Electrical Question

[katacus]

Hi everyone:stoned:

I have an electrical question for you to ponder. My grow room has its own 20amp service. Im thinking about adding more lights which will push my total demand to exactly 18.9 amps. Is this a safe enought margin? I dont want to burn my house down. That would be a bad thing.

Thanks for your help :rasta:

katacus Reviewed by katacus on 05-25-2006. Electrical Question Hi everyone:stoned: I have an electrical question for you to ponder. My grow room has its own 20amp service. Im thinking about adding more lights which will push my total demand to exactly 18.9 amps. Is this a safe enought margin? I dont want to burn my house down. That would be a bad thing. Thanks for your help :rasta: Rating: 5

[GaGrown]

I added two 15 amp breakers for 2 light's or whatever,pumps and such,fans too! I use a single breaker for 2 fans and the other for the lights.Just check your panel amps/volts rating.An average size 2bedroom home has at least 100 amps.Look at the main breaker at the top it will have it on the breaker.

Ga Grown

[4x5]

no 18.9 on a 20 amp will trip the breaker all the time (like morning start-ups when lights come on), you gotta eliminate something, or add another breaker like gagrown says, thats pushing it.

[katacus]

I have a 200-amp breaker box. I'm running 20 amps on a separate breaker for the room of magic. I'm curious if I should have a buffer between demand and capacity of the breaker itself.

[4x5]

could add a second timer to turn your equipment on over like say within 5 minutes? turning all of it on at once may cause trouble. Flip it on see what happens

[katacus]

I didnt think about the power surge at start up. Looks like I'm adding another 20 amp breaker just to be safe.

Thanks

[BOYZNUS]

GOOD THINKING. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY. GOOD LUCK

[payn4school]

I know this is kinda off subject but, I have a goofey electrical question.

If in a pinch, would it be possible to spread the load over two different circuts? by joining the wires from each circut into a heavier gauge wire? so for instance using two 15 amp breakers to share the load of nearly 30 amps?

The reason I ask is that Im out of room on my box!

[4x5]

You got me kinda stumped, I dont think it will work, both 15ampers would not split the load I believe you'd need two feeds (two separate plug runs) to do it that way even hooked in parallel regardless of load, they should both still blow at 15 amps; the second either fuse hits 15 amps they should both blow.
I'd just go get a 30 amp GFCI breaker (has a test button on the breaker), worth the cash (in case you ever pour water on your electricals) and would do the job as far as load

[LOC NAR1958]

Add that other breaker it won't hurt when you add things later. payn4school, Yes you can put those 2 15 amps together, IF and only if they are on the same phase in your pannel. If they are dif phase Kaboom. If you have a 100 or 200 amp pannel then you have 2 phases that's how you get 220. I would just run off the 15 amps, depending on how many lights you have.

Ok, here's what I run on 20 amps and pushing it. I was residential electric for 20 years. A 1000 watt hortilux eye, A 6000 btu Ac, A dehumidifier for a whole house. Vent fans in and out. A phototron and 4 , 4 foot fluro's, and 4 small pumps for hydro units and a fan to blow on plants. I'm pushing it now , so I'm running a 30 amp 220 or 221 whatever it takes. LOL.

One thing do not oversize the breaker on the wire. That is what burns you up. A breaker or fuse will blow before the wire burns for safety.