Electrical outlets shutting down?

I have a 1000w hps running with a 400cfm inline fan, small desk fan, and a 16" fan in one room and a 400w mh in a storage closet.

The 1000w is connected to timer and inline is pluged in just below on same outlet. In a storage closet I have the 400w mh pluged into bathroom outlet.

I took the desk fan and pluged it under the 400w lamp and bam circuit went out. After resest I did not replug the fan to test. Today I go vacuum a room and all the room sockets shut off.

The house im in is no older than 5yrs and im no electrician but judging the breaker box and all the fancy switches it seems up to code.

On to the question....

How can I plug all these things up in one room with out tripping the breakers?

I would to set it all up in the same room without worrying while gone if breaker shut off.

You must be close to the limits of the circuit. Does it say anywhere on the circuit breaker box what the circuits are rated at (might say 15 or 20A)? Apparently US household circuits are typically 15A 110V (1650W) or 20A 110V (2200W) and sometimes you have a seperate 240V dryer circuit? Those circuits are rated for upto 3 hours continuous load or 80% of that rating for a load over 3 hours (such as your lights).

You're running 1400w in lighting. Your vacuum is going to be around 1200-1600w I'd guess.

So If you are on a 1650W circuit then you're already over the circuit's continuous load rating (80% of 1650 = 1320W) and if you're on a 2200W circuit then you're very close to the circuit's continuous load rating (80% of 2200 = 1760W).

You might need to identify another circuit (flip a breaker off and check which sockets stop working etc) and use an extension cable for using the vacuum cleaner.

Use an oven outlet socket (range) or dryer to an external electrical box/timer. that uses a range cord or the dryer cord, both are different sockets and use a slightly different plug design but both can be wired to a mechanical external timer box. Much more safe, they are rated 240v I believe, the oven socket that is. Better be safe then sorry with high electrical loads ... Don't mess around with electricity !

Normally power for two rooms is shared on a common 15a breaker. Two rooms also share lights. Perhaps tapping the lights for your power will put your lights on a separate circuit resolving your problem. Peace

You need to figure out which outlets are on what circuit. Then find out how big the circuit is. It seems that you are approaching 15 amps if you use 1600 watts. If you are on one 15 amp circuit then any other load will kill it.

Also, you say the house is new. There were new updates to the NEC that requires arc protection. A vacuum starting up can trip one even if it isn't over the amp rating. So if it's just the vacuum doing it then that could be the issue.

Thanks guys! Yes it is a 15A circuit. My main goal was getting everything in the same room. I just got a lil nervous about pluging my two ballast in the same room without trying it even though Ive seen it in many grows.

Should I use straight extension cords or those power strips when extra cording is needed?

bgmike8 said:

There were new updates to the NEC that requires arc protection. A vacuum starting up can trip one even if it isn't over the amp rating. So if it's just the vacuum doing it then that could be the issue.

Click to expand...

That must be the issue because ive been using fans + tv and cable while tending to the girls and no issues but soons I used the vacuum in the next room it shut off just as you described.

Also I a 6" desk fan that says
120Vac 60hz 0.35A I used it on the bathroom circuit when I had the 400w connected in there and it shut it off so today while theres nothing else plugged in there (all bathrooms) the fan still trips the test button on the outlet. It has to be that update.

bgmike8 said:

You need to figure out which outlets are on what circuit. Then find out how big the circuit is.

Click to expand...

Rooms are 15A and bathroom is 20A
My master bedroom has its own switch
And the two guest room share there switch.
The bathrooms are connected to a switch and then theres separated switchs for lights in seperate areas

Being a new house and having good wiring already could he replace his 15a breaker with a 20a breaker

All is fine now. I have everything running as I would like. Thanks for all he help plus knowledge on electricity all this amps and watts talk made me figgure the 1000w would only add $36 to my bill (highest teir) running it 12/12

GrumpyToker said:

Being a new house and having good wiring already could he replace his 15a breaker with a 20a breaker

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NO. NO

It doesn't matter how new the house is. The wires are sized for 15 amps. If you put a 20 amp breaker in there you could potentially be drawing more amps then the wires can handle. This will heat the wires up until they catch fire and will never trip the breaker.

NEVER GO UP ON A FUSE OR BREAKER. this applies to your car or any other electrical equipment.

Had that experience with my car lol fuse kept popping so I put a larger one in and next you know white smoke, wires burning up

Lol. Exactly. Now imagine that inside a wall. Goodbye house.

Live and learn. The most important thing you can know is that you don't know. If you don't know don't fuck with it.

If it is important to only use outlets in one room then you can switch wires to another breaker of equal or lesser size. You can add a breaker of equal or lesser size. But you need to know what your doing or have someone do it.

Ok so the dryer washer outlet is 230v 30 amp breaker and the stove outlet gives 240v 40 amp breaker, correct? Every other outlet "room" is rated 15 amps on one breaker is this right? This is what my panel shows anyway after reading the breaker switches, so am guessing each ballast uses 7.5 amps? Therefore two would be 15 amps total and running a vacuum cleaner trips it since they use allot of amps as well ? Kind of a refresher for me I remember now why I use the 240v to a 4 box receptacle lol

bgmike8 said:

It doesn't matter how new the house is. The wires are sized for 15 amps. If you put a 20 amp breaker in there you could potentially be drawing more amps then the wires can handle. This will heat the wires up until they catch fire and will never trip the breaker.

NEVER GO UP ON A FUSE OR BREAKER. this applies to your car or any other electrical equipment.

Click to expand...

What's the gauge of wire that runs to a 20a circuit?

What's the gauge of wire that runs to a 15a circuit?

12. And 14. Respectively

Grab a amp meter... Clamp it on the breaker your using and it will tell you how many amps you are pulling, keep it under 80% of the rated breaker and you should be golden.

Bgmike, I get where your coming from but it's the same amps on a 240 wire it's just the point that you can load a 240 with more amps because it's rated for that, it isn't any cheaper thou still using the same amount of power regardless. Unless your in a place where the power company offers it cheaper thru certain hours of the night. Mine is the same across the board, doesn't matter if I'm pulling thru 110/120 or 220/240 the usage is the same.

Other then a 240 line can handle more amps because it has a thicker wire to carrie the load via 2 breakers tied into 1, that's my input and my opinion.

I took that post down. I was incorrect.


I believe you may have misspoke. It is actually half the amps. But same wattage.