circuit breaker problem
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circuit breaker problem
whenever there are too many electronics/appliances on the circuit breaker will cut the power to the whole house. would this be cause by the wiring, or the circuit breaker itself?
#2
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What is the rating of your main breaker? Define "too many electronics/appliances." If an older house, you simply may have added too many things to too small of a service. BUT, it could be the main breaker, too. Give us more information. How much and when was the last time loads were added?
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Sorry for the lack of information. Yes, i live in a very old 1 bedroom house. None of the outlets in the house are grounded, and they all have old twistplug child safety covers. I looked at the circuit breaker outside, this is what is reads on the inside cover...
30 Amps Max
120/240 V.A.C.-1 Phase
2 or 3 wires
uses copper or aluminum wire only
The appliances i usually have running when the power cuts off are the television(crt 27inch), microwave (just plugged in, not on), refrigerator, computer, and a 1,500 watt heater. one contributing factor might be that the television and comuter are on the same powerstrip, along with multiple video game systems and a lamp. i just moved into this house, so hopefully my landlord will send someone to fix the problem for me.
30 Amps Max
120/240 V.A.C.-1 Phase
2 or 3 wires
uses copper or aluminum wire only
The appliances i usually have running when the power cuts off are the television(crt 27inch), microwave (just plugged in, not on), refrigerator, computer, and a 1,500 watt heater. one contributing factor might be that the television and comuter are on the same powerstrip, along with multiple video game systems and a lamp. i just moved into this house, so hopefully my landlord will send someone to fix the problem for me.
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RE circuit breaker problem
Trey:
As I read your post you are tripping the main breaker for the house. In your last post you said the main house breaker is 30A. Are you referring to the primary breaker at the top of the box? 30A is horribly undersized even for a 1 bedroom house. As technology has evolved more and more electric appliances have enterred the home. A 30 amp breaker may have been sufficient 30 years ago, but not today. Most homes are wired for 100 amps minimum and new homes often have 200 amp service. The 1500 watt heater you are using is almost drawing 15A by itself. This is half the allowable current of the entire main breaker. I would be very concerned about using such a high current draw device on such old electrical circuits. At a minimum you should have no other appliance on the same circuit as the 1500 watt heater.
I'm afraid the only correct answer is to have the house rewired to a modern service. If you bring in an electrician he is going to correctly recommend you also rewire the house to include ground in all the house. This is an important safety feature and could quite possible save your life from faulty appliances or electrical fires.
At the least if you can not have the electrical service upgraded at this time, you should stop using the 1500 watt electrical heater. You can invest in a modern kerosene heater which would be more energy efficient and cheaper to operate anyway.
As I read your post you are tripping the main breaker for the house. In your last post you said the main house breaker is 30A. Are you referring to the primary breaker at the top of the box? 30A is horribly undersized even for a 1 bedroom house. As technology has evolved more and more electric appliances have enterred the home. A 30 amp breaker may have been sufficient 30 years ago, but not today. Most homes are wired for 100 amps minimum and new homes often have 200 amp service. The 1500 watt heater you are using is almost drawing 15A by itself. This is half the allowable current of the entire main breaker. I would be very concerned about using such a high current draw device on such old electrical circuits. At a minimum you should have no other appliance on the same circuit as the 1500 watt heater.
I'm afraid the only correct answer is to have the house rewired to a modern service. If you bring in an electrician he is going to correctly recommend you also rewire the house to include ground in all the house. This is an important safety feature and could quite possible save your life from faulty appliances or electrical fires.
At the least if you can not have the electrical service upgraded at this time, you should stop using the 1500 watt electrical heater. You can invest in a modern kerosene heater which would be more energy efficient and cheaper to operate anyway.
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If there truly is a problem then your landlord has to fix the problem. Call your lawyer.
You should have told us yo are not the owner in the first place. Since you are not the owner you cannot do anything yourself. In fact, you cannot even call an electrician and have anything done.
Give the landlord one more chance, then call your lawyer. Make sure your landlord knows you will call a lawyer.
You should have told us yo are not the owner in the first place. Since you are not the owner you cannot do anything yourself. In fact, you cannot even call an electrician and have anything done.
Give the landlord one more chance, then call your lawyer. Make sure your landlord knows you will call a lawyer.