how much can i run off a 20amp breaker

ok gang so here's the scoop,i built well my brother built a shed 8x12 with a sloping roof 8'at one side and 10' at the other end so i have major head room..
running new electric from the main breaker in the house. i am using a square D 20amp breaker. How much as in lights and hydro pumps air pumps can i run off a single 20 amp phase??
here is what i plan on running if it helps, 1000wtt digital light, 1 turbo fan thru a carbon filter, 2 baby bloomer, 10 site hydro units, and probably a few cfl's or clones and veggin mother's.. ALL OF THIS WILL BE ON A SURGE PACKS AND TIMERS..
all help invited smart asses keep on trollin.
KEEP ON GROWIN

i think it would be close the ballast 8-9 amps the resst about 8-9 amps also..... 16-18 amp total

You have 20 amps.

Look at the amperage rating on your equipment. MAke sure it adds up to less than 20. And remember that a ballast will draw a little more than the stated amperage when it's first firing up.

Amps* volts = watts.

So if you're running 120 volts (standard socket) it should come out to 20*120=2400 watts. Dont go over 2,000 to be safe

how far away is the shed from your main breaker panel?

Clown Baby said:

You have 20 amps.

Look at the amperage rating on your equipment. MAke sure it adds up to less than 20. And remember that a ballast will draw a little more than the stated amperage when it's first firing up.

Amps* volts = watts.

So if you're running 120 volts (standard socket) it should come out to 20*120=2400 watts. Dont go over 2,000 to be safe

Click to expand...

The National Electric Code (written by the NFPA, an accosication dedicated to ensuring that electrical installations don't cause your house to burn down) clearly specifies that branch circuits in dwellings shall be sized for 125% of the continuous plus noncontinuous load. In other words 80%.... 80% of a 20 ampere branch circuit is 16 amps.

Trying to stay under 16 amps on a 20 ampere circuit will help to ensure that conductors don't become warm, and you aren't at risk of starting a fire.

First off, it completely depends on if those 20 amps are coupled with 120V or 240V. I myself will only run 1x 1000W on a 20A 120V breaker. Obviously due to Moores Law, a 240V 20A breaker can easily take 2x 1000W lights. V = IR. Consider the resistance to be constant, as it is in nature regardless of the voltage.

Also, Power = V * I

Therefore, with a constant power (i.e 1000W light), with 2x the Voltage, it requires 1/2 the Amperage. That's why 240V pulls less. Furthermore, If you really want to get down to the details, as Clown Baby mentioned, the ballast will pull a significant amount more when first firing up, than when running constantly. Consequently, the 120V setup will draw 2x more in that initial boost over the 240V setup. That's why 240V is considered more efficient, due to the spiking of startup being less as a result of less initial pull.