Breaker keeps tripping, how to allow more power use...

[gorillagrower0840]

I just got my new grow tent set up and while testing it with all appliances on, including portable ac, the power goes out after a while and everything shuts down. It seems that my shed can't handle all the power use, can i somehow make it to be able to use more power without shutting down?

 

[fir3dragon]

Not without making a bigger breaker.. And when you do that, you will need to completely re do the wiring from the breaker to the shed and all outlets need to be able to handle the load as well. Or, you could run a extension cord from inside the home to the shed... Maybe bury it underground so it can't be seen? Idk....

 

[1itsme]

Don't screw around with that, it's not worth burning your house down. Get an electrician to rewire the circuit to the shed, or use less power.

 

[racerboy71]

you could always buy ballasts that run off of 220 instead of the normal 110, and this would drop your amperage in half..

pricey, but effective..

other than that, i don't know, other than bringing a professional electrician to give you another box..

 

[gorillagrower0840]

I was only using two 400 watt lights, three small circulation fans, 2 inline fans, and the ac, so i can't really use less power. If anything i need to use more power. i did't even have the buckets (water pump) hooked up yet, and i wan't to get more powerful lights in the future. So the basic idea is a new breaker box? That will allow more power usage? Or is it both replace the breaker box and also rewire?

 

[jijiandfarmgang]

you could always buy ballasts that run off of 220 instead of the normal 110, and this would drop your amperage in half..

pricey, but effective..

Any ballast I've ever seen runs off of 120 or 240.....(or only 240)


Its hard to answer your question without seeing your panel or knowing more details. But the best way if allowable would be to run new wire and install a subpanel.

 

[fir3dragon]

I was only using two 400 watt lights, three small circulation fans, 2 inline fans, and the ac, so i can't really use less power. If anything i need to use more power. i did't even have the buckets (water pump) hooked up yet, and i wan't to get more powerful lights in the future. So the basic idea is a new breaker box? That will allow more power usage? Or is it both replace the breaker box and also rewire?

If you get a bigger breaker, your going to need new wiring that matches the rating for whatever amp breaker you choose. It's go more then just that, your home only take in so much power with a main fuse, other smaller fuses break that overall amperage up... At least that's how mine is setup...

 

[Dogenzengi]

All I use as a guideline is an
"80% load of a 15 amp breaker adds up to 1440 watts".
I forget where I read it but it was in a thread somewhere.
I added that to my permanent notes.

 

[tekdc911]

what is the amperage on the breaker thats flipping ?

 

[EpicNugTime]

why not just run some 6" inline fans one for your light and one for your scrubber/outlet... use some panty hose for the inlet and your good. unless you live somewhere hot as F you wont have to worry about temps until later next year if you get it setup right.. i'd suggest this then build on after each crop. maybe take back the a/c and get some cold tubes.. i dunno

how big is your tent?

 

[gorillagrower0840]

Here are some pictures

 

[fir3dragon]

Here are some pictures

Is the 15 amp your shed? The other is household? What one keeps tripping the main household the shed or both?

 

[gorillagrower0840]

Here are some pictures. The pic on left is the breaker box in the shed. The middle pic is the breaker box in the garage of the house. The right pic is the schematic for the house breaker box.

 

[fir3dragon]

I was only using two 400 watt lights, three small circulation fans, 2 inline fans, and the ac, so i can't really use less power. If anything i need to use more power. i did't even have the buckets (water pump) hooked up yet, and i wan't to get more powerful lights in the future. So the basic idea is a new breaker box? That will allow more power usage? Or is it both replace the breaker box and also rewire?

A 15 amp.. 1500w max I say... Well that's all your so posted to put....
lighta-800+ watts! they draw a little more then 400w each so prolly more like 900w
inline and circulation fans-my 6 inch inline runs 100w so that x2 plus I say another 100w for your circulation fans is 300w
ac-depending on btu... My 5k btu runs at 600w while my 10k btu runs 1k watts
total-1800w minimum....

 

[gorillagrower0840]

Is the 15 amp your shed? The other is household? What one keeps tripping the main household the shed or both?

I know for sure that the household one kept tripping because my bro had to go into the house to reset it so we could turn anything back on in the shed. I'm not sure if the one of the two in the shed actually tripped, sorry I wasn't paying that much attention when it happened. Oh, and my tent is a 5x9.

 

[fir3dragon]

I know for sure that the household one kept tripping because my bro had to go into the house to reset it so we could turn anything back on in the shed. I'm not sure if the one of the two in the shed actually tripped, sorry I wasn't paying that much attention when it happened. Oh, and my tent is a 5x9.

I don't understand why the household is tripping when the shed should be... I'm no electrician but I would think the only way for the main 100amp breaking to trip is if your running too much stuff at once and are exceeding 100amps with everything together..

 

[gorillagrower0840]

A 15 amp.. 1500w max I say... Well that's all your so posted to put....
lighta-800+ watts! they draw a little more then 400w each so prolly more like 900w
inline and circulation fans-my 6 inch inline runs 100w so that x2 plus I say another 100w for your circulation fans is 300w
ac-depending on btu... My 5k btu runs at 600w while my 10k btu runs 1k watts
total-1800w minimum....

Those little tiny 6" circulation fans do 100 watts each? That seems like a lot. And my portable ac is 10000 btu

 

[fir3dragon]

Those little tiny 6" circulation fans do 100 watts each? That seems like a lot. And my portable ac is 10000 btu

So all 3 of them I say are 100w together then your two I lines are 100w each. Making that 300w
Mentioned your ac is 10k btu, mine draws 1k watts, that right there is what's doing it... Between your lights and the ac that's totally overload. I know you grow in a shed, but you need to put your ac on another breaker using a extension cord or something

 

[gorillagrower0840]

In the household breaker box, there is one breaker that is dedicated to the shed. this pic shows the breaker for the shed

 

[thecoolman]

you could always buy ballasts that run off of 220 instead of the normal 110, and this would drop your amperage in half..

pricey, but effective..

other than that, i don't know, other than bringing a professional electrician to give you another box..

It looks like only one 14 guage romex feeding the shed so a 220 conversion wont work (making the neutral a hot and running 220) to feed
breakers 220 and still have 110 available in the shed - hard to see though in the pic