Electricians -- What should I do here?

[Rakie]

Hey guys!

I've got a small Nano reef I've been setting up. I also live in an older house, and there's one or two tricky plugs in my room.. This snafu put all progress on the Aquarium to a grinding halt --

Equipment in my Nano
- Koralia Nano 425 (3.5w)
- Maxi-Jet 900 (10w)
- AquaClear 110 Temp 'fuge (14w)
- Finnex HMA-100 (100w Heater)
- Aquatic Life 115 Skimmer (8w)
- RapidLED Par38 Bulb (20w)
Total: 155.5w with heater on.


The Problem
- I've noticed when my Par38 RapidLED bulb is at 100% my APC Surge Protector (P11VT3) lights up the "Overload" warning light.. It goes away at 85% or less. Now this worries me, as eventually I will be upgrading my light
- Here is the "Overload" light lit up on my Surge Protector
- My Circuit Breaker only has 10 slots total, all of which seem used. There are an 11/12th at the very top but they have some type of Lock covering them it seems so I didn't count them.
- Cost is the final factor -- I'm a student, and not a rich one!


These are my GUESSES for possible solutions
- Run new wires?
- Replace socket w/GFCI?
- Replace w/GFCI and new Wires?
- Run a new circuit w/GFCI for this outlet? (Might not have enough Circuit breakers)


So If this is a small problem that is simpler than it seems, something you have first hand experience with. Any of my guesses for solutions will absolutely require an electrician, so if any of you know any near the HB area that won't break the bank please let me know.

If more pictures are necessary to help diagnose the problem, or find a solution, please just let me know and I'll have a picture up ASAP.

 

[LessThanJaker1]

Im no electrician, but what do you mean by "tricky plugs"? I assume by "plugs" you're referring to wall outlet?

 

[Fishme1]

Take a pick of your breaker box. Looking to see what the amperage on the breakers are. Also, what do you mean with tricky plugs? Snap a picture of that and define what you mean with tricky.

 

[KWoo008]

You should do some detective work and see what other household items are plugged in to that same circuit. There is a chance that the outlets in your room are sharing the circuit to other rooms in your house. Turn off the circuit breaker and see what other electronic items get turned off in the house. You may get lucky by switching some things around to free up that circuit.

 

[Rakie]

By Tricky Plugs I mean I've got one Wall Outlet which can and has Thrown sparks if used, but only the top plug.. By chance I happened to use the bottom plug on this outlet for years with no issues, as soon as I used the top plug for the first time on this particular outlet it threw sparks.

In the bathroom I've got another Wall Outlet which I almost never use, but it's temperamental -- the top plug sometimes works, the bottom plug sometimes works more often. This bathroom outlet is used for a Vacuum cleaner once every few weeks for less than 10 minutes.

My Circuit Breaker -- Most of them are 20 amp, two are 15 amp, and the 1/2nd are barred together

@KWoo008 -- Actually this room was an addition to the house and shares power with 1 other room, which is completely unused in this house.

Thank you guys!

 

[Sparky74]

Sounds like a loose connection most likely on the neutral side. I'm an electrical contractor in Yorba Linda and we go to HB all the time. I've never posted before so I'm not sure how this works but if you pm me I will give you my contact info and maybe I can help you out.

 

[Rakie]

Do you mean a loose connection on my Wall Plug that throws minor sparks? Mostly I just don't want to overburden the circuit, and while I probably wont add much more to my aquarium I see another Powerhead, and Light upgrade in the future.

 

[Sparky74]

Yes. When the connections become loose the electricity jumps causing the arc. Could be bad outlet as well. If the circuit was overloaded you would need to reset the breaker.

 

[WiDataTech]

Just because a breaker says 15 or 20a on them doesn't mean the wire is sized correctly. A 14 gauge wire on a 20a breaker is a quick way to start a fire. This is one area ( especially if it's an older home) that you want experience. I recommend taking sparky up on his offer.

 

[pciscott]

Your complete tank is only drawing 1.5 amps, you are over thinking. This is not much power. Sounds like you have a faulty power strip.

Change out any plug that sparks, if they spark there is a problem that could cause a fire. If you shut breaker off and replace receptacle it is a pretty simple job. Google it, a screwdriver, needle nose pliers, and a wire striper is all that is needed along with a way to make sure power is off. A meter or power probe, I have everything in Cypress if you need to borrow. I would offer to help, but time is hard for me to find.

Tricky Plugs should not be left, fix them. With borrowed tools 10 bucks should more than cover parts as long as your breakers and wire are OK. If you have a electrician offering to help great but just sounds like warn out recepticals.

 

[laverda]

Lots of good advice has been given here. Most houses have much more on one circuit breaker. I know my old house had an outlet in the garage, 3 bathrooms, an outside outlet and the one I wanted my aquarium on wired to one breaker. Total stupid!
While your replacing the outlets use GFI in the bathroom and where your tank will be plugged in.

 

[bobafet1]

I was going to say what a few others have said already. Sounds like a loose connection. Turn off your main breaker switch, if you are comfortable with that, and pull out the receptacle to examine the connections. All you need is a flat head and phillips screw driver for that. Hopefully it's an easy fix. Otherwise, hit up Sparky74.

 

[Sparky74]

Can't reply to pm since I don't have 10 posts. Shoot me an email cobradriver98@yahoo.com
FYI not looking to charge you for the visit just thaught I could help out if I'm in the area.

 

[Rakie]

Can't reply to pm since I don't have 10 posts. Shoot me an email cobradriver98@yahoo.com
FYI not looking to charge you for the visit just thaught I could help out if I'm in the area.

I'll email you soon! Been very busy lately and didn't notice this response.

Also, please make sure to post more! it'll be nice to see what system you're running and for you to get to know other aquarium enthusiasts in your area. It might also be useful to show what type of equipment / electrical you're running.

And finally -- It could be good for business to have a local electrician that knows/cares about reefs. It's a Niche market, but I'm sure some people would be happy to find that option when looking for an electrician.

 

[Utwo229]

The p11vt3 surge protecter will give an "overload" indication when you pull more than 12 amps. So based on your wattage calculations, you should have plenty of headroom. Suggest you test what you actual load is with an ammeter to verify if you apc is working correctly.


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