My space heater keeps blowing the circuit, why?

Question

I have two outlets in my office. They are 4 feet apart. In Outlet #1 I have my monitor, lamp (2 bulbs @ 25 watts each), and a little thing that keeps my coffee cup warm. In Outlet #2 there is a UPS (power backup) and the light over my desk (2 florescent bulbs, 3 feet long). In the UPS is a power strip with my PC, phone, and... a little tiny space heater (155 watts). Now... why does the space heater keep blowing the circuit and how can I figure out what I can / can't have running at the same time?

Thank you so much! Electricity is one of those things that I don't understand!

when I say "blowing the circuit" I mean my UPS goes off which means I'm about to lose power. What is the max amount of watts I can plug into an outlet?

Answer 1

Any electric device that produces heat is huge consumer of electricity. It looks like it is either going to be warm feet or warm coffee. I would take the coffee over to the microwave when it gets cold.

Answer 2

The circuit breaker trips because you're overloading the circuit. My guess is that the space heater draws too much power for the circuit. If the circuit breaker didn't trip, it could overheat the wires and damage them, and even cause a fire.

Which circuit breaker trips - the one on the power strip, or one that controls the outlet? If it's for the outlet, does it take both outlets out, or just one? Are there other outlets nearby that you can plug stuff into, and distribute this load?

If you can, put the PC and the heater on separate circuits. If the heater causes the breaker in the wall panel to trip, and your PC is on that circuit, it'll cause the PC to crash, and you may lose data or even damage the hard drive.

Answer 3

The watts are not really what matters in these situations. What you need to look for is the amperage rating on each load or appliance you are connecting to a common circuit. Space heaters draw a lot of amps, as do coffee cup warmers. You should never use appliances on the same circuit you are using for your computer. Most circuits are rated between 15 and 20 amps. Space heaters can produce up 10 amps on their own. Find a different circuit for your heater or bundle up. It will continue to cause problems for you.

Answer 4

Heaters work by using resistance to generate heat. Kinda like pushing sand through a small tube as fast as you can (the tube heats up because of the friction). This uses a lot of energy which is probably frying your fuse. Check out the Watts (marked as a number with a capital "W" behind it) that your space heater consumes and then check out the maximum Wattage that your fuse for that circuit allows.

Answer 5

Too much electricity will trip the breaker. Its a safety feature designed to prevent shorts in the electrical system, which could cause a fire. U shouldnt plug too many things into one outlet, especially things like space heaters. They use more power than yer normal lamp or computer.

Answer 6

You need to talk to your building management people. Usually space heaters are not allowed in office buildings for that very reason. The stuff you are running is not the only stuff on that same circuit. Other outlets share that circuit with you.

Answer 7

It is drawing too much current. The space heater may be too much with everything else you have plugged into that circuit. Your space heater may also have a fault in it, and if that be the case you should stop using it immediately.

Answer 8

Your power requirements are small, you are drawing less than 500Watts. When you say blowing the circuit, do you mean tripping the overload breaker? You won't exceeding the circuit capacity unless there is a fault OR you have a deliberately low power circuit.

However if there is a circuit fault and you have an earth leakage circuit breaker then it can trip out on very low powers.

Answer 9

Dave Dale and Jamie Lewis posted the same question. You should read their answers side by side.