My home circuit trips with new setup.

[dannieboiz]

I have 1 surge protector connected to an outlet and from there I have it connected to my DJ power panel... This is the equipment I have.

2xHQI 250w MH
2xT5 SO
mag 9.5
Mag 12
Iwaki MD-70RTL
500w titanium heater
Super Squirt

I've never had it jump b4 when I had my old tank. Any way to solve this problem?

 

[H22ATypeS]

Distribute the load to other circuits. I'm not sure what the power consumption of your other equipments are but your 2x250watt halide and 500watt heater pulls a good 8 to 8.5Amps already. A common household breaker circuit usually is 15A to 20A.

 

[dannieboiz]

I only have 1 outlet at that location.... well 2 but it's on one circuit

 

[johntbyrne]

There is a limit for each outlet too but I can't remeber what for sure. I think it is something like 12 amps. Sounds like it is time to pull some new wire. This is what I did and am about to do again given a tank more across the room is in the near future.

 

[itZme]

Amperage= wattage / voltage . So 100watts/ 110volts= .91 amps.

Assuming you are running everything on standard 110v outlets...

2xHQI 250w MH ..... = 500w = 4.54 A
2xT5 SO.............. ...= 108w = .981A
mag 9.5 ..................= 93w = .85 A
Mag 12.................... = 110w = 1 A
Iwaki MD-70RTL .......= 2.8 A
500w titanium heater = 4.54 A
Super Squirt = almost nothing

So you have a total of 14.7 Amps drawing on a 15amp circuit. If the circuit has ANYTHING else in the house running on it then it is going to be over the breaker's limit. This is assuming there isn't anything wrong with any of the equipment like old motors that may take more amperage to get spinning.

You could use a heavy duty (12-3 or bigger) extension cord to run some of your equipment from another location if possible until you can run a new circuit designated to your aquarium.

Good luck!

-- itZme

 

[dannieboiz]

actually I have Standard output T5 so half of that draw but I'll be adding 2 HO T5 shortly.....I have a 100w floor lamp on that side of the room as well. Oh and I'm forgetting the fuge lights which is something like 30w melev recommended.. I think if I get a more efficient pump to replace the iwaki I will be ok.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Better bet is to run a new circuit. Your more than likley running a 14 gauge wire with a 15 amp breaker. If it's an older house, your even worse off. You'd be better off running at least 1 if not 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits to your tank.

You can't just go and change the breaker to a 20 amp either, unless you know for sure that the wiring is 12 gauge.

 

[dannieboiz]

arghhh if I had to change the wires, that means tearing out the wall wouldn't it? I have a 2 story home, so climping into the attic isn't an option.

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Are you on a slab or raised foundation?

There are was of running wires without tearing the complete wall apart. Best to check with a good electrician.

 

[dannieboiz]

I'm on a slab and going to tear down the house specifically for a reef tank is out of the question.....

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Like I said, there are was to fish a new line thru the walls. best left to the experts though. You wind up with very minimal drywall to patch up. You don't have to tear the house down.

If you were on a raised, it would be easier, just run the lines in the crawl space and drill up thru the floor into the wall.

 

[WY_REEFER]

2xHQI 250w MH ..... = 500w = 4.54 A

Light output does not always equal input power.

You might also keep in mind that old circuit breakers do not always work. There is also a risk of catching your house on fire.

 

[BeanAnimal]

WY_REEFER I hope that you are refering ot the fact that the 250w ballasts DRAW MORE than 250W.

Danny boy... the bottom line is that you don't have anywhere near enough power going to that tank. A 15 AMP circuit should only be safely loaded to 80% capacity. This is good practice and also required by the NEC. 80% of 15A is 12A, YOU ARE WAY ABOVE THAT, and talking about adding even more.

There is no other answer but to add another circuit. You either add a circuit or remove about 3 amps were of load. There is no magic fix here. You should also note, that the frequent tripping of a circuit breaker causes it to become weak. It also be an indication that you are drawing too much (more than a safe ammount) of current over that #14 wire.

Lets put it another way, the circuit breaker keeps tripping to keep you safe, but you keep ignoring the safety issue and resetting the breaker. It may be time to call an electrician and get a new circuit pulled in, or take a serious look at your equipment and find a way to drasticaly cut the power needs of your tank.

 

[cal91666]

dannieboiz, you bring to lite a point for anyone considering setting up a new system. PRIOR PROPER PLANNING!

I am fortunate to have a crawl space and was able to pull 2 new dedicated 20 amp circuits for my tank. I've also learned that power strips inside a cabinet stand will develop corrosion from moisture and cause problems. There are also ways to run circuits on the exterior of the house and thru the wall to where you want them. These can be placed in conduit and are only midly ugly but can be painted to match the exterior color. You HAVE options but your current set up, unfortunately, isn't one of them. As stated before, the tripping circuit breaker is your warning to an oncoming, much worse, problem.

 

[brian3]

Beananimal is right on. You don't want to be anywhere near circuit capacity long term. Any loose connection in the outlet could cause a fire. Another circuit is the answer. And yes everone still thinks you just add up the wattage of the bulbs to get current draw but it is not true. I guess the ballast gets red hot for free without any extra power consumption.

 

[mako199]

Bean is totally rite 15amp should only be used at 80% so 12amps is the limit...or it will keep tripping.

 

[johntbyrne]

This is a good thread and the point on planning is very good. I'm about to move my tank to a new location and I am going to run a large wire back and put in a power distribution panel in back of the closet just above the new tank location. I'll probably pull parallel wires to allow high amp loading and then have multi-breakers in the distribution panel feeding mult-outlets in the wall just behind the tank stand. I'm remodeling so pulling the wires now won't be bad, later would be difficult at best.

Thanks for this thread and helping me think about this. I hope you get your situation resolved.

 

[dannieboiz]

ok it's not tripping anymore since I started this thread.... so far no worries. I'm swapping out the iwaki soon so I think that would help a little bit.

 

[BeanAnimal]

dannie... not trying to be hard on your but your position is kinda similar to being diagnosed with a curable disease, but deciding not to take the medication that wil cure it... simply because the symptoms have disapeared. The problem is still there and it's only a matter of time before it does damage.

YOU HAVE WAY TO MUCH ON THAT CIRCUIT. I don't know how much more clearly anybody can expain it. It's not an extra watt or two, it's a lot more than that. Again, a 15A circuit should not be loaded to more than 12A. You are likely at least 2-2.5A over that. That a lot more than an "iwaski" vs "XM" problem.

Yes unplugging a bulb or power head may keep the breaker from tripping today... but you are still on the ragged edge of failure. Wait until the weather gets warm, the breaker will trip even more easily.


"so far no worries" is a sorely misguided level of comfort you have lured yourself into. You may want to at least invest in a "kill a watt" or clamp on meter and find out exactly how much your average and peak current draws are. If you have no idea how to do this, then you really need to at least call an electrician for some advice and measurements.

Best case failure... you come home to a tripped circuit and dead livestock. Worst case failure, you cause a fire due to an overloaded circuit.

You also mentioned that you are drawing all of this current through a "power strip"... that's scary in it's own right but more suited for another thread.

Bean

 

[dannieboiz]

I appreciate everyone's concern... the house I live in is 20 yrs old. There are other people that I know around here in older homes that's running more equipment that what I have listed w/o any problems for years and still going strong....

They might have gotten lucky, I'm not sure. I would rather cut back to maybe dual 150w HQI and down grade some equipments than tearing down the house and redo the wirings. The way the home is built would be impossible to redo the wiring unless I rip out the drywalls. Not only one but possible 4 or 5 section of the house to do so. Easier said than done.

We just went through a total renovation, not about to do it again.

While we're on the same note.... I have an extra UPS that I'm not using, thinking about hooking that up to the tank. Will that create more loads or be flat?