Circuit breakers for plugs.

Mars

Mars

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The breaker for the the plug circuit for all the bedrooms in my house is a 20 amp breaker.
The problem is that now in winter we have blankets and heater's on in the bedrooms it keeps tripping.

Is there any reason I cant stick a 30 or 40 amp breaker on there?
 
Madman88 said:
The breaker for the the plug circuit for all the bedrooms in my house is a 20 amp breaker.
The problem is that now in winter we have blankets and heater's on in the bedrooms it keeps tripping.

Is there any reason I cant stick a 30 or 40 amp breaker on there?
Click to expand...

Yes there is. Your wiring will be specced for 20 amps. Running more current could overload it and make fire.

Get a sparky in to install an additional breaker and split your plugs circuit in two.
 
Not exactly what I wanted to hear.. :p

I haven't had good experiences with sparky's in general. Every one says that the one before was an idiot and didn't know what they where doing :rolleyes:.
But yea I do know that all 3 bedrooms (as well as the outside room) is too much to be on one 20 amp circuit. Guess I will have to get one in and hope he is not a complete moron like the last one.
 
Make a hot water bottle / invite the cat into the bed / get a gas heater
 
chrisc4290 said:
Make a hot water bottle / invite the cat into the bed / get a gas heater
Click to expand...

Hot water bottle only stays hot for an hour, the cat loves being under the blanket but she hogs the bed, and the gas heater is dangerous to leave on while you're sleeping.

I wonder if I could split the circuit myself and just get a sparky to sign off on it..
 
Have you had a look in side the main board ??
All depends how handy you are just fit another breaker ,,,estimate the amperage and divide the load .
IF YOU ARE NOT HANDY WITH MAINS DONT DO THIS.
 
FNfal said:
Have you had a look in side the main board ??
All depends how handy you are just fit another breaker ,,,estimate the amperage and divide the load .
IF YOU ARE NOT HANDY WITH MAINS DONT DO THIS.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm kinda handy.. I would just split the circuit and add another 20 amp breaker? I wouldn't know anything about estimating amps or dividing load.

Dumb ass electrician I had last time didn't know either. When we connected the power to the outside I only found out after I paid him that he had just patched it into the closest circuit. This despite the fact that we put a mini board with separate breakers in outside.. fsking moron.
I told him that the circuit was already spread over 3 rooms and that it would be too much. He assured me that it would be fine. I insisted that he come back and run a separate circuit for there, but since he had his money he never bothered to come back.
 
Just have a look in your main board to see how many wires on the plug breaker and if there is space for another breaker as well .
All depends how handy you are ...you could take one wire of at a time and work out what they feed ,
JUST MAKE SURE THE MAIN SWITCH IS OFF ANY TIME YOU PLAY WITH LIVE WIRING.(make sure your main switch is a double pole breaker and isolates neutral and live when off )
I would put an additional 15amp breaker .
 
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There is space for one more breaker. The current breaker only has one wire coming out of it.

What if I just put in a breaker and ran Norse cable to the outside mini box? Then the fridges, freezer and the heater outside would be off the bedroom circuit and it would be back to the way it was before the outside stuff was patched in.
 
Madman88 said:
There is space for one more breaker. The current breaker only has one wire coming out of it.

What if I just put in a breaker and ran Norse cable to the outside mini box? Then the fridges, freezer and the heater outside would be off the bedroom circuit and it would be back to the way it was before the outside stuff was patched in.
Click to expand...
That seems like a good idea .
Realy seems like the electrician you had there before did a shyt job.
I dont know norse cable but as long as it can take the amperage you intend putting on and it and has a earth it should be fine .
 
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Madman88 said:
I wonder if I could split the circuit myself and just get a sparky to sign off on it..
Click to expand...

Not trying to be funny, but if you queried whether you could put a 20-30A break on then maybe you shouldn't be doing it yourself :)

With mains you only get one chance - its no fun being shocked by 220V or worse your wiring melting and causing a fire.
 
Yes you can do that but it will be VERY dangerous, most cables can take more than they are rated for but again, more load = more heat , and heat = fire, if your so desperate then run an extension cord from other rooms on a separate breaker to run your heaters.
 
I can't stop giggling here...

4mm² wire can handle up to 22.5A of current before it turns into a fuse. That is why you have a 20A breaker. Splitting it requires tracing the entire circuit & adding a feeder from your DB's new 20A CB to the severed circuit.

Truth be told, I think you have way too much crap running in your house. Elec blankies are the most energy effective way of heating your place ... and if it's tripping then I suggest you look at switching off all those unneccessary extras you have running.

Keep in mind, if you start fiddling ... and something shorts & burns down your house - the first thing your insurer is going to look at is your DB's C.O.C. (certificate of compliance) and compare it to the actual installation - if there's a difference, they won't pay out and label it as neglegence.

Your call.
 
Voicy said:
I can't stop giggling here...

4mm² wire can handle up to 22.5A of current before it turns into a fuse. That is why you have a 20A breaker. Splitting it requires tracing the entire circuit & adding a feeder from your DB's new 20A CB to the severed circuit.

Truth be told, I think you have way too much crap running in your house. Elec blankies are the most energy effective way of heating your place ... and if it's tripping then I suggest you look at switching off all those unneccessary extras you have running.

Keep in mind, if you start fiddling ... and something shorts & burns down your house - the first thing your insurer is going to look at is your DB's C.O.C. (certificate of compliance) and compare it to the actual installation - if there's a difference, they won't pay out and label it as neglegence.

Your call.
Click to expand...

Erm.. We have done some alterations since the last time a C.O.C. has been done. Should I have the C.O.C. redone after every set of alterations?

Like I said, the issues have only started since the outside area was patched into the circuit instead of being run directly into the board.
I would think that having the outside running off of its own 20 amp breaker to be safer than patching it into an existing circuit? The mini board I have outside has all the plugs on a 20 amp breaker and the lighting running off a 15 amp breaker. That all seems pointless since it was patched into a 20 amp plug circuit inside.

On the subject of compliance. The sparky before the last one who was involved in the kitchen revamp said it was fine for the DB to be inside a cupboard, but now the last guy told be that it may not be in a cupboard. Since we are planning on selling the house in the next 6 to 10 months, I need to get the house compliant relatively soon.

The only reason I have not done this yet is because I honestly hate dealing with electricians. They never do the way I ask properly and NEVER finish what they started. From chasing plugs and not bothering to fit the plug box in the wall straight, to leaving the isolator hanging loose in the db board. Not one sparky has ever come back to sort out their issues or poor workmanship. Must be these okes on the east rand. I never had a problem with an electrician in the north.
 
If you can detach the two wires you have for the outside area and attach each to its own breaker, then you are nearly there. Get a 20A breaker for the outside room. You don't need an electrician for this as long as you are careful with what you are doing.

Step 1 is to see if you have space for an additional breaker
Step 2 is to switch off the main switch and test the live to neutral with a meter set on 600VAC
Step 3 is to insert the breaker and wire up a link on top
Step 4 is to separate the two load wires and put them each on their own breaker
 
very informative video here - detailing the differences between US and British / ZA electrical system and circuit breakers

 
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