ballistic.reefer Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 running into a problem, my braker seems to be tripping. it happened twice and i cant figure out if it was my new set up or maybe the bit of water that possibly got onto the surge protector. if we have an electrician among us id really appreciate the help. whether it be it some advice after taking a look at the problem or services. id be more than happy to compensate for your time just let me know. thanks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhart032 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 what amperage is the breaker? and what all are you running on it? also what outlets are on that breaker? normally one breaker runs a set of wall plugs. are you running a GFCI on that outlet? its recommended so you don't shock yourself or fish. . is the breaker hot when it trips. if so if it were water it would just reset the GFCI not trip the breaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I'm not an electrician but I'd get another surge protector that you have laying around and see what that gets you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haitech Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 happened to me a couple times. unplug everything and wipe down the surge protector. don't be lazy. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 First thing I would do is dry the surge protector with a fan or hair dryer on cool. If that did not fix the issue. Figure out how many amps u have on the circuit including non aquarium stuff. Compare that to the breaker size. Keep in mind a breaker loses roughly 20% of it's rating. A 30 amp breaker can really only handle 24ish amps. There is more that goes into it but that is the general rule I use when pulling wire at my house. Disclaimer* I am not a licensed electrician* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hydro Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 OK, couple of things. Does it still trip the breaker with the power strip plugged in? If it does can you try another power strip to test it to establish your problem. Here's what I think is happening, as breakers get old they get weak...especially after tripping a few times. So if you have lets say 10 amps on a 15-20 amp breaker, this much power makes the breaker warm and if it gets hot enough it will bend an internal piece of metal that flips the breaker. If this breaker is weak it will trip sooner than it is supposed to. Breakers are cheap and easy to replace if you have any experience with that, Check the power strip, try another power strip, then replace the breaker. To replace a breaker you open the electrical box, remove the cover, turn off that breaker (you can turn off the main breaker to the box if this is an option, this will make the box dead), pull out the breaker by pulling hard on the outside of the breaker...where the wire is attached and it should pop out. Its in a hinge so you must pull it only from the outside of the breaker. Once its pulled out you can unscrew the screw that holds in the wire, take it to HD or Lowes and get an exact replace it...follow these instructions to replace. Stick the inside of the breaker under the hinge and push hard to get it to click back in to the panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizardx322 Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 same thing happen to me my tank pulls alot of electricity since my house has alot of electronics running all the time the addition of my tank the breaker would trip once in a while. my dad thoughts it was an old breaker so we replace that one but still was happening. we decided to do a dedicaded ( hope i spelled that right) circuit for my fish tank now no more problems and got plenty of energy to spare. if you need a circuit to be ran i can ask my dad how much he will charge. pm me if you want me to find out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballistic.reefer Posted April 26, 2011 Author Share Posted April 26, 2011 so i tested out my lights and everything one last time before getting an electrician out. i went and turned everything in the house on and figured out what braker goes to what. i left everything on for about 45 minutes and i mean everythign in my house. tvs lights, ac and it seemed okay. so im assuming it was the sure protector. is it okay to assume that or should i just dedicate my room seperately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballistic.reefer Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 i take it back. it shorted again today. will need someone about next week. HELP!! lol not sure what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 What part of town do you live in? I am not an electrician but I have pulled wire in my own house several times and put sub panels in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballistic.reefer Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 north austin off of braker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wa1tx Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 what all do you have on the breaker and what is the amperage on the breaker? it could be as simple as replacing the breaker. WA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballistic.reefer Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 i found out it was specifically one of the ballasts on the t5, it keeps shorting the room. and when i looked at the prong on it, it was partly melted and burned. im contacting the vendor and hoping they will replace it for free. they said there is a 6mnth full warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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