electrical question

[crispyreef]

I started to add up the amps that my tank is pulling and I stopped because I really started to worry. I didn't want to know how much I'm overloading the circuit but I know I am. How are you guys dealing with this? I am going to run a 6 gang box on its own 20amps. This will be easy since I moved my tank to the garage but I have seen some of your tanks and know your pulling as much if not more power than me. Do we just keep our fingers crossed or start running wires?

 

[jtarmitage]

Usually, it's not actually that bad. When you're looking at the amp draws on the various items, they list the max draw, not normal usage. Lights and chillers are the only real power hogs, unless you're using large pumps, and they draw heavy amps at startup and then back off. If you stagger your lighting to come on a couple of minutes apart, and your chiller, if you have one, doesn't come on at the same time as the lights fire up(which it shouldn't), then you should be OK. On my 250g, I have a rather high load, so I had to use 2 seperate circuits to isolate some of the electrical draw.

 

[gdm42001]

I have a AmWatt appliance load tester if you would like to borrow it.

 

[Mike31154]

If it's not too much trouble you're better off running two 15 amp circuits instead of a single 20. That gives you better redundancy in case the circuit breaker trips and allows you more flexibility to distribute your load evenly. A rule of thumb is to ensure you have a safety factor of 20% on any circuit, that is, try to run it at maximum 80%. Running it too close to max power creates heat issues and the possibility of nuisance trips when equipment such as a heater/chiller powers up.

 

[northbay-reefer]

If you are going to do that may as well install two 20 amps circuits ... thats what am running for my tank.

 

[sulcata1619]

two twenty's is what I was running. I put my lighting on one and the rest of the tank on the other. When I set back up I am going to split everything a little differently. Put some pumps on each circuit in case one trips I still have flow.

 

[crispyreef]

I like the idea of running two 20 amp circuits. I just makes me nervous having power strips in each socket full of plugs. I need at least four more too.