Power/Amp help

[HydroChron]

I am wondering if anyone knows if it would blow a standard 15amp house outlet if i were to put 2 400w ballasts on the same circuit. I also have various other things to run including fans and pumps. I dont know very much about electricity and would love to learn. If someone could give me an idea how many amps a 400w ballast would use that would be a start. Thanks for your time!

 

[calicat]

I am wondering if anyone knows if it would blow a standard 15amp house outlet if i were to put 2 400w ballasts on the same circuit. I also have various other things to run including fans and pumps. I dont know very much about electricity and would love to learn. If someone could give me an idea how many amps a 400w ballast would use that would be a start. Thanks for your time!

For any circuit in the house, the oveload capacity would be exceeding 80% of the amp rating. In your case exceeding 12 amps would cause a short cicuit. A simple formula is adding the total wattage and divide by 100. In your case if you had nothing else on that circuit then your amp rating for the two lights would be 8 amps which would not blow your circuit.

 

[HydroChron]

if i then ran ventilation fans and pumps and side lighting i would start getting in to the problem range. Also another thing that i was wondering is just because i use a separate outlet in the room does not mean that it is a new set of 15amps right? The entire room is most likly ran on one fuse if not the whole floor. Is this correct? thank you very much for your help!

 

[mane2008]

u can feel the amp n see if it gets hot. when ya lights are on.
at max u will have 2 rooms running on a single 15amp.
this is y my homeboy rins ext cords to keep his op u n running n not blowin fuse.
U got no probs. ya fuse might get warm but not hot blow.

 

[makinthemagic]

if i then ran ventilation fans and pumps and side lighting i would start getting in to the problem range. Also another thing that i was wondering is just because i use a separate outlet in the room does not mean that it is a new set of 15amps right? The entire room is most likly ran on one fuse if not the whole floor. Is this correct? thank you very much for your help!

yes the breakers cover probably 1 or 2 rooms each. i doubt a room would have some outlets on one breaker and some on another. i have seen it once or twice on really old houses though. more outlets does not mean another 15 amps for you.

 

[HydroChron]

is there any specific way to find out how many amps i am using. Do the meters that u plug into you wall to tell you how many watts you use also tell you amps? Someone said to take the number of watts and divide it by 100. would this concept work with a pump that only uses 2 watts or is there a minimal amount of amps that something would use? Thanks again to everyone!

 

[grape swisha]

u add da number of watts u usin n divide it by ur volts. den u got da number of amps u usin.

 

[Hotwired]

u can feel the amp n see if it gets hot. when ya lights are on.

Ya, this is a great idea. While yer at it put one foot in a bucket of water and wash the dishes at the same time

 

[Quiet420Guy]

A better idea would be to get a Kill-a-Watt meter. They're pretty cool. Shows the amps, volts, watts, etc. Read about them here:

Discount Hydroponics - Kill-A-Watt

~Quiet420Guy

 

[hybrid]

quiet hit that right on the head

Im pretty sure that a 400 pulls more than a couple amps, the 110 ballasts are pretty mean as far as amp draw.

Google OHMS'S LAW CALCULATOR

 

[HydroChron]

is there anyway to change the 15 amp fuses to a higher amp at the fuse box?

 

[mane2008]

A better idea would be to get a Kill-a-Watt meter. They're pretty cool. Shows the amps, volts, watts, etc. Read about them here:

Discount Hydroponics - Kill-A-Watt

~Quiet420Guy

thats a waste of money when u can just feel da amp.

 

[mane2008]

quiet hit that right on the head

Im pretty sure that a 400 pulls more than a couple amps, the 110 ballasts are pretty mean as far as amp draw.

Google OHMS'S LAW CALCULATOR

a 400 pulls about 3.8amps. I just say 100w is 1 amp tho just to round it off.

 

[mane2008]

is there anyway to change the 15 amp fuses to a higher amp at the fuse box?

idk but ya fuses won't blow, and if you are that concerned u can run a ext cord for ya fan n other thing in ya grow room.
The regular house has about 10-12fuses. 15amp-20amp 30amp(but neva seen these in da fuse box)

 

[323cheezy]

Have no fear the cheez ninjas here........I have a backround in electrical.....certificates....along with alot of experience wiring houses....basically most electricity is used on heat asppliances....for instance...microwaves, blowdryers, electrical heaters....basically anything that produces heat...light and fans take less electricity....however 400w lights produce major heat and use alot of watts....99% of al home use 120V with 15 and 20amp breakers...ohms law says volt times watts eqaulls amps......v x w=amps ...so if your breaker is 15 amps, you wont have as much leway as a 20amp...once the ampridge passes the amount of the breaker your breaker will turn offf as a safety precaution to protect the wires...from burning....for 15 amp circuits you need at lest 14 gage wire....or you can use 12(thicker than 14).....but for 20 amp breaker you need 12 gage wire....all houses use 20 or 15 gage wire normally...so ya its possible to change the breaker...however you need to make surethe wire is 12 gage....most electicians use 12 for all 15 and 20 amps.....so you might not have to rewire....

 

[mane2008]

Have no fear the cheez ninjas here........I have a backround in electrical.....certificates....along with alot of experience wiring houses....basically most electricity is used on heat asppliances....for instance...microwaves, blowdryers, electrical heaters....basically anything that produces heat...light and fans take less electricity....however 400w lights produce major heat and use alot of watts....99% of al home use 120V with 15 and 20amp breakers...ohms law says volt times watts eqaulls amps......v x w=amps ...so if your breaker is 15 amps, you wont have as much leway as a 20amp...once the ampridge passes the amount of the breaker your breaker will turn offf as a safety precaution to protect the wires...from burning....for 15 amp circuits you need at lest 14 gage wire....or you can use 12(thicker than 14).....but for 20 amp breaker you need 12 gage wire....all houses use 20 or 15 gage wire normally...so ya its possible to change the breaker...however you need to make surethe wire is 12 gage....most electicians use 12 for all 15 and 20 amps.....so you might not have to rewire....

See there u go all in a nutshell.