Electrical question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

jdryden

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 5, 2007
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Bentonville, Arkansas
Not sure if the is the best place to ask, but I'm gonna anyways. Does anyone have problems popping circuit breakers with their multiple tank setups? We have recently converted our garage into our turtle room, insulated the door, and plan on piping AC in soon. But with outside temps starting do drop, we are back to needing to run our heaters nonstop. When I went to plug in the heaters this morning it threw the breaker. I was planning on the garage eventually becoming a rec room, but if it can't handle the tanks, it won't be able to handle tanks AND electronics. Any suggestions, we are quickly running out of room inside.
 
Thats what I was afraid of. Electrical I won't mess with. Guess it's time to do some renovations....
 
Well yeah,if your going to be going up on Amperage needs then a bigger box with stronger circuits sometimes is needed.Atleast for indoor growrooms they are,and heaters,lights and filters will eventually take that much power when big enough.
 
Actully if your going to use the space for fish and a rec room you really should have extra outlets and at least three seperate circuits. thats going to need an electricion.
You'll be a lot better off in the long run.
 
Definitely have a circuit dedicated only for room lights 15 amp, AND another dedicated only for the tank set ups- 20 amp service is whats is necessary to run the kind of equipment that is designed to run on a normal 20 amp breaker anyway. you could make the breaker for the circuit a GFCI ( GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERUPTER) or make one of the receptacles a GFCI as long as all other outlets are downstream of it and also protected.
a GFCI will protect against a fatal shock if malfunction occurs and YOU become a grounding rod ( heart stops ) I would highly recommend that safety measure is included. of course, you should have at least 100 amp service to your home- if you don't you really are due for it in this day and age.

What kind of service panel do you have?
 
oH, also have a separate circuit for all other electronics besides tanks, make sure there is an outlet every 6 feet. Ask your electrician if they can install a distribution panel from the main service panel. that may be a good way to accomplish it.
 
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