Anybody do electrical work????

B.Lo.The.C · 10/26/2009, 11:02 PM

So right now i have my whole 550 gallon setup running off of another line that i tapped into... some times it overloads the circuit breaks, or what ever u call it... anyway i was wondering if someone live in or around the Los Gatos, south san jose area that was willing to work for trade.. i have lots of corals and other equipment, what ever is fair... I think we need to add another breaker box, (not sure exactly what its called. .Please let me know if u can help...

discus510 · 10/27/2009, 09:28 AM

how far is the tank from main breaker box?? is there room to add another 20amp breaker to current box??

waxy · 10/27/2009, 01:02 PM

You may want to add another breaker like discus mentioned

A 20 Amp should yeild you 1500 - 2200 watts.
I wouldn't push it to the limit of 2200 watts. I'd say 1700watts tops.

But seeing how you have a 550g, I'd advise you to add in (2) 20amps or (2)15amps to accommadate your electrical needs. They're about 5-10 bucks a breaker.

If you're concerned about your house burning down, you can get the more expensive ones that are really, really sensitive. Costs you about 30-40 bucks each.

It's fairly simple, just don't electrocute yourself.

earthboy17 · 10/27/2009, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waxy

It's fairly simple, just don't electrocute yourself.

Lol, that's where it stops getting simple!

B.Lo.The.C · 10/27/2009, 02:34 PM

So... there is not more room in the box for another breaker... i need to add i new box i think...any one available to come do it?????

waxy · 10/27/2009, 08:03 PM

That's going to be a lot of work, seriously a lot of work hahaha.

B.Lo.The.C · 10/27/2009, 08:18 PM

i have lots of frogspawn... hahaha well if someone is up for it let me know

fishme · 10/28/2009, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B.Lo.The.C

So... there is not more room in the box for another breaker... i need to add i new box i think...any one available to come do it?????

more room in the panel doesn't mean that you can add another breaker...I suggest you to call a professional electrical contractor in your case...with license off course. How old is your house? How many amp is your panel?

Nuuze · 10/28/2009, 01:34 AM

If you were closer I could refer my nephew...

If your tank is close to your breaker it shouldn't cost that much.

But fishme is right about the extra slots. You have to add up the amps you currently have in that breaker and compare it to the one outside on the side of your home. That will give you an idea of how many you can add. If equal then you may need to upgrade the main as well.

Like others said, it's not easy to do and not worth getting yourself killed or burning down your house putting everyone in harms way. Let a trained perfessional who is trained, license and bonded do it for you.

khaosinc · 10/28/2009, 03:16 AM

If you are not comfortable with electricity, then get a pro in there. That being said, are there any circuts you are not using in your panal. In my case, I don't use the electric heating that my house came with, and it was a simple matter to run a seperate panal off the 30 amp 220 wires that were close enough to my fish room. Do you have wiring for an electric stove or dryer that you don't use (I.E using gas) or eletric heat in that room that you can tap? if so it would be easy to walk you through what needs to be done from that point./

Nukeproof · 10/28/2009, 10:50 AM

If you have a fairly new breaker box, you might see if they make a double breaker for that box (I don't know what it is really call). Basically it has 2 breaker that fits into one breaker slot. You still have to make sure the main breaker could handle it though. Like everyone said, I would hire a license electrician to do this. It's just not worth trying to save money on this.

waxy · 10/28/2009, 11:15 AM

Make sure the power is off where you're working, on the panel.

Buy a book and take a look at it. Or just go to Home Depot / Lowes and see if you're willing to go through all that work.

After you've finished, you'll learn something new and you can pass it on to others.

Goodluck!

earthboy17 · 10/28/2009, 11:35 AM

Think about this: if you do it wrong, your house burns down, and the inspector finds out you did it yourself, they won't cover you. Not worth it. For a few bucks you can get someone in to check it out for you, to tell you what you're looking at, and to give you an estimate on the work. Totally worth it.

discus510 · 10/28/2009, 04:26 PM

honestly sayin how many ppl actually have a breaker or a new sub panel install when there building a new fish tank??

orientalexpress · 10/28/2009, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discus510

honestly sayin how many ppl actually have a breaker or a new sub panel install when there building a new fish tank??

i did,it's so much easier then run extention cords.i original have 2 -20 amp circuit and i convert of them into 220volt for a a chiller.

waxy · 10/28/2009, 06:44 PM

I have (2) 20's as well.

It was more than enough for my huge set up. The bill goes with it.

dswong01 · 10/29/2009, 02:32 AM

I installed a sub panel with 4ea 20 amp breaker supplying by 50amp breaker from the main panel for my tanks.

khaosinc · 10/29/2009, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discus510

honestly sayin how many ppl actually have a breaker or a new sub panel install when there building a new fish tank??

I had to as well. and I still run out of outlets.

jdeanda69 · 10/29/2009, 06:42 PM

I'm an electrician and I live in the southbay as well so pm me and I can come take a look
this weekend

discus510 · 10/31/2009, 06:17 PM

lol now im wondering if i need to run 2 20amp to where my tank is

Polaris3 · 06/09/2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discus510

lol now im wondering if i need to run 2 20amp to where my tank is

If you're gonna run one you might as well run two. Especially if you're hiring a licensed electrician because he can pull two lines just as easily as one.

dzhuo · 06/09/2011, 01:01 PM

How did you find this 2 years old thread?

discus510 · 06/09/2011, 04:52 PM

yea this is an old thread. my tank is already sold and house rented out and now livin in san jose

10/26/2009, 11:02 PM	#1
B.Lo.The.C Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Los Gatos Posts: 45	Anybody do electrical work???? So right now i have my whole 550 gallon setup running off of another line that i tapped into... some times it overloads the circuit breaks, or what ever u call it... anyway i was wondering if someone live in or around the Los Gatos, south san jose area that was willing to work for trade.. i have lots of corals and other equipment, what ever is fair... I think we need to add another breaker box, (not sure exactly what its called. .Please let me know if u can help...

10/28/2009, 03:16 AM	#10
khaosinc The cyborg reefer Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: NW Washington state Posts: 2,345	If you are not comfortable with electricity, then get a pro in there. That being said, are there any circuts you are not using in your panal. In my case, I don't use the electric heating that my house came with, and it was a simple matter to run a seperate panal off the 30 amp 220 wires that were close enough to my fish room. Do you have wiring for an electric stove or dryer that you don't use (I.E using gas) or eletric heat in that room that you can tap? if so it would be easy to walk you through what needs to be done from that point./ __________________ Disclaimer: I have not yet figured out how to install a breathalizer on my computer. Current Tank Info: It's all torn down... someday I might rebuild.

10/29/2009, 02:32 AM	#17
dswong01 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: SF BAY AREA Posts: 927	I installed a sub panel with 4ea 20 amp breaker supplying by 50amp breaker from the main panel for my tanks. Last edited by dswong01; 10/29/2009 at 03:20 AM.

06/09/2011, 01:01 PM	#22
dzhuo Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 4,338	How did you find this 2 years old thread? __________________ One of the most frustrating thing about this hobby? The blind leading the blind.

10/27/2009, 09:28 AM	#2
discus510 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 803	how far is the tank from main breaker box?? is there room to add another 20amp breaker to current box??

10/27/2009, 01:02 PM	#3
waxy Moved On Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Jan Sose, CA Posts: 972	You may want to add another breaker like discus mentioned A 20 Amp should yeild you 1500 - 2200 watts. I wouldn't push it to the limit of 2200 watts. I'd say 1700watts tops. But seeing how you have a 550g, I'd advise you to add in (2) 20amps or (2)15amps to accommadate your electrical needs. They're about 5-10 bucks a breaker. If you're concerned about your house burning down, you can get the more expensive ones that are really, really sensitive. Costs you about 30-40 bucks each. It's fairly simple, just don't electrocute yourself.

10/27/2009, 02:34 PM	#5
B.Lo.The.C Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Los Gatos Posts: 45	So... there is not more room in the box for another breaker... i need to add i new box i think...any one available to come do it?????

10/27/2009, 08:03 PM	#6
waxy Moved On Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Jan Sose, CA Posts: 972	That's going to be a lot of work, seriously a lot of work hahaha.

10/27/2009, 08:18 PM	#7
B.Lo.The.C Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Los Gatos Posts: 45	i have lots of frogspawn... hahaha well if someone is up for it let me know

10/28/2009, 01:34 AM	#9
Nuuze Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: NorCal, California Posts: 3,550	If you were closer I could refer my nephew... If your tank is close to your breaker it shouldn't cost that much. But fishme is right about the extra slots. You have to add up the amps you currently have in that breaker and compare it to the one outside on the side of your home. That will give you an idea of how many you can add. If equal then you may need to upgrade the main as well. Like others said, it's not easy to do and not worth getting yourself killed or burning down your house putting everyone in harms way. Let a trained perfessional who is trained, license and bonded do it for you.

10/28/2009, 10:50 AM	#11
Nukeproof Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Alameda, CA Posts: 804	If you have a fairly new breaker box, you might see if they make a double breaker for that box (I don't know what it is really call). Basically it has 2 breaker that fits into one breaker slot. You still have to make sure the main breaker could handle it though. Like everyone said, I would hire a license electrician to do this. It's just not worth trying to save money on this.

10/28/2009, 11:15 AM	#12
waxy Moved On Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Jan Sose, CA Posts: 972	Make sure the power is off where you're working, on the panel. Buy a book and take a look at it. Or just go to Home Depot / Lowes and see if you're willing to go through all that work. After you've finished, you'll learn something new and you can pass it on to others. Goodluck!

10/28/2009, 11:35 AM	#13
earthboy17 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Walnut Creek / Concord, CA Posts: 1,331	Think about this: if you do it wrong, your house burns down, and the inspector finds out you did it yourself, they won't cover you. Not worth it. For a few bucks you can get someone in to check it out for you, to tell you what you're looking at, and to give you an estimate on the work. Totally worth it.

10/28/2009, 04:26 PM	#14
discus510 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 803	honestly sayin how many ppl actually have a breaker or a new sub panel install when there building a new fish tank??

10/28/2009, 06:44 PM	#16
waxy Moved On Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Jan Sose, CA Posts: 972	I have (2) 20's as well. It was more than enough for my huge set up. The bill goes with it.

10/29/2009, 06:42 PM	#19
jdeanda69 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 357	I'm an electrician and I live in the southbay as well so pm me and I can come take a look this weekend

10/31/2009, 06:17 PM	#20
discus510 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 803	lol now im wondering if i need to run 2 20amp to where my tank is

06/09/2011, 04:52 PM	#23
discus510 Moved On Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose, California Posts: 803	yea this is an old thread. my tank is already sold and house rented out and now livin in san jose