How many tanks off one plug in (outlet) ???

[RedDwarf]

The garage is finished and my landlord will not respond if I can have an electrician install anything or not.

I am sorry for being such a tool but how do I tell how many amps and watts a plug in is? Nothing on the panel says "garage" but there is on with a 15 on the switch marked "GFCI plugs" the rest say bedroom, range, dryer etc... Does that help? Can I assume the 15 is the amps? There are 20 and 40 (range) on the panel as well.

First thing I would do is get a friend and plug lights into all the outlets you see in the garage. Then play with the electrical panel and see which breaker turns off the power to the tank and corresponding lights. That will tell you what amp circuit you have. Then you can address your power needs.

 

[crisper]

all your 120v receptacles in your home are 15 amp. max load on anyone circuit is 80%. to calculate your total load power/volts=amps.

 

[JK47]

First thing I would do is get a friend and plug lights into all the outlets you see in the garage. Then play with the electrical panel and see which breaker turns off the power to the tank and corresponding lights. That will tell you what amp circuit you have. Then you can address your power needs.

In the entire garage there is only one plug in recepticle. There is another in the roof for the garage door opener but I can't use that one (not listed on the panel so they could share?). When I said outlet I mean I have one box on the wall that can plug in two things. Sorry you guys... I wish I was smarter with construction stuff.

 

[JK47]

I just switched off the switch marked with "GFCI plugs" and it killed power to the tank. Nothing else runs off it including the garage light or door opener.

 

[KAWAMIKIE]

Use a good extension cord and drop power down from the celing.

 

[Toby_H]

FYI - I'm not an electrician, but my father is (retired after 37 years in local 58). So I'm no genius at the stuff but I've helped him do a few houses/garages and learned a few things along the way.

"Standard" grade for a garage is going to be 15 Amp, although upgrading to 20 Amp is not abnormal. Laundy rooms are standard 20 Amp for example. If I were in your shoes I would assume it's 15 Amp unless confirmed otherwise. Feel free to check the breaker itself to confirm.

The breaker is the thingie with the switch on it in the "fuse box"...

It is not advisabel to simply replace the 15 Amp breaker with a 20 Amp breaker. This is because the wiring is rated at 15 Amps and pushing more than that through it is a severe risk of fire. The purpose of the breaker is that it flips before the wires overheat and cause fire.

It's to late for me to do it, but look up each item and add up the Wattage. But as mentioned, the four 400 W heaters alone exceed what's safe for a 15 Amp circuit...

If you were to only use two 400W heaters I'd roughly estimate that list to be around 1,200 W which is at the top end of acceptible, but it is acceptible. Double check those numbers though.

Insulate the heck out of those tanks and use less heater man...

Your other option is to have a second box installed. It's not that tough. You could do it yourself for around $100 and a case of beer. Naturally the beer is to bribe your buddy with electrical experience into doing it with/for you... If you pay for my plane ticket I can come out weekend after next

 

[dawnmarie]

You know you're getting old when:

1. You can read this whole thread and all you feeel is trepidation.
2. You own rental property and hope your tenant will not do anything suggested here without permission.
3. You remember way back, when you would have done something similar.
______________________________________________________________

Do yourself a favor, don't try this yourself unless you're real sure you want to be responsible for the consequences.

If your landlord will not respond to your needs, move.

I doubt your fish would survive a house fire.

 

[Fitzie]

risky......

 

[bbortko]

Most user manuals list the watts for equipment take that number and divide by your voltage which will give you your amps. As an electrician the advice I can give as to finding the circuit breaker is to simply plug something in such as a lamp and go down the panel until you find your circuit. You can automatically eliminate any breakers that are 2 poles since they'll be for items that run on 208/220/240v such as your range, likewise anything over 20a can be eliminated. You are most likely to find the circuit is 15a since that is the standard for residential. You can buy an amprobe if you like, they resemble a tuning fork and the wire goes between the two fingers, this can be done on the equipment cords without touching any hot wires. Once you find your circuit you need to find every light and outlet on that circuit. It doesn't mater who wired your house you never trust a panel schedule. Pm me if you have furthEr questions and I can get back after work.

 

[JK47]

You know you're getting old when:

1. You can read this whole thread and all you feeel is trepidation.
2. You own rental property and hope your tenant will not do anything suggested here without permission.
3. You remember way back, when you would have done something similar.
______________________________________________________________

Do yourself a favor, don't try this yourself unless you're real sure you want to be responsible for the consequences.

If your landlord will not respond to your needs, move.

I doubt your fish would survive a house fire.

Isn't asking before doing something the responsible thing to do? I would not be asking if he was able to get back to me with permission. I would just pay a professional to do it. I am a manager by trade and deal with numbers/HR (getting old too ). This stuff is completly out of my "wheel house" and I'm surprised heaters take more electricity than the pumps and what not. So the short answer is:
No - don't run the 300g until I have an additional panel installed by - not me.

Got it, Roger that.