Guest D33rex January 29, 2005 Share January 29, 2005 OK...well I know nothing about electrical stuff so I need some help. I just upgraded my pc lights today, Ive got 2 175watt mhs, and I upgraded the pcs from 4 28watt to 2 96watt. So thats 112watts to 192, an 80watt increase. Ths increase in wattage blew breaker for my room! I know how to flick the switch and get the lights back on but thats about it...ha. Now even with only the halides or the pcs on by themselves the power to my room keeps going out. Before I upgraded the lighting I had a computer running with all the various computer appliances, which broke so for the last month none of that stuff has even been on. So why would just a few more watts of lighting blow my breaker? I figure the power used for the computer has to be more than that of the increase power used for the new lights... right...so why would it happen now? Anyways, so I guess I need to go buy a new breaker for my room correct? And how do I know it wont just happen again? Could there be something wrong with the ballasts for the new compact? Any help would be appreciated because I dont know what Im doing. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clownfish4 January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 It has nothing to do with the wattage. You are running to many amps. You need to replace your breaker with one that has a higher amp capacity, but you can't buy one that is higher than what your wiring is rated for or else you are flirting with disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest D33rex January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 So running 80 watts of light uses more amps than a whole computer/stereo set up? jeez....well how do i figure out what capacity I can run on the breaker? And why now am I not able to turn on any lights at all without it going? Once you blow it once is it permenantly damaged? I need to figure this out asap because I dont want to run an extension cord downstairs to the den...ha.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctreptow January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 The circuit could run more then just your room. I have circuits that include all the plugs in up to 3 rooms. You shouldn't have a problem with running the lights off the circuit alone. I have 4 175w MH with 440W VHO running off the same 15amp circuit. I would try to turn your lights on in a different order and see it it is always the same light tripping the breaker. Also look for other loads on that circuit. It may not be in your room. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest D33rex January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Well I live in a brand new townhouse, and all the switches are labeled, the only plug outside of my room is one in the hall that nothing is plugged into. But still why does it go off now when I only have the halides on, which were previously on with less pcs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctreptow January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Do you have anything else plugged into this circuit, heaters, pumps.... There may be aproblem with the PC or halides. They don't draw anywhere near 15 amps. You may have a problem with the new PC's. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Tang January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Hi, you probably already have a 15amp breaker for the circuit, so you can't go to a larger one. Doing so would probably be against code and could cause an elecrical fire. When the halides and PC's kick on, you are drawing more than the rated watts in order to fire the lamps. This circuit is probably already close to the max (15a), and this momentary increase is enough to cause your circuit to trip. What I would do is turn off the breaker to see what other devices are drawing from that circuit. You might have to move some appliances around to free up some amperage. Another option is to try your ballast on another circuit, like a bathroom for example, since this probably has its own branch. If it still trips, it could be the ballast. Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest D33rex January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Yeah I think the ballast that came with the 96watters may be a cheapo. If the lights are too strong for the ballast does that suck more amps? I have two strips for all my electrical stuff, and they are plugged into the same socket in the wall, should I spread them out over the room? And I just tried something else....on the box downstairs there are two different switches for my and my roomate's rooms. So I took an extension cord and plugged the lights into his room. After about 15 minutes the power to both rooms went off! I went downstairs and only his breaker was tripped while mine was still on....even tho my power was out too. ..????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctreptow January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Are you by any chance plugging 96w lamps into a 65w ballast? I would look for a new ballast... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 i have 1k watts of metal halide when both of them kicked on the breaker blew. so i ran a separate breaker with an outlet just to run the tank. and i made sure that my return pump is on a different breaker, in case the lights blew again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctreptow January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 My other thought is if this is a DIY job you may have the endcap wired wrong. If the endcap is wired wrong you will short the ballast which will blow a breaker. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest D33rex January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Basically the point here seems to be.....what I preach myself but did not follow.....buy quality products for a few dollars more and you will save your self a lot of trouble. I seem to have screwed myself here and will probably now end up spending more money now than I would have if id bought the good stuff in the first place. Learn from my mistake people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedalpower January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 My Hamilton 96w PCs kept blowing the GFI. After calling Hamilton I found out that they were not suppose to be on a GFI. Also, if you want to figure out the load of the circuit, you should add up all the watts for each electrical device on that circuit and divide by 120. This will tell you how many amps you require. You shouldn't use more than 80% of waht your breaker is rated at (ie, for a 15 amp breaker the load shouldn't exceed 12 amps). Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Well we didn't hear how you screwed yourself but one thing comes to mind after reading the above posts. I'll bet you don't have a GFI outlet. This is the first and most important piece of equipment for any aquarium or related outlets. It also needs to be wired correctly or you leave yourself unprotected. Sounds like a bad ballast, improper wiring of the light fixture itself, or overwatt bulbs on an under watt ballast. If you have both lights wired together to one plug that can cause a problem too. Petal, why would Hamilton say it should not be on a GFI? That sounds CRAZY MAN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedalpower January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Unfortunately, I can't remember the reason. But, it only applies to my pc ballasts, my MH ballasts are on a GFI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest D33rex January 30, 2005 Share January 30, 2005 Well for now...my lights are being driven from an extension cord to the floor below...HA....untill I do sumthing about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardofNOVA January 31, 2005 Share January 31, 2005 IMO, I'm re-wiring an entire basement right now. From everything that I've seen and done, if your hooking up MH, You need to consider SERIOUSLY to have a 20amp line running JUST for your aquarium setup alone. This is using 12/2 wire. Anything less and your playing with fire...literally!! ooh This includes a 20amp Breaker/Fuse, 12/2 wire and a 20amp GFCI at the FIRST receptacle, after that, you can hook up a regular 3 prong plugs. If you have access to wall space in attic, you can run your own lines, BUT under the circumstances, no offense, being your asking these question, I would recommend paying someone who knows to run a new line to this area. The peace of mind will be worth it! With a 15amp line, your asking WAY too much to run your MH lights & ballasts, pumps, skimmers, ph meter, heaters, etc etc. Even if you have had no problems in the past, your playing with fire! Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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