Upgrading electrical power in a room.

[gcantu]

My fish room currently has a 20amp circuit in it that I would like to upgrade to 40amps. My house is about 4 years old so I don't know how easy it would be to perform this upgrade. For those of you that have experience, what is the easiest way to do this?? What would I need to do and will this cost much? Would I need to rewire??
Thanks,
George

[Ram_Puppy]

easiest way = pay someone. :)

not the cheapest though!

I apologize for my completely worthless response.

[AquaDen]

George, 40 amps will make the circuit 220 volts. There is not anything I know of on an aquarium that runs off of 220 volts. So, the solution would be to run (2) seperate 20 amp lines into the room and devide the tank components in each circuit. This way you would have plenty of power to do what you want. If you have metal halides then run them on a circuit on its own and you would have the other 20 amps to do as needed. Any further questions, let me know! Gary (former electrician)

[LoneStar]

You can get 220v pumps and lights. Their usually mid to upper end equipment.



I apologize for my completely worthless response.



There... it was not totally worthless now. I mean someone quoted it ;)

[Ram_Puppy]

lol

[AquaDen]

That is true! But, they are typically 2 pole 15 amp items which is ran in 14 guage wire. What George is looking for is a 2 pole 20 amp line which would be ran in 10 guage. If he done so on lighting that is ran in 220 volt and had an electrical surge then his house would burn down because the surge would not trip the breaker. Rookie mistakes raise the death toll of fire fighters! Just giving good advise, I dont know what application George has.

[gcantu]

Thanks guys! Gary, what you explained about the two separate 20 amp lines is what I am looking for. I currently have all my equipment connected to the same circuit (20 amp line). I have my MH's, chiller, pumps, etc... I want more power in there because I sometimes hear my UPS kick in at night and it makes me think that the circuit may jump to the off position sometime while I am away. It did once about two months ago which made me go out and purchase the UPS. What does job like this usually entail. Will the guys that do it have to rip holes in my walls or is it something they can fish through the attic? I know some guys (electricians) at work that I am considering asking, but I don't want them to take me to the cleaners on something that may seem simple. Or if it is something of a difficult job which would require more labor, I don't mind contracting a company to come in and do the job right the first time.
thanks again.

[Ram_Puppy]

maybe gary can birddog the contractor for you in exchange for a late season bbq and some beer. :) lol

[gcantu]

How much equipment can one get away with on a 20amp circuit before it starts to trip?? I don't want to overload it. I am considering upgrading to a 90g from my current 65g and want to make sure that it gets done before I make the move.

[AquaDen]

No birddogging for me!! I live too far away and I am a construction superintendent so thats what I do ALL day... If you live in a ranch style home then "fishing" the wires through the attic would not be a problem and there should not be any drywall repairs needed. If you have a two story home and the tank is on the first floor then it can possibly be an issue. For a ranch style home expect to pay about 350.00 to a contractor or less for someone doing it one the side. Copper wire has went up in cost so drastically that electricians have greaty raised there prices. Should be a rather easy task, thats coming from someone that of course has never seen the structure of your home. Simple task, dont pay too much!

[AquaDen]

You get 20 amps of equipment with a 20 amp circuit. Some components will state the amps that it pulls and some do not? Being that its is a 20 amp circuit I am assuming that the tank is in your dining room? If so find out what else is ont the circuit. By code only the dining room should only be on that circuit.

[gcantu]

Thanks Gary, we have a simple one story home and I think that if the job gets done, the electrician should be able to fish it down from the attic. Sorry for so many questons, but what would I need to purchase if I was to get one of the guys from work to do the job. I want to be able to have everything in hand so that all they have to do is come in and start working without having to worry about them going out and purchasing it themselves. Is this something I can purchase myself or do I need some sort of license to purchase some of the equipment?

[gcantu]

It's in one of the bedrooms. And all I have connected is the tank stuff. There are a total of 5 outlets in the room. On one outlet I have my pumps connected via the UPS. On another outlet I have my chiller and on another I have my MH and VHO's connected. I know, they are all still pulling off the same circuit, but this is the reason I want to upgrade. I like following along on the threads that people create when it comes to building their tanks, but I rarely read about how many circuits they have set up to handle the load.

[AquaDen]

Everything you need you can purchase at Home Depot or Lowes. You will need (2) 20 amp breakers the same brand as your electrical breaker box, 12/3 guage Romex wire and enough to run 2 wires from the box to the location that you want the plugs, (2) single gang or (1) double gang wing box for the plugs and of course (2) duplex plugs and covers. The single or double gang wing box depends on if you want the plugs in the same box or in single boxes by them selves. Make sure you check your breaker box to see if there is enough room to fit two more breakers.

[AquaDen]

Since it is in your bedroom you want to make sure that the wire is not a 14 guage wire on a 20 amp breaker. Electricians will do this because it saves them from a lot of warranty calls. And what this does, is since the wire is rated for 15 amps it will over heat and not blow the breaker because the 20 amp breaker is made for a larger load which in turn will cause arching and then a fire comes after that. This for some reason is not against code but is a major factor when you think you maybe over loading the circuit. It sounds like you have a lot on that circuit. The light or fan/light in your bedroom should be on the same circuit and sometimes the master bedroom lighting and fart fans are also on the same circuit? This is not always but sometimes!

[gcantu]

After checking the breaker box in the garage, the bedroom the tank is in has a circuit that reads "20 swd", "Arch Fault Breaker". It also has an "AF test". Would this trip if there is too much "arching" on the circuit?

[AquaDen]

Yes it should trip, but remember, the only guarantee in life is death! (not to sound harsh) That breaker will also protect your aquarium and you if for some reason there was a water spill.

[gcantu]

Well Gary thanks for letting me pick your brain. I guess the next step is for me to start pricing the equipment and getting quotes from companies. Are there any you would recommend??

[AquaDen]

I cant say that I know anyone in your area. I am in Austin. If you live in an area where there is construction going on talk to anyone that is driving a electrical company van. If you talk to them typically you will find a guy that will do it as a side job and save you LOTS of money! Is the aquarium on an exterior wall or an interior wall? Is the electricial bob on an interior or exterior wall? Work will get slow for me in the next couple of weeks and if you are still looking I would be willing to do it for you 250.00 plus material and a little bit of your help.

[gcantu]

Well, to be honest I don't know what you mean by the "electrical bob" and whether it is on an "interior or exterior wall"???

[AquaDen]

Im sorry! I meant electrical box (breaker box)

[urban79]

well if anyone needs help. I wouldnt mind helping out. I am lic journeyman. been doing it for 9 years now.