to make my little brother up the service into the house...HAHA...I just rent from him
 
Phil, if you can...I would run a dedicated 20 or 30 amp circuit from your main power panel to the room that your tank is in and I would also use 10g wire depending how far the run is from the main power panel to the tank...but no less that 12g. Normally there are many other outlets connected to what every circuit you are going to plug in the tank to.

The 100A main Service will be fine as how much do you have on at any time in the house...but you might find that you are tripping the breaker if you have other high amp draw items on the same circuit as the tank...The room my 120 was in with the two 250w MH and the two 110W VHO's was on the same circuit as my kitchen outlets...there was no way that the circuit would run the tank and coffee maker or microwave at the same time...so I ended up running a dedicated line from the main power panel to the room with the tank...

don't forget to install a GFCI in the circuit...the best would be to install a circuit break at the main power panel that has a built in GFCI..ask me how I know this! LOL..I had a cooling fan get salt build up in it and started tripping the GFCI I installed in the outlet itself (like the ones you see in your bathroom) and what a pain it was to reset the GFCI when it was behind the tank...I could just barely reach it with my fingers to push the reset button...so I really wish I would have spent the money on installing a CB with the GFCI installed in it...little more money...but would have been a whole heck of a lot easier to walk to the basement and reset the GFCI at the main power panel...than to become a contortionist trying to reset the GFCI behind the tank.

I have an electrical background...so I made sure I was doing everything to code...but if you aren't sure...I would hire an electrician to come install the dedicated circuit...

Just my two cents on the subject...as you are going to be pulling a lot of amps through that outlet...as you said...around 10A just in lights...not to mention heater/ chiller, pumps, etc...very easy to be pulling 15 or 16 Amps through the circuit during the day with lights on and a chiller running....
 
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When I set up my system I ran two 20 amp circuits so I could split the devices between them and that way if one GFCI tripped it wouldn't shut down the entire tank. I have one return pump on each circuit, powerheads and heaters on each circuit so the tank would survive a day if there was a problem with one.
I ran a sub-panel with space for 8 breakers right next to the main breaker box. It only has 2 breakers in it and they are both aquarium breakers. I have had to switch them before when we had some basement flooding due to a backed up drain and it was nice to know exactly which two to throw without having to read or think about it in am emergency. I used 12/2 Romex on the runs and they were about 50 feet each.

Just thought I would mention the redundancy idea since it wouldn't be too much more time/money (extra breaker, wire and outlet) to run two if you are already running one new circuit and it may save you a lot in the end.

Good luck with your new setup!
-- Kevin
 
That is an excellent idea! Can't believe I didn't think of that when installing mine...I mean..my entire adult life was all about redundancy and back up systems! (submarines...everything has a back up)

Greg
 
100 service can be upped to 150. if you want 100 to 200 you'll 99.5% of the time need to inlarge the wire from the street to your house which means $$$
 
+1 on separate circuits gfci are sometimes prone to nuisance trips, so I don't run any of my tanks life support on them,
 
Guys this is all great feedback and exactly what I was looking for. I will probably run the 2 circuits myself and then have an electrician I know stop over and trie them into the panel for me. Thanks for the help guys.

- Phil
 
Actually I am Joe.

I just picked up 100ft of 12-2 and 4 GFCI outlets. I am going to run GFCI outlets rather than breakers since they will be in the basement by the sump rather than behind the tank.
 
I will take the verticals. let me know how much, may be about a week or so till I can get up there to grab them off of you.

Thanks,
Phil
 
Make me an offer....can't find the receipt to see what i paid...I got them out of canada.....let me check my paypal to see if I have a record there...
 
Phill

Just to let you know that i had GFCI installed on my 20amp circuit for the hallides. It was nothing short of a nightmare. the ballasts constantly tripped my GFCI. Once the GFCI were taken out i have had no problem. the electricians theory was that the ballasts tend to leak currents and that then trips the GFCI. I cannot find a thread but there were a lot of people on that who said the GFCI was a waste of money and a complete nuisannce
 
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