[befic]

Hi, I'm new here and have no idea what is going on but if someone could help me please!! I just moved into an old old old apt building that I love. As I was vacuuming, I blew the circuit. I suddenly realized my entire apt was on the same circuit. It is a one bedroom place, running on a 15amp circuit. Not to mention, some of the very sparse outlets available are not working. All outlets in the apt are 2 prongs holders and there is a wire running from outlet to outlet until it gets to a final outlet where it is plugged in. I am probably not making any sense but it is so odd. I went downstairs to flip the circuit after calling my landlord and he said, yep, the apt is on a 15 amp circuit, only 1 15 amp circuit. It seems a bit unrealistic to me. As I was vacuuming, I only had the living room light on with the ceiling fan (3 lightbulbs). Then later in the night it happened again to my mom while she was using the hairdryer. He said he has had to upgrade some of the apts to 20 amp circuits in the past and may have to do that to mine, but will that be enough? I requested that he at least try for 30, and I have not heard back. I'm wondering if the building is even up to code and this is legal, because the wiring seemed a bit odd to me. And if he gets an electrician in there, do they have to wire it to code? I'm worried about fires and it overheating mostly. I would also like to use appliances. Please advise if you could! :confused:

[Fr_Chuck]

What about things like the fridge, the stove

[befic]

The fridge is on the same circuit, I'd say it is a medium sized fridge. The stove is gas. The only other appliances I brought with me are a microwave, a toaster oven, a coffee maker, vacuum, and a hair dryer. I also want to plug in a 2 lamps in the living room if possible. Needless to say, I won't be running all these things at once, and I'm not some extravagant person, I'm just trying to be reasonable about this... I would like lights while vacuuming or drying my hair, and also be able to brew some coffee in the morning. The building is at least 100 yrs old.

[befic]

Oh and I have a computer that I'd like to be on at all times and wireless internet. Also, I TV occasionally.

[Scleros]

I'd say look for a different apartment. Updating the wiring isn't a monumental task and says a lot about your landlord IMO. In any case, having multiple 15 or 20 amp circuits would be preferable to having one 30 amp circuit and code would likely require multiple circuits anyway given your situation. A reputable electrician would wire to code.

If all of the outlets are ungrounded (2 prong), you have a potential shock hazardous for any 3 prong grounded device used with an ungrounded adapter. Additionally, you may experience issues with the computer without a proper ground.

See https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/advice/t-9475.html for info on 15 amp wattage and EERE Consumer's Guide: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use for common wattage values for devices.