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So how stupid am i

C

Caseyrey

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Dec 3, 2005
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Yucca Valley,CA
I was looking at the breaker box on the house with my dad and i dont know if i will be able to have the air compressor wired. There is like four empty slots but the last two breakers that were added were 30 amps for the pool and to my knowledge i think the only things that arent 110v are the pool and a/c anyone that could help with any advice cause im a stupid noob thanks in advance
 
If there are extra slots, and you've got the capacity (total amps) available in the box, then you can just add an appropriate breaker to create a new circuit. Most all boxes support 110 or 220 depending on whether the breaker straddles one or two rails (110 or 220). Just be careful, you can get hurt or killed messing around in there if you don't know what your doing. Might want to find a friend who has some experience to at least help you through it.

Looking at the plug may not help, many come with no plug on the welder. Look for a tag on the compressor or motor itself.
 
Yeah its 240 and there are three open slots on the breaker panel the only problem is i cant figure out the capacity. and some of the breakers have two switches that ether say 15 or 20 then there are six 30s connected in pairs and i belive there are 7 15s and 4 20s so im pretty sure its close to capicity and ive got a few people that now wiring so i dont plan on trying it on my own the whole thing about dying and what not. Thanks again for all the advice this is why i joined the forum totally worth the cost
 
look here...

Look on the main breaker at the top of the panel..(the one that kills ALL power to the breakers in the box)....most of them have the amperage stamped into the switch itself..usually 100 amps,150 amp,etc..

Keep in mind it will be rare or never that ALL the things will be running at the same time..if you add up all the appliances and your 20-30 amps "over" the 100 amp limit,it will probably be fine,since some of those things wont be running at the same time..at my friends shop with 100 amp service,we can't run the welder AND the compressor at the same time,(circuit breaker pops if the compressor comes on while laying a bead)..but can do anything else with no troubles..

Some large compressors require a magnetic starter to be wired in the power leads..best to leave that to an electrician...:crazy:
 
Agreed, it's not the sum of the breaker ratings that is the issue, but the sum of the max possible load. Worst case is you throw the main. My shop is currently way over maxed on the sub 60A panel, but I never run the welder(s), plasma, compressor, mill, lathe, etc. and full load all the 110v circuits all at the same time. I've never tripped a breaker yet.
 
Yeah its a 200 amp so i should be fine and the only thing running fulltime is a few 15s for 2 fish tanks, lights etc. Also i have an electrician coming tomorrow to get a quote thanks for all the help i was worried for a second:D
 
That electrician is gonna bend you over. I'm curious what he quotes you. If you want to save a ton of cash, you can do it yourself, myself and others can walk you through it. Of course, I understand the 'peace of mind' that comes with having it done professionally, especially when playing with electricity. Your compressor is a non-continuous load, and a 200A service is pretty big for a residence, you have plenty of power available.
 
One thing...

While I agree money CAN be saved by doing it yourself, its best to at least have an experienced electrician look over your work and ensure its wired correctly and meets all codes...if there were ever a fire due to faulty wiring,and a licenced electrician isnt who wired it,your house insurance policy could be null and void,and could refuse to pay any damage claims..:eek1:

Thats is whats stopping me from tearing out the bathtub and shower in my bathroom and fixing the rotted plywood floor properly..to do it here legally,a licenced plumber has to be the one fooling with the pipes and drains,and permits must be pulled..I'm completely capable of doing it myself,but its not MY house,and I'd hate for it to come back and bite me in the butt later on if something did go awry...so for now the floor is patched up halfass,but its not going to cave in at least...:crazy:
 
I had a few more outlets put in the ceiling of the garage. I figured out where I wanted them and rann the wires over to the panel. An electrician hooked them up. I saved a bunch of money by having everything laid out and pre-ran.
 
Yeah im having the outlet put right behind the breaker so its cheap then if i want i could always run it somewhere else in the garage thanks for all the input and yeah my dad doesnt want to void any policys cause the house is still pretty new
 
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