View Full Version : Home Electronic Problems
 
 thaodinh
Nov 23, 2011, 09:48 AM
I have a heater that has 1500 watts in my room and a dryer in the garage. When we use it at the same time, we get a black out. When I go outside to check the breaker, the switch on the breaker is off instead of on. The breaker amp is on 20 right now. I'm wondering what is the maximum amp I can use to get rid of the black out problem.
 stanfortyman
Nov 23, 2011, 10:00 AM
You need to separate them. They should not be on the same circuit.
You cannot just use a larger breaker. The breaker is sized to the wire on the circuit.
 ma0641
Nov 23, 2011, 12:12 PM
Stan is right about sizing the breaker to the wire.  However, is this a 120 Volt dryer?  Most are 240VAC.  What type of heater? Is it 240 or 120VAC? If you are tripping a single 20 amp breaker and the dryer is 240VAC, something is wired improperly.
 donf
Nov 23, 2011, 02:28 PM
Guessing that the brancg circuit is a multioutlet 120 Vac - 20 amp circuit, which presupposes the dryer is a 120 Volt / Gas appliance.
 
The heater, at 1500 Watts / 120 Volts needs 12.5 amps for itself.
 
You haven't given us the required amperage for the dryer.
 
However based on a few things I can "Extrapolate (guess)" that you are trying to draw too much amperage.
 
A 20 amp multioulet branch circuit is limited to 16 amps.  The heater all by its lonesome is using 12.5 of that amount.
 
But more information is needed before I can give other than a guess.