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GrowFAQ : Electrical &
safety

How many lights/watts can I put on a 15 Amp
service?

Added by:
Tick  Last edited by:
Nietzsche  Viewed: 151 times

Rated by 5 users:
9.20/10

The rule of thumb is to only load a
breaker up to 80% of its capacity. On a 15-amp service
with 14/2 gauge wire one should only load it up to 12
Amps MAX. Since most lights will draw 1 amp per 100
watts a 15-amp breaker can handle one 1K light each.
This brings up another point in home growing. That it is
always good practice to have the fans and the light that
they cool on the same breaker. That way if the breaker
is somehow tripped (Murphy's Law) then both the light
and its cooling system are down. Instead of the cooling
system for the light going down and the light still
blazes away because it was on another breaker.

Note: above figures are estimated based on 110V
supply.

Nietzsche recommends purchasing at CAT
III meter before doing any electrical work. It will
allow for safe testing of the circuit before commencing
work. A clamp meter is also handy for testing how many
amps the circuit is drawing without having to break the
circuit to do so, great to see if you get a peek when
your lights first come on or just how many amps a given
device is using.

Last modified: 16:25 - Jan 24,
2001

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faq:724 "How many lights/watts can I put on a 15
Amp service?"