Quick question for electicians

[acrylic51]

The 3 gang boxes I have mounted in the wall in the filter room; I chose to run the switch outlet combination... Alittle more money, but I don't have to worry about surge protectors or power strips.... With the switch/outlet combo I will plug the skimmer pump into one of them and on the other side where the return pump will be located I will plug that in and with a flip of a switch I can hit the switch and shut the power off to just the pump I need off and service it without shutting off several items and without having to yank on the cords that we all love doing!!!!!!!!

 

[trompet3]

Originally Posted by acrylic51
For the hot tub circuit and again I'm no electrician, but I'm pretty sure you have 2 hot wires going to the breaker??? You would only need a hot to a 20amp breaker
I think I understand what you are saying here, but am not sure that it matters for what I was thinking of doing. I was wondering if I could throw the existing breaker and buy a new 110 breaker (amps tbd later). Then disconnect the wiring from the hot tub to the panel and just leave it in the wall. Then hook up all new wiring from the new breaker to the fish room. I just don't know if I could just do that and if you can leave the old wiring in the wall?

 

[farmboy]

I'm not sure about code when leaving the wires inside the box. They would be completely safe the way you are talking about doing it (so long as they don't touch anything hot.) If you could cut them off short and work them out of the box, leaving them inside the wall, then the inspector wouldn't see them anyway. If there is a chance you may need the circuit for future use and there will no be an inspection, then I would do what you are proposing and tape/cap them and leave them in the box.

 

[dogstar]

Without seeing your breaker panel but from what I have read you can remove the 220 volt 2 pole breaker that was put in for the hot tub and cap the wires that when to the hot tub and in its place you can put in 2 seperate 115 volt 1 pole breakers.
You will now be able to run 2 seprate citcuits to the fish room and devide your load between the 2 circuits.
You can use 20 amp breakers which will give you more load capability than if you use 15 amp, but must use 12 awg ( size ) of wire to your fish room.

 

[trompet3]

Thanks!
Each of the "levers" for the current 2 pole breaker has 50 imprinted on it. Does this mean it is one 50 amp circuit?
How do I determine what is the max amps allowable for the new circuits? I will post a pic that I took of the panel later on, although I don't think it is going to be much help.

 

[acrylic51]

Depending on the size breaker you install depends on the amperage you can run on the circuit. Electricians will tell you not to exceed 80% of the amperage.....
You would take the total wattage your running on that circuit and convert to amps. Sorry my memory is bad and someone please correct me, but I just looked at the info when I was laying out my circuits, but I think the formula is wattage / 120

 

[trompet3]

Lets say I wanted to go overkill and even if my equipment only added to 15 amps, how big of a circuit can one go?
I guess I'm probably digging too deep, since I will have at least 2 circuits to the room and I doubt that I will max out 2 20amp circuits. I'll be adding up all my equipment soon.

 

[acrylic51]

Pic of piggy back breakers!!!!

 

[acrylic51]

You could go 30amp, but 20 amp would suffice by all means.... The thing is match your wiring to your breakers... Don't run 20amp breakers on 14/2 wire. Yes it will work, but will heat up!!!!!!

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by trompet3
Lets say I wanted to go overkill and even if my equipment only added to 15 amps, how big of a circuit can one go?
I guess I'm probably digging too deep, since I will have at least 2 circuits to the room and I doubt that I will max out 2 20amp circuits. I'll be adding up all my equipment soon.
I wouldn't say it's impossible to max out the circuits, but it's always better to have more than enough than to find out you don't have enough have way through it....When I ran my lines I took into account all the obvious equipment I have and then left myself additional room if I wanted to add another recipticle or 2 down the road, plus I left myself plenty of room to add the chiller if needed. So far I haven't had to use a chiller on any of my tanks, but since this new setup is being moved out into my garage which is being converted into a room all it's own!!!!

 

[farmboy]

P=I * E
Watts = amps * volts
amps = watts / 120
Give that man a CIGAR!
I'm SO envious. You guys have your own FISH ROOMS??

 

[acrylic51]

Trust me it will be nice when it's all done, but wasn't in the original plan. Major screw up on my part when having the tank built. Had the tank built to wide to get through the doorway going down to my family room!!!!!

 

[farmboy]

I wonder how many boats have been built in a basement with the same outcome. . .
I'm having a hard time summoning up sympathy for a guy with his own FISH ROOM!!
Just kidding-I hope it works out.

 

[acrylic51]

If it weren't for the misplanning I would already have the tank done, along with putting a drill bit through my hand and spending a week in the hospital. It would be finished by now

 

[trompet3]

Here are pics of the panel I will inherit, if this helps with the previous questions. The double breaker marked 50 is the circuit to the hot-tub.
As I'm looking at this panel, the main switch says 100, which I assume controls the whole panel, which is capable of 100 amps. If you add up all of the circuits, it seems that there is more than 100 amps in the panel. Am I wrong?
Also, is each of those 20 amp switches a 20 amp circuit, or is each pair one circuit?

 

[trompet3]

As I'm looking at the pics, they are pretty bad quality.
First thing is the bottom black circuit is not 50 as I said in last post, but 30.
The green ones are 30, red are 20, and blue are 15.

 

[trompet3]

Ok, going to try better pic once more.

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by trompet3
Here are pics of the panel I will inherit, if this helps with the previous questions. The double breaker marked 50 is the circuit to the hot-tub.
As I'm looking at this panel, the main switch says 100, which I assume controls the whole panel, which is capable of 100 amps. If you add up all of the circuits, it seems that there is more than 100 amps in the panel. Am I wrong?
Also, is each of those 20 amp switches a 20 amp circuit, or is each pair one circuit?
Yes each of the 20 amp switches is it's own separate circuit, so by having 2 of the piggy back circuits you have 4 separate circuits, but it only takes up 2 circuit spaces thus saving you room in the box.
Again I'm not a certified electrician, but I think an will electrician chime in, but with your 220 service lines there is 2 hot wires on the breaker itself instead of with a 110 circuit you have the black wire going to the breaker and the other 2 leads going to the neutral bus bar and ground.

 

[farmboy]

You are right-100amp is main breaker. It will deenergize the entire panel(except the hot leads coming into the box from the meter base.) And yes--total breaker amps can add up to more than the main. THis is not uncommon. Many breaker boxes are 20 or even 40 space with a 200 amp main. 20 spaces times 20 amps = 400 amps!!
This is done for flexibility, I suppose. The individual breakers protect the wiring for each circuit. I haven't seen a lot of main breaker trips. I have seen many individual trips.

 

[trompet3]

Yes each of the 20 amp switches is it's own separate circuit
So that would mean I have 320 amps on this 100 amp panel?