breaker tripping during the night

[nunofs]

This morning when I got up I noticed the tank was eerily quiet... turns out that the breaker that feeds that outlet had switched off. There's a GFCI installed on that outlet and it didn't trip, just the breaker on the electrical panel.

There were no issues with livestock because it was only about an hour (I could tell by how much the timers were off), however I'm now very concerned about this happening again when I'm not around to catch it in time.

This single 15A circuit feeds basically everything that's plugged into outlets in my living room, including TV/audio and the tank (lights, chiller, pumps, heater, etc).

I don't think the circuit is overloaded because during the day I have everything in the tank running (including lights and chiller) and the breaker never tripped at that time... something else must be going on... any suggestions on what to look for or how to fix the problem (I'd rather not make any changes to the electrical panel unless absolutely needed; it's a 100A panel, full)?

Thanks,
Nuno

 

[eSoteric]

you could try running 14/3 on a 20 amp breaker wired to only a few gfi's that feed that system. might just need a lil more amperage on that breaker. butr since i am not an electrcian i cant say for sure!

 

[Steve H]

is the GFCI rated at more amps then the breaker?

 

[Armando]

might be related to the chiller, since it was the most recent change you made, right?

 

[eSoteric]

wow judging from what he lists as being on that break you are pulling way to much amperage. i trip my 15 amp breakers all the time with just a 400 MH light a ac and a computer on it..

 

[nunofs]

The chiller was the next-to-last addition, the last one was the new lights -- 2 250W MH pendants. The weird thing is that the breaker tripped when both the lights and the chiller weren't running, that why I said I didn't think it was an overloaded circuit.

Nuno

 

[Armando]

Alright Nuno, you got a new chiller and upgraded the lights to 500W. So why on earth would you be having circuits tripping lol j/k

 

[nunofs]

Alright Nuno, you got a new chiller and upgraded the lights to 500W. So why on earth would you be having circuits tripping lol j/k

Actually, I left in place 4 of the 6 T5 I had, for actinics/dawn-dusk effect, so I'm running 4x 80W T5 in addition to the MH.

Nuno

 

[denvig]

That Circuit is definitely overloaded. You could change out an existing breaker with two half-height breakers. (Two breakers in one space). And then run a new line just for the tank stuff. You should not run more than about 1800 watts on a 15 amp circuit.

 

[denvig]

During the day when everything is running go feel the breaker and the wire (not the bare part) that is running to that circuit. I bet you will find it is hot.

 

[~Flighty~]

Other than fixing the breaker situation, I would recomend getting a computer UPS for one of your powerheads or something. I have my tunzes on one and I have one set so that when the water level drops in an outage, it sucks a bit of air for aeration. Everyone is happy for even an all night event and we usually wake up from the ups's alarm when it kicks on.

 

[MarkO]

Chiller and lights on the same breaker is a lot of juice. If you find you need an electrician, I've got a cousin that lives in Wilmington that is licensed.

 

[nunofs]

The breaker just tripped again, when chiller, MHs and TV were on
Went downstairs to feel the wire and breaker as Dennis suggested and it is indeed hot to the touch.

I'm not sure if my panel can fit the half-height breakers, they seem so narrow already... I'll post a pic later to help with the "diagnostic".

Btw, I am using a battery-operated air pump (the kind that goes on when main power goes off), so aeration is covered. It's the temperature that worries me...

I'm going to put an extension cord plugged into a kitchen outlet (which is on a different circuit) and that should solve the issue in the short term... don't want this to become a fire hazard.

Nuno

 

[nunofs]

OK, here's the pic of my breaker panel... each breaker is 1" tall.

Nuno

 

[gordonzoo]

It will fit.

 

[nunofs]

OK, I guess that's good news... now, I'm pretty clueless about electrical instalations, so could someone explain in layman's terms what it would envolve to replace the breaker with 2 half-height breakers and run a new line for the tank? How can I run additional wires inside the wall, does it require special tools? (FWIW, the panel is on the same wall as the tank, but one floor under, and about 8 feet apart horizontally)

Is this something that I can attempt to do myself, or should I hire an electrician? If the latter, how much $$ am I looking at here?

Thanks!
Nuno

 

[gordonzoo]

The easiest options to toughest
1: would be to find another outlet on a different breaker to plug some of your other connections too.
2: Check and see if the wire from this breaker is 12 or 14awg. If it?s 12 awg just replace the breaker with a 20 amp. Turn off main so not to get shocked.
3: Replace the 1? with two ?? breakers and run new wiring to a new outlet.
Some of the other guys might have some other ideas but if you decide on an extension cord make sure the outlet is still turned into a GFI
Rich

 

[BigSmokeShowJOE]

your 15a breaker is way over low ted ! and 14/3 on a 20a breaker is a bad idear 12 gage wire on a 20a breaker and 14 gage only on a 15a or smaller!! i can help you do it if you need help pm. me and i will give you my cell .#

 

[gogoderek]

is the panel in an unfinished basement, if it is it should easy for someone to put a dedicated circuit(plug) next to your tank

 

[denvig]

If it's in an unfinished basement it's easy. With fininsed walls it gets a little more envolved. If you want me to look at it for you let me know.