Model Railroading > A question of electrical power usage

I assume ( from the picture ) that my apartment has 20 amp fuses in it. 
I have no idea how to read the back of my transformer but would like to know what the amperage use is. 

tia for your responses

Jon Fink
Schenectady, NY

---

---

To a reasonable first approximation wattage rating is just Volts * Amps. Your apartment 120V 20 Amp circuit can supply 2400 W of power. Your transformer puts out 80VA which is functionally 80 W. Therfore your maximum amperage draw for the tranformer is 80VA/120V = .67Amps.

While your apartment appears to have 20 amp breakers on most all circuits *there appears to be one 30 amp circuit, which would probably be used for an electric clothes drier), be advised that "most" home electrical outlets are rated at 15 amps.  A 20 amp-rated wall outlet will have an extra horizontal "slot" connected to the longer vertical slot on each of the "3 prong" outlets.

If it were my apartment I would ask the manager to replace the 20 amp circuit breakers with 15 amp circuit breakers, unless the manager can show that ALL of the wall outlets connected to each breaker circuit are indeed rated at 20 amps.

I've stared at that panel for 10 minutes and all i see besides the 100amp main are 4 20A breakers.  Don't see a 30A anywhere. For 20A breakers besides outlets and 20 A rated switches, you also need 12gauge wiring. Don't know where this is, but I would question the inspection, unless the breakers were changed by a previous tenant, then this should be brought to the attention of the building manager.

chakk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While your apartment appears to have 20 amp
> breakers on most all circuits *there appears to be
> one 30 amp circuit, which would probably be used
> for an electric clothes drier), be advised that
> "most" home electrical outlets are rated at 15
> amps.  A 20 amp-rated wall outlet will have an
> extra horizontal "slot" connected to the longer
> vertical slot on each of the "3 prong" outlets.
>
> If it were my apartment I would ask the manager to
> replace the 20 amp circuit breakers with 15 amp
> circuit breakers, unless the manager can show that
> ALL of the wall outlets connected to each breaker
> circuit are indeed rated at 20 amps.

Amp draw is negligible on a household circuit like yours.  

I don't know how anyone can say your panel is not proper without knowing
info you have not provided, such as wire size and duplex plug ratings.

Just plug it in and run the danged train.  You can't overload any circuit in your pad with this.

> Just plug it in and run the danged train.  You
> can't overload any circuit in your pad with this.

That isn't a very powerful pack. If it overloads, its internal protection will drop out long, long before your house wiring even notices. A more useful question is how much train will it power? 

Blame my earlier incorrect 30 amp breaker comment on aging eyes.  As for using 20 amp breakers with your "probable" 15 amp outlets, the issue is not your power pack, but other large draw equipment that might be pluged one of these wall outlets.  And in those cases, if one of those large draw items should have a short, it could draw more than 15 amps but not trip a 20 amp circuit breaker.   I have seen wall outlets in some other locations -- not my own home -- showing "burn marks" from excessive amperage that did not trip a too-large circuit breaker.

And as the other poster mentioned, 15 amp circuits require no 14 (or larger) wire..  20 amp circuits require no 12 (or larger) wire.  Also, be extra careful if the house has been wired with aluminum wire.

Better to be safe than sorry, I always say.

Hakk

NEC 210.21(B)(3) allows 15A receptacles to be supplied by a 20A circuit breaker if there are at least two receptacles on the circuit. If equipment were to have a short circuit it is unlikely the fault current would be limited to 20A.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/24 17:48 by EricSP.