Electrical / 15 Amp Circuit Question

Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
PadawanWarrior said:
Thanks, I'm gonna start doing some research now.
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You could pull a 40 amp with #8-3 wire or a 50 amp with #6-3 wire. Know that the small home line 6 space panels won't accept the homeline tandem "space saver" breakers and that a 240 volt circuit will require 2 breaker spaces. That said, you could have a 50 amp subpanel, use a a 240 volt feed off of it for a lighting controller and still have 4 breaker spaces open for other 120v circuits. Every other breaker space will alternate the phase so you can use that to help you balance the loads.
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Renfro said:
You could pull a 40 amp with #8-3 wire or a 50 amp with #6-3 wire. Know that the small home line 6 space panels won't accept the homeline tandem "space saver" breakers and that a 240 volt circuit will require 2 breaker spaces. That said, you could have a 50 amp subpanel, use a a 240 volt feed off of it for a lighting controller and still have 4 breaker spaces open for other 120v circuits. Every other breaker space will alternate the phase so you can use that to help you balance the loads.
Click to expand...
Thanks again man. I'm learning some stuff. I have extra open breaker spaces in my breaker box now, and think the wiring is good for 20 amps already so I was thinking of having the 15 I have now changed out for a 20, and then turning one of my outlets now to a dedicated 20 amp also. That way I could spread the load. That sounds Wrong, Lol. And if I needed to I could change another outlet and make it a dedicated one also. I just would prefer keeping the original outlets instead of adding a separate box in my room, or is that not how they work? Again, thanks.
 
PadawanWarrior

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Renfro said:
They can't change out a breaker to a larger size without running new larger gauge wire.
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I know but I think my wiring is 12 gauge already. I definitely am going to make sure first. I know better than just throwing in a bigger breaker from experience. I had 2 AC's running in my bedroom in South Dakota that kept tripping the breaker, so my dad's great idea was to just switch it with a 30 amp. Well that didn't go well at all. All of a sudden my wife smelled smoke, and then the fire trucks were there, lol. Electrical fire, what do you know! All I can say is at least we were home when it happened so we didn't lose much at all.
 
C

combo801

Member
I can call some local electrical companies today but does anyone know if it is expensive to have a 15amp circuit and wiring replaced with a 20? And do you know if it can be done entirely from the circuit breaker itself?

And the same questions about separating two bedrooms onto two different 15 Amp circuit breakers? Expensive? Can it be done solely from the breaker box in basement?

I’d rather not have the electrical repair man see the bedroom with grow tents if possible..

Oh and I realized it’s 110v 15amp. I started this thread assuming 120v.

I appreciate all the feedback once again! Happy Friday to you all!
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
combo801 said:
I can call some local electrical companies today but does anyone know if it is expensive to have a 15amp circuit and wiring replaced with a 20? And do you know if it can be done entirely from the circuit breaker itself?

And the same questions about separating two bedrooms onto two different 15 Amp circuit breakers? Expensive? Can it be done solely from the breaker box in basement?

I’d rather not have the electrical repair man see the bedroom with grow tents if possible..

Oh and I realized it’s 110v 15amp. I started this thread assuming 120v.

I appreciate all the feedback once again! Happy Friday to you all!
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No it cant be done from the panel. If you want a 20amp, 12 gauge wire needs to be run to an outlet. 15amp runs 14 gauge wire. Throwing a 20a breaker in place of a 15a breaker is where problems arise:fire:
 
Flatrate

Flatrate

Well-Known Member
Unless you are in a strict illegal state, chances are the electrician doesn't give a flying fuck what you are up too. They just are there to make money. When I needed a electric upgrade I had 3 come over to check things out and give me an idea. I was honest with all of them. I got the same question from all of them, "What are you trying to do?" I told them. All in I spent $150 on materials and $240 to the man to juice me up. That was for 2 20 amp breakers added to the room. To get the deal I was the asshole running the 12/3 wire through the crawl space. While I was there I ran a second 12/3 that can be hooked up on demand for a total of 4 20 amp breakers, plus I still have the native 15 amp breaker to the room.
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
combo801 said:
And the same questions about separating two bedrooms onto two different 15 Amp circuit breakers? Expensive? Can it be done solely from the breaker box in basement?
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OK, for starters @natureboygrower is correct, the wire needs to be upgraded to carry the additional current.

What can be done and I don't recommend it is changing a 15 amp 120 volt circuit into a 15 amp 240 volt circuit. This is for lighting use only. Only attempt this if you have a good understanding of electrical and the proper safety procedures, it's not worth dying, hire an electrician and just have a new feed ran. You can only do this once the circuit in question has been checked and verified that only receptacles are on that circuit (no lighting) I have seen people fry their microwave thats hardwired above the stove doing this.

Turn off the breaker for that circuit.
Pull the breaker and disconnect the black wire.
Disconnect the neutral wire (white) for that feed from the neutral bus in the panel.
Put a black or red electrical tape on the insulation by the end to indicate this is now a hot conductor.
Using a double pole breaker of the same amperage put both wires on it and insert into the panel.

Now those receptacles are 240 volt and should be marked to prevent you from plugging in a 120v item and frying it. Of course now you have to find an alternate source for your 120v power. lol It can be a fix in some situations but like I said, I don't recommend it.
 
Go go n chill

Go go n chill

Well-Known Member
DeepWaterDean said:
Watts / volts = amps
Amps times volts = Watts

So. If your voltage is 120v on a 20amp circuit. Then you got 2400 watts. At 110 volts you would have 2200 watts.

For those who don’t want to do math or don’t have volt meters.... you can put 1500watts on a 15amp circuit
And
2000watts on a 20amp circuit.

With a little to spare.
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Go ahead and run it in your house! I like to sleep at night. I’ll pass. I like abit more wiggle room. Most people here are plugging into existing circuits that would be perfectly safe for-normal household electrical demands. BUT MIGHT NOT be up to the task of a powering a grow room 24/7. That’s my take on it
 
D

DeepWaterDean

Active Member
Go go n chill said:
Go ahead and run it in your house! I like to sleep at night. I’ll pass. I like abit more wiggle room. Most people here are plugging into existing circuits that would be perfectly safe for-normal household electrical demands. BUT MIGHT NOT be up to the task of a powering a grow room 24/7. That’s my take on it
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Not only do I run it at my house I run it all over the country like that for 20 fucking years. Look be as safe as you want to be. Want to run less then I say cuz you live in an old house with shit breakers then by all means take that into account. But what I’m saying is correct, I’m not saying it’s 80%. I’m saying pro lighting, sound and productions that all of you have seen for years are running numbers like these. Every single night.

Just for those who don’t know the real numbers.
15amps at 120v is 1800watts
At 110v it’s 1650watts
20amps at 120v is 2400watts
At 110v it’s 2200watts

So find your voltage at your house so you know the real numbers at your spot and be as safe as you want to be. As others have said, running 80% of your total is safe. But as you can see, especially at 120v my numbers of
1500watts on a 15amp
And
2000watts on a 20amp
Aren’t that crazy. At this point a don’t feel like debating power anymore. Please be safe and grow amazing weed.
 

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Go go n chill

Go go n chill

Well-Known Member
DeepWaterDean said:
Not only do I run it at my house I run it all over the country like that for 20 fucking years. Look be as safe as you want to be. Want to run less then I say cuz you live in an old house with shit breakers then by all means take that into account. But what I’m saying is correct, I’m not saying it’s 80%. I’m saying pro lighting, sound and productions that all of you have seen for years are running numbers like these. Every single night.

Just for those who don’t know the real numbers.
15amps at 120v is 1800watts
At 110v it’s 1650watts
20amps at 120v is 2400watts
At 110v it’s 2200watts

So find your voltage at your house so you know the real numbers at your spot and be as safe as you want to be. As others have said, running 80% of your total is safe. But as you can see, especially at 120v my numbers of
1500watts on a 15amp
And
2000watts on a 20amp
Aren’t that crazy. At this point a don’t feel like debating power anymore. Please be safe and grow amazing weed.
Click to expand...
What you do and what the man is asking and talking about are two different situations. Toot your horn elsewhere, oh! Ya grow some dank....
 
Go go n chill

Go go n chill

Well-Known Member
Renfro said:
OK, for starters @natureboygrower is correct, the wire needs to be upgraded to carry the additional current.

What can be done and I don't recommend it is changing a 15 amp 120 volt circuit into a 15 amp 240 volt circuit. This is for lighting use only. Only attempt this if you have a good understanding of electrical and the proper safety procedures, it's not worth dying, hire an electrician and just have a new feed ran. You can only do this once the circuit in question has been checked and verified that only receptacles are on that circuit (no lighting) I have seen people fry their microwave thats hardwired above the stove doing this.

Turn off the breaker for that circuit.
Pull the breaker and disconnect the black wire.
Disconnect the neutral wire (white) for that feed from the neutral bus in the panel.
Put a black or red electrical tape on the insulation by the end to indicate this is now a hot conductor.
Using a double pole breaker of the same amperage put both wires on it and insert into the panel.

Now those receptacles are 240 volt and should be marked to prevent you from plugging in a 120v item and frying it. Of course now you have to find an alternate source for your 120v power. lol It can be a fix in some situations but like I said, I don't recommend it.
Click to expand...
I smell smoke....
 
Mcoocoo

Mcoocoo

Well-Known Member
PadawanWarrior said:
Sounds about right to me. I have 850 watts of led, 3 6" fans, 3 small Honeywell fans, 2 box fans, and a few miscellaneous really small things running on a 15 amp circuit. I would guess it's right around the 1440 mark. I know I'm pushing it and wouldn't try to add anything else, but am going to get a dedicated 30 amp circuit installed soon. I guess it's only a few hundred. I do have stuff running to different outlets though to spread the load a bit, and I'm using decent surge protectors. That seems to help a little to keep my sockets from getting hot and causing my breaker to trip until I get a dedicated one. But ya the heat outside totally has an influence too I learned, lol.
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I was going to suggest something similar, I would find out which outlets belong to which circuits and try to find a free one, that is open and not connected to the rest of the house. If that is not an option, maybe run each of them to separate outlets, using nothing less than 12 gauge extension cords if needed.
 
C

combo801

Member
DeepWaterDean said:
Not only do I run it at my house I run it all over the country like that for 20 fucking years. Look be as safe as you want to be. Want to run less then I say cuz you live in an old house with shit breakers then by all means take that into account. But what I’m saying is correct, I’m not saying it’s 80%. I’m saying pro lighting, sound and productions that all of you have seen for years are running numbers like these. Every single night.

Just for those who don’t know the real numbers.
15amps at 120v is 1800watts
At 110v it’s 1650watts
20amps at 120v is 2400watts
At 110v it’s 2200watts

So find your voltage at your house so you know the real numbers at your spot and be as safe as you want to be. As others have said, running 80% of your total is safe. But as you can see, especially at 120v my numbers of
1500watts on a 15amp
And
2000watts on a 20amp
Aren’t that crazy. At this point a don’t feel like debating power anymore. Please be safe and grow amazing weed.
Click to expand...
Thanks for all your help. I got a question I hope you can help with.
With my 110v 15A circuit, can I plug an 1875w outlet timer into the wall, then plug a more expensive surge protector rated for 1875w into it as well, then put up to the approx 1300 watts worth of quantum boards and fans into the surge protector?

Better yet, could I plug a kill a watt meter into the wall (rated for like 1750 watts max which is above the 110v 15A will allow me anyhow) << then the timer into watt meter << then the surge protector into the timer << then the QBs and fans into surge protector?

I work in finance and this is simply a huge hobby. I appreciate your help once again!
 
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Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
Neither options poses an issue so long as all the connections are reliable and won't get bumped lose and the timer is reliable. Remember the surge protector will have a little breaker in it and thats just another point of reliability. Good to have surge protection for the LED drivers but don't use a cheap chinese surge protector when one thats just 10 bucks more will be more reliable.
 
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