electric question

[Dert42]

so the circuit switch thing on my circuit board that runs my fish room says 15amps.

do i need to beef that up?

i'm going to be running like
6-8 60" vho bulbs
2 300w heaters
5ish powerheads
the regular room lights
possibly a small dehumidifier

did that question make sense?
(i know next to nothing about electric)

 

[hagfish]

Each device probably says somewhere on it or on the box it came in how many amps it requires to run. Find that number for each item and add them up. If greater than 15, you'll need to upgrade. You'll also want to know what else is running on that line (TV, stereo, etc.) and take that into account.

You may want to upgrade if you are close to 15 anyway as part of planning for the future and playing it safe.

 

[Mykayel]

Watts = Volts*Amps

Your house is running 120 Volts, you should know the watts of each device (lights, pumps, heaters...), so you can calculate how many amps each device is using. Just add up all the amps and you'll find out if you are okay or not.

also, typically each circuit has more than one room wired to it so you'll want to see what exactly is all running on that one circuit in your house.

 

[EricM]

Don't forget that you can't just beef it up without checking the gauge of the wiring. 15 amp breakers can use 14 gauge wire, 20 amp breakers need 12 gauge. If you put 20 amps thru 14 gauge wire you are risking a fire.

 

[Mykayel]

^^^ very true. That's the whole reason for a circuit breaker in the first place.

 

[Dert42]

: o
wow.
ok, thats precisly what my dad was telling me to do.

i'll attempt to add up all the devices when i get home.

what alternatives are available to me?

 

[dela]

Can you run a new circuit and then power the rest off the existing circuit? Just make sure you split the loads so that if one breaker trips or one GFI trips, the tank does not die.

 

[Mykayel]

Another good idea is to instal a GFI circuit breaker, or a GFI outlet, or at the very least the power strip that your run everything off of, make that a GFI (that's what I do).

 

[MayoBoy]

Also, if everything adds up to 14 or 15 amps, you can't use it all. The load should be something like 80% of the breaker's capacity.

Your best bet would be to add a second circuit if possible (it's not real difficult depending upon the location of the room and the box). It's nice to have your lights on one circuit and outlets on another so you don't have to worry about working in the dark if something trips.

Don't forget to plan for the future. You may add a sump which means more lights, recirc pump, skimmer pump, fans, etc.

 

[Dert42]

thanks guys!
super helpful.
i determined that my lights will only be drawing 5amps.
the pumps and heaters combined won't be more then 3 amps. (i think)

so i'm good!

 

[catastrofe]

Since watts = volts*amps, your 15amp circuit allows you to run 1800 watts. If you add-up the wattage of all your equipment (almost all your electrical items will have a published wattage) and you're under 1800, you should be fine.

Your heaters will eat up 600 watts by themselves. . .

 

[vishboy]

And if you are only supposed to use 80%, then that leaves you at 1440 watts.

Heaters- 600w
Lights- 960w - 1280
Small Dehumidifier- About 300w
5 Mj 1200- 100w

I think that you would blow the breaker. You have, like, 1960w if I'm right.

If it is a 20A breaker, you would still be pushing it.

 

[catastrofe]

Actually, the circuit breaker is already sized to take care of the "80% rule".

In other words, 14 gauge wire will handle around 18 amps, but per the National Electric Code, the breaker feeding it must be de-rated by 20% to 15 amps. That way the breaker protects the wire, and leaves some margin for error should the breaker fail (not trip) when overloaded.

1960 watts is definitely too much on a 15 amp circuit.

 

[McBeck]

Where is Dallas when you need him?

 

[DrBDC]

Plus on lights there is a maximum amp draw which is higher than the running amp's as well as some are running way more watts than they say thus overdriving bulbs. Here's a page with some numbers you can use but if you're so close you need that exact, add another line. Easy as can be or call someone to help you.

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

 

[maxis24]

Well, a few things I can think of:
By electrical code standards in St. Charles, County, homes MUST have seperate wiring for electrical outlets and lights. Just done for safety anymore.

I would suggest for starters find out what manufacturer of breaker box and circuit breakers you use, as a mismatch can lead to insurance not covering fire related accidents.

From there, invest in Arc Fault Circuit Interuptor based circuit breakers for the room. These aren't cheap for a reason.. they can save your ***. These are now required for electrical circuits placed in bedrooms.

An arc-fault circuit interrupter is a device
intended to provide protection from the
effects of arc faults by recognizing 
characteristics unique to arcing and by 
functioning to de-energize the circuit when 
an arc fault is detected.

Excerpt from here


---------------------------------------------------------------
To give you an idea of what I run on a 15A line:

3 17" CRT Computer Monitors
1 Athlon XP Tower (350w)
1 K6-2 350 (200w)
2 Intel P3-900 (300w)
1 KVM box
Cable Modem & Routers
---------------------------------------------------------------

If you feel insecure about the current electricity usage, the room could be retrofitted for an additional circuit (depending upon rental/owning, finished floors above/below, etc) with minimal work. If you want some additional help on this front, I'm just a PM away.

Why my word is worthwhile: Worked on remodeling and replacing all electrical wiring in a 1920's house in Rolla, MO. Working on finishing a basement in St. Charles, MO.

 

[dela]

Whatever you do, don't poke your eye out!

Hey, today and tomorrow are my only good days this week if you are still wanting the sump.

LMK

 

[mjpelikan]

That is why your Uncle Jerry and I ran a new panel into my fish room. And all the outlets are GFI.

The Arc fault outlets are like those but faster...

If you want any help or what not, let me or Jerry know and I will help you with the preliminaries so you know what to buy and where to put where (and then you can double check with Jerry hee hee).

BTW, Your Uncle Rich has started to run the drain pipe for the fish room! I am totaly excited!

Uncle Mike

 

[Dert42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7191552#post7191552 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dela
Whatever you do, don't poke your eye out!

Hey, today and tomorrow are my only good days this week if you are still wanting the sump.

LMK

you're available after 7pm?

 

[dela]

Yup I will be home tonight for sure. Tomorrow is starting to look a little shady since I will be going to a job site at 4:30. Send me a PM or give me a call if you are going to come by.

Thanks

Mark