BEANANIMAL- I hate to say it but QWIV was right putting the equipment on a 30A breaker could fry the equipment and will fry the wire unless #10 or larger. Inverse breakers trip on heat!!!!!! When there is a loose connection or problem usually more resistance and more heat. More heat faster the breaker trips (typ. a 20amp breaker could hold 24amps for 1 hr.) How long do you think that 14awg will hold that ampacity before combusting?
And? That is not what QWIV said. I fully understand how and why breakers trip. You are reading an awful lot into what QWIV said. Maybe try reading his words as an Average Joe. They say "if the breaker is too large, then the equipment hooked up to it will be damaged" That is 100% nonsense in terms of a non fault situation. You my friend are talking about a FAULT type of situation... and in that case OF COURSE an oversized breaker is bad news.
However, QWIV never mentioned a fault and, the average reader would never infer that he was talking about a fault.
His statement was akin to "a 200mA power supply is too large for a 20mA LED and will burn it up." Without context the statement is meaningless if not 100% wrong.
His statemet was akin to "a 400 MPH speedometer will kill cause your tires to fail". Again without context or the missing parts of the equation, the statement is useless.
Your mistake is assuming that everybody knows how a circuit breaker works.
Secondly Mr. Electrician...
is it not a given (now that we are assuming what readers understand) that a 30A circuit would need to be on #10 or larger to meet code? Who said anything about 30A on #14 wire?????? Your comments are nothing more than trolling. Again you are putting conext to a situation that was not infered in the first place. You are putting words in my mouth and drawing conclusions from both. You can't, in one breath, assume a reader understand that he was talking about a fault situation and, in another breath, not assume that the reader would't know that a 30A branch circuit requires a #10 wire.
You have not said anything wrong, but you certainly did not read what QWIV said and my reply in context, you applied YOUR knowledge to the situation (something that the average reader does not have).
However, now that you bring it up, would you like me to show you 30A on a #14 wire? I will be glad to show you that it will not burst into flames. Code AMPACITY and REALITY are two different things. Mr. Electrician, do you mind telling us what wire gauge the 200A service drop to a typical residence is? You of all people should know that the Utility company is not bound by the NEC and uses MUCH SMALLER conductors in open air. The NEC amapacity is computed with a large safety margin that takes into account heat dissapation, insulation properties, wire length and a host of other variables. Of course the idea is SAFETY in any plausible situation that meets code. Again CODE and REALITY are two different things. Just becuse something does not meet NEC CODE does not mean that it is NOT SAFE or IMPOSSIBLE. It just means that it does not meet NEC code. Of course you already know all of this. My point is that OTHER people do not. Just an FYI #14 copper wire is fully capable of safely carrying a 32A continuous current (and much more if you exceed the common mode safety margin) before it melts or fails. You may want to look at a simple ampacity table for copper wire (not the NEC allowable table).
You can not assume anything about what people understand on a pubic forum. You must take things step by step.
You put context to a persons post (that was not there in the first place) and put words in my mouth in an attempt to show your superior knowledge.... you have done nothing but cloud the issue. Your a typical guy with an electrical card that thinks they have absorbed the knowledge of a supreme being and that the rest of us are morons.
Bottom line... BEANANIMAL practice what you preach "Bad electrical advice is a dangerous thing." the only way the breaker won't trip is if you put it on a 2000a breaker. You can bet that the breaker is going to save your life!!!! Grounding is the most important part of the electrical system be sure this instalation is by a LICENSED JOURNEYMAN electrician.
The point sir was very simple. A mains circuit breaker is not going to save your life in most cases, be it 15A or 2000A, your likely going to die if YOU become the circuit. How did grounding become part of this issue? The point was that what QWIV said was poorly stated and incorrect as written. That is BAD ADVICE.
Never once did I state that CODE should not be followed. Never once did I state that a properly designed branch circuit should NOT be designed with proper overcurrent protection. Never once did I state that it was OK to place an oversized breaker on an undersized current carrying conductor. You however have attempted to make the readers of this thread think that I have said or infered just those things. Shame!
With regards to a LICENSED JOURNEYMAN... give me a break. I suppose that unless your a card carrying union journeyman, then your a moron that should not even utter the words electricity. You know as well as I do that there are just as many morons with journeyman cards as there are without. Humans cut corners all the time and that includes LICENSED JOURNEYMAN electricians. I see LICENSED JOURNEYMAN Electricians violate CODE on almost every jobsite I work on. There are good electricians and bad ones, just like there are good doctors and bad doctores, good mechanics and bad mechanincs, good drivers and bad drivers... THEY ALL HAVE LICENCESES. Of course somebody who does not have the skill or knowhow should hire a knowledgeable proffesional, that should go without saying. But please don't try to pawn off LICENSED JOURNEYMAN Electricians as rocket scientists that practice some kind of black art that others can not learn or practice safely.
You will not find a single CODE violation in my home and it was not wired by a LICENSED JOURNEYMAN Electrician (though I do have two LICENSED JOURNEYMAN Industrual/Commerical Electricians in the immediate family).
Next time, try being helpful, not a troll.
Bean
check your service see if it is 100 amp or 200 amp ( look at the main breaker) most homes are one of them if you have the room you can add in breakers to make additional circuts. lights and pumps a 15 should be fine chillers and high draw appliances may require a 20 or 30 amp. you don't want to run more than 80% of capacity on any given circut, take all your load stated in watts ie... halide 1 250w halide 2 250w halide 3 250w add them 750w then divide by 120 = 6.25 draw (r1+r2+r3.../volts) if the result is over 80% upsize or add additional circuts 15 a = 14awg , 20 a =12 awg and so on. If your unsure in the least bit get somone experienced to do the work electricity and water are a leathal combo, better safe than sorry .
