My breaker trips when I turn on an electric heater???

Question

I'm not too smart when it comes to electric know how so maybe someone out there can help me out.

My breaker never tripped until I got an electric heater. I ran that thing for a few hours and while my computer on the same outlit went to sleep. Then I woke my computer up to use...pop... there went the lights.

The breaker has a 10 and it is powering my whole office. I guess that means this breaker is for 10 amps max?

The electrical heater is pulling 12.5 amps per the specs using 1500 watts on the heater so I guess thats why it's popping???
Too many amps???

Do I get an electrician to take out the 10 amp breaker and put in a 15 or 20 amp instead???

Answer 1

try plugging it into a different outlet. if that doesn't work try buying a power strip and plugging it into a separate outlet and plugging the heater into that. Just make sure you get one with the built in breaker that will trip if it over loads. that way just the heater will turn off not all your other appliances

Answer 2

I am not that smart when it comes to electricity, either, but I have had some experience with amps and their overusage. I am not sure how this works in a house, I am working off experience with travel trailers.
Travel trailers are usually wired for either 30 amp or 50 amp service. If you are popping breakers, the best thing to do is add up the amps used per item that is in use.
If you have a 30 amp trailer and are using a heater, microwave and toaster, you could very well pop a breaker because you are using more than 30 amps. You would not have this problem if you had a trailer with 50 amp service.
As I said earlier, I am not sure how this would transfer over to a house. Your house should be wired for 220 volts in some areas, but your outlets are all 110 volts. There is a formula for amps, volts, and watts and how to figure each out.
To be perfectly honest, if your heater and computer are plugged into the same surge protector or outlet strip, all you would need to do is plug them into separate outlets. Keep the computer on the surge protector, but plug the heater into a wall outlet.

No promises, but it might just do the trick.

Answer 3

I have been a general contractor for 35 Years and I Have never seen a 10 Amp circuit wired into a house. Perhaps the breaker was down sized to protected some special equipment in the past. Ed is wright with his advice but the wire in your building is probably at least 14 Ga. Sense the breaker system has been in use 14 Ga wire has been used in every home I have seen. We are remodeling a house now that was built in 1950 with a breaker system and it has 14Gage wire. If I were You I would feel safe in change the breaker to 15 Amp. but no more untill you check the wire size. Another thing that is good to Know is that there is 110Watts=I Amp

Answer 4

It would be unusual for a home branch circuit to be wired to handle only 10 amps. Houses are usually wired with 14 gage wire for lighting circuits, and 12 gage for receptacle circuits. These sizes can safely carry 15 and 20 amps respectively.

Resolving the problem should include determining which receptacles are on this circuit, determining the wire size used from the branch circuit panel to each of the receptacles, and what the expected maximum circuit load will be.

If the expected maximum load is close to the rating of the circuit, consider having a breaker installed that has a time delay built in. This type of breaker can stand a momentary overload without tripping.

Do not use a breaker with a rating higher than the carrying capacity of the wires. The person with a 30 amp breaker is probably asking
for trouble.

Answer 5

The breaker you are running your office on is indeed a 10 Amp breaker. The wiring in your walls are rated for that amount of current usage without overheating. The breaker trips to protect you from damaging your circuit and also from starting a fire.
In order to use your space heater, you need to find a different circuit to plug it into. Do not use an extension cord to do this either, because the extension cord creates a voltage drop and that, in turn, causes your amperage usage to increase on the heater.
If no other circuit exists, you should either not use the heater or have a qualified electrician install a new circuit for you. This new circuit needs to have an amperage rating of at least 15 Amps.

Answer 6

If you put in a circuit breaker with a higher load rating, that would be dangerous. That circut was designed for 10 amps, thats why there is a "breaking" point of 10 amps. Plug the heater into a different outlet that is on a different circuit.

Answer 7

A 10 amp breaker will never handle the load you are putting on it. Throw in a 20 amp breaker for sure. I run elec heaters all the time. We just had a 30 amp breaker installed to run everything we need.

Answer 8

10 Amps Breaker is too small capacity for 12.5 amps heater so change the breaker for 20 Amps that will help you putting high capacity breaker like 32 amps will also make a problem, they don't trip sometimes.

Answer 9

yep too many amps.

Its not as simple as taking out the 10 am breaker and putting in another. everything has to be able to handle it but yes, get an electrician.

Answer 10

A 30amp breaker is typical and yes, I'd recommend having someone with elctrical experience do the work for you.