Electrical question !

[LemonHead]

Ever thought about going solar?
With tanks in the garage, should definitely look into it..

Yee!
Glad to see another bay area fishkeeper

 

[John Rambo]

What are your winters like? You may only have to insulate the garage and re-duct if the winters are mild.

Winters get down to the 40s, I will insulate the tanks and garage.

 

[John Rambo]

Are you going with a single sump and a couple heaters in the sump? You should only run 70% of the max rating for any given residential breaker. This is for continuous load, which is what you will be running.

Look at USMCtankers thread.

You should split pumps and heaters between multiple circuits. If you are going to run 20 amp then you need to rerun the wire to 12AWG. just run another 14AWG and drop in another 15 amp circuit. A little pull chain and an existing construction box from HD or Lowes and you can get the wire fished, and the box cut in quick.

Thanks for the info, I will have to do these changes when I use heaters again in the fall. Right now the tank temp stays in the mid to upper 70s without any heaters. No sump for now. maybe I'm misinformed, but I like how canisterfilters can suck debris from the bottom of the tank. Sumps seem to not do as well do to overflows working from the top.

 

[John Rambo]

Ever thought about going solar?
With tanks in the garage, should definitely look into it..

Yee!
Glad to see another bay area fishkeeper

Yee, yee yee!!
I thought about solar for many things, but after finding out it costs a grip initially, I gave up on it. It wont pay for its self until so many years. Just like that newer fake grass they use in vegas. No water bill, but it cost a grip!!

 

[John Rambo]

udates! I have an electrician coming in a few weeks. For now, The filters are up, no heaters needed during the summer out here. I also still need to put in the lights. Fish are doing well though. Its like a pet store!

 

[CHOMPERS]

...Its like a pet store!

Not really...I'm not seeing dead fish everywhere.

joking aside, it looks really nice. You do good work.

 

[crisper]

The formula is P=IV, or Power (Watts) = Current (Amps) x volts.

If you have 120v service then a 15A breaker is rated for 1800W. If you have 110v service, then you will only get 1650W through the breaker. Reguardless, the breaker will be quaking as you approach its max load. It is better to run a second circuit. Consider upgrading to a 20A breaker with 12 gauge wire.

Check to see if your garage has been wired with 12 gauge wire (frequently done). If so, all you have to do is change your breaker. That will give you 2400W to play with. DO NOT change the breaker if the garage is wired with 14 gauge. The wire can burn without tripping the breaker.

Going with a 20A breaker and 12AWG wire is not the solution. You can not plug standard 15A rated home appliances into a 20A plug. They do not mate up." idiot proof". And you can't go with the 15A plug because your derating your system back to 15A.
The solution is to run two 15a lines for all you equipment.

 

[invisyblegypsey]

There is always room There are breakers called 'slims' and 'double slims' that are designed to replace original breakers. Two slims or a double slim will replace one standard breaker. If they are not regionally available due to code restrictions, they can be had from eBay or any online electrical supply. They are a God send for us tinkerers.

i have done this i bought an older home and needed more breakers.
i got mine from home depot. if they dont have them there you can order them online