Calculating Amperage?

[chaseracing]

Has anyone ever needed to rewire or upgrade the wiring in their home to provide safe and adequate power to their tanks?

I am thinking with all of the lighting and filtration that maybe the circuit may be overloaded?!?!?!? The house is new so the wiring is also new and up to code.

Any thoughts?

For reference:

2 Magnetic ballast for 250w halides - Coralife
1 ARO electronic ballast for 250w halide
1 electronic ballast for 2 x 96w PC's - Coralife

Sedra water pump for Skimmer (around 450gph)
Eheim 1262 for return pump (around 900 gph)

2 x Penguin 1140 powerheads.

Thanks!

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[artful-dodger]

If the circuit breakers aren't popping, then you are under the amperage on that circuit. It is most likely 15 amps, but you can check the rating written on the breakers. The breaker is designed to open before the wiring will overheat. (Don't ever replace a breaker with a higher amperage breaker...a 20 amp circuit requires heavier gauge wiring!)

Each piece of equipment will have a rated wattage from the manufacturer, but those are frequently inaccurate. There's a device available from many of the online retailers called "Kill-A-Watt" that will give you an accurate measurement on any single device or everything plugged into a single outlet.

Many of us have had new circuits added to accomodate our larger tanks.

[Reefrus2003]

I have never checked the amps on mine, but I have 3 - 250 w MH electronic ballasts, 2, 1500 seio's, 1- mag 350, 2-pan world pumps, 2-130w PC electronic ballasts, 1-air pump, 1-uv sterlizer, heater, 2- fans, 1-emperor 250 and have never tripped a breaker on a 20 amp circuit
http://www.anderson-bolds.com/calculator.htm

OHMS LAW

the 250w electronic ballast pulls 2.2 amps each

[Billybeau1]

WATTS LAW :D

[hahnmeister]

Remember, the amp ratings on breakers are peak loads...a 15A breaker is only designed to handle 13.5A constant load.

[chaseracing]

Great info! Thanks!

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