watson_barrett August 20, 2009 Share August 20, 2009 Anyone know how many watts a standard breaker can take? or does it not work by watts??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay August 20, 2009 Share August 20, 2009 Anyone know how many watts a standard breaker can take? or does it not work by watts??? Well they work by amps (ie, 20 amp), but you can convert amps to watts since it is always 120V. amps = watts/volts, so: 20 amp = x/120 so 2400W for a 20amp breaker would be my guess? 1800 w for a 15amp breaker by the same reasoning I am not an electrician! Don't sue me! This is just what "seems right" to me. tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikryd August 20, 2009 Share August 20, 2009 The breaker usually says on it - it goes by amps - usually 15amps or 120v x 15a = 1800w + or - of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnybv August 20, 2009 Share August 20, 2009 AND dont forget breakers are designed to peak at that amperage, but only be run at 80% continuously. so a 15 amp breaker should only run about 12 amps, 20 amp at 16 john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b August 20, 2009 Share August 20, 2009 It is actually a little less watts than that because in the US we don't get 120 volts, it is closer to 115 or a little less even though we call it 120. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watson_barrett August 20, 2009 Author Share August 20, 2009 cool, thanks guys, this gives me a good idea of what i need to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind August 21, 2009 Share August 21, 2009 It is actually a little less watts than that because in the US we don't get 120 volts, it is closer to 115 or a little less even though we call it 120. Where did you get these facts from? I take voltage readings all the time and I see lots of houses/buildings with it at or over 120v. The power company shots to provide 120v but it depends on a lot factors such as your location in regards to the feeder and xfmr, what ratio the field xfmr is tapped at, conductor sizes, temperature, and et al. Just stick with the breaker rating x 120 x .8 and you will fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extreme_tooth_decay August 21, 2009 Share August 21, 2009 Where did you get these facts from? I take voltage readings all the time and I see lots of houses/buildings with it at or over 120v. The power company shots to provide 120v but it depends on a lot factors such as your location in regards to the feeder and xfmr, what ratio the field xfmr is tapped at, conductor sizes, temperature, and et al. Just stick with the breaker rating x 120 x .8 and you will fine. I also measure mine all the time. I get just as much over as under. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward August 21, 2009 Share August 21, 2009 I also measure mine all the time. I get just as much over as under. Which is why line conditioners are important for sensitive electronic equipment ... I've seen from 110 to 120 - usually closer to 110 at my house, but most equipment is designed to operate in a range of voltages. To answer the original question, you need to look at amps, not watts since that is what triggers a breaker. If you have a device that has watts listed, you can convert that to amps and remember that it's listed in steady-state, your startup (surge) amps are usually higher so don't load to the max and be sure to stagger powering on devices (avoid starting everything all at once). Also, spread things across multiple breakers if you can so if one trips you still have some of your equipment running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b August 21, 2009 Share August 21, 2009 Where did you get these facts from? From being an electrician in Manhattan for 40 years. I just tested mine in my house and today it is 118 but as was said it can vary from about 110 to about 125 depending on the season, the temp, how far you are from the transformer and the usage in your town. Every 100' or so from the transformer it could drop a volt or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watson_barrett August 21, 2009 Author Share August 21, 2009 all this makes sense. I had an overhead fan unit above my stove. We took it out and put a microwave in (which apperently opperatves on a diff voltage than fan). We have had issues with the associated breaker tripping when other stuff is on and we run the microwave... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 August 21, 2009 Share August 21, 2009 Microwaves typically draw a lot of power and will trip the breaker. Most of them also run on and off in a cycle to cook so the constant surge is what is tripping your breaker. A typical fan draws nowhere near even what the smallest microwave will when it peaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watson_barrett August 22, 2009 Author Share August 22, 2009 right that is why it is tripping, haha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 August 22, 2009 Share August 22, 2009 Check the wire gauge and the sockets if they're GFCI to see what they're rated, and if they're rated properly, you can swap out the breaker for a higher amp one, but don't do this unless you're sure that you've got the properly rated wires and sockets (I believe on GFCI sockets are rated). If you switch to a higher amp breaker and your wires are too thin, you could melt them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b August 22, 2009 Share August 22, 2009 If you switch to a higher amp breaker and your wires are too thin, you could melt them. Correct, which usually burns the house down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watson_barrett August 22, 2009 Author Share August 22, 2009 yea i'll leave that analysis up to the electrician, haha. he is coming friday to set up my new dedicated breakers...thanks guys... I'm guess the wires won't be rated high enough for a higher voltage breaker since it was originally wired for a exhaust fan....we'll see though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now