Electrical help

[dadowd]

Did any one have to run another line from the breaker box to supply power for their tank? I am having a small problem with tripping the breaker if I have the light, TV and the tank running all at once. I have a 15 A breaker and 12/2 with ground running from the box. any help is appreciated.

[billsreef]

I had to run a new circuit in my basement for a bank of tanks. Also had a dedicate 20 amp circuit installed for my display tank when the house was built. The TV sucks a good bit of power, so depending on what sort of equipment you have on the tank, the circuit is probably too small (amp wise). Likely worth talking to an electrician about putting a dedicated circuit for the tank.

[exotic3412]

dedicated circut is the way to go but somtimes the breaker itself should be changed out due to chance of breaker being a half space 15a breaker which would be a sigle trip breaker

[Mike31154]

It's a bit odd that you have 12/2 wire on a 15 amp circuit. Generally that guage wire is used for 20 amp circuits. In any case, it's always better to split the load for your tank between more than one circuit for redundancy. Any idea what else is on the circuit you're using, besides the tank, tv, light etc.? It would also be useful to find out how much power all of your equipment actually uses. That will give you a better idea if you are indeed close to maxing out that single circuit.

[dadowd]

The circut runs my entire living room, and a portion of the kitchen. There are about 10 reciptacles (sp?) on it, three lights. iwhere can I find the info for what everything draws?

[mx270]

Most everything has a label on it somewhere. A 15 amp ciruit carrys around 1500watts safely. Amps X Volts = Watts

[Mike31154]

Originally Posted by dadowd

The circut runs my entire living room, and a portion of the kitchen. There are about 10 reciptacles (sp?) on it, three lights. iwhere can I find the info for what everything draws?

As mentioned all of your equipment will have the rated electrical consumption listed somewhere, either on the device or in the instructions. It's pretty safe to assume that a 300 watt heater will use close to that when it is on. Your lighting should be fairly easy to estimate as well. Nowadays there are plug-in type energy monitors available at most home renovation retailers that allow you to measure actual wattage of the device you wish to check. Kill A Watt is one brand name I think.

Having said that, with the circuit you're using supplying all of your living room plus part of the kitchen, I'd recommend trying to find a second source of energy for your tank. A long extension cord from another room might be an interim solution, provided it is a good heavy guage cord. Just something to split the load and minimze the circuit breaker trips, not to mention for your safety.

[Bouncer]

Originally Posted by Mike31154

It's a bit odd that you have 12/2 wire on a 15 amp circuit. Generally that guage wire is used for 20 amp circuits.

Mike is correct. Make sure the ENTIRE circuit is running 12/2 romex & swap out the 15A breaker for a 20A breaker. This should temporarily address the occasional breaker tripping. You can safely run 1920W on a 20A circuit, but because your kitchen is partially on this circuit, you should seriously consider adding a dedicated circuit for your tank.