Increase amps per circuit

[tawa]

Hi, I have check Google and this board for my answer but could not find anything.

I have an older home in the US, built about 1954. When running some things at the same time, I have blown some breakers (not fuses) at the mains box. My question is, how do I increase the amps on each circuit, so each circuit can handle more electrical items?

Do I just replace each circuit breaker at the breaker box to a larger breaker?

Do I have to check the wire to each outlet to make sure it is thick enough?

Thanks.

[indigenousquy]

for that you could increase each breaker to about 15 to 20 amps. where i live is a 3 story house and we are running 500 to 600 amps throught out the house if you add all the breakers up

[Gary D]

Please do NOT increase the breaker size without checking wire guage first! If you are unsure of what you are doing, get an electrician's help!

You chance burning down your house due to the wires heating up if you raise the breaker amps. It is fairly easy to have a few extra outlet boxes added where needed on a separate/ or several separate breakers. Gary D.

[tawa]

I can pull out a receptacle and check the wire gauge, but how do I know the gauge? Is there a tool to measure the gauge? I'll bet the 3 wires (hot, neutral and ground) are woven together with some woven stuff. What is the stuff anyway? I hope it's not asbestos.

[tawa]

Is there a limit to how many breakers I can increase to, say, 15 amps? Like is there a limit based on the size of the incoming wire from outside of the house? I should say "cable". Some of those main cables are as thick as my finger. I mean each solid copper wire is as thick as my finger!

[Opera House]

Add an extra box and run some new wires.  I have a 50's house and that was two wires plus the metal sheathing.  Many older homes are 14 gauge.  My home origionally had just four fuses for everything.  It is not that hard to run new wires and add extra boxes.  For those older boxes that are easy to get at, put those on new circuits.  That will reduce the load on the others.  

[patty3]

If you are talking about blowing a breaker with more than one device plugged into the same receptical box [usually two plugins per box] There is a tab on each side,  between each plugin. You can break these tabs off to make each side separate and if you have room for more breakers in the main pannel, you could run another set of wires from the new breaker to the second half of the receptical. If this is a situation where you have several plugins on one breaker, check to see if there is more than one set of wires going to that breaker. If so add a new breaker and share the wires between them. If they all originate from one set of wires, your only safe option is to split up the recepticals into two or more circuits and run more wire with more breakers. Also being an older home there is usually not much room in the old main panel box and if this is the case a sub panel would be needed to accommodate more breakers. Hope this helps!

[rotornuts]

If the breakers are old it's possible the breakers are becoming "wimpy". Simply installing new breakers of the same amperage may solve the problem. Honestly though I would recomend having an electrician come for a consult. you can burn your house down and void your insurance if you make a mistake.

[tawa]

There is room in the main box for at least 4 more breakers, possibly 6. This house is wired real weird. One breaker has the oven on it, plus the bathroom circuit, plus one outlet in the living room. Like all the wiring is scatter-brained.

I don't know how to pull wire without taking the drywall off. Since the previous owners just reinstalled all the drywall, that would be a shame to do it again. Not to mention an expense on my part. I can do the work, but I already have lots on my todo list. You know the drill with a "new" house.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll watch for any more breakers tripping under normal loads and see if I have to replace any of the old ones.

[jacquesm]

OK, you have old cotton/rubber insulated wire, whatever you do DO NOT INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE BREAKERS.

Pull a new circuit to your distribution panel, and put in the proper breaker for the wire size you use.

To the person saying you are using 5..600 A if you add up all the breakers please DO NOT GIVE PEOPLE ADVICE ABOUT STUFF YOU ARE CLUELESS ABOUT. YOu risk causing them great bodily harm if they should follow your advice.

[TomW]

Jacques;

Yeah, never ceases to amaze me the answers you can get on a forum like this. But, then again, I would not try to save a few bucks by seeking info on home wiring on a Renewable Energy Forum when I should hire someone who knows and get it done right.

T

[Drives]

I can stay silent no longer...PLEASE, PLEASE see a qualified electrician!  

[Snoprob]

When the licensed and insured (important) electrician shows up they will check what size the drop line from power companies' equipment to your meter is, and:

The electrician will estimate the length of drop line from transformer to your power meter and arrive at potential available at your meter & main fuse.

Older & rural homes often have light service compared to modern service capacity.

The regulations w/ my power company state any change to meter location or updating utility company drop line requires entire house to conform to latest code - this is probably the case everywhere, and keeps people with shoestring budgets from amping up their service affordably.

You could ask for bids to heavy-up the service - most electrical contractors will work up an estimate free of charge & explain the situation.

Don't even think of playing around with live service entry cables. >>BZZT/DEAD<<

BTW - power companies will remove the meter on request which is required to do main panel work. Getting them to re-connect it when needed is a little harder. If the meter seal has been defeated you may earn criminal charges on top of electrocution charges.

[ghurd]

An electrician is not as expensive as you think. At least around here.

We had a late '60s house, upgraded service from 60A to 200A with new wires house to pole, changed the whole box, ran a couple new circuits. Came in under $1000 (maybe $800?).

Around 5 years ago.

That's the only way to go.

G-

[(unknown)]

people,people,people

  DON'T just put in a larger breaker. Breaker/fuse size is determined by size of wire used, its insulation type, electricle divice it is feeding and finally what its intended use is. Electricity is oderless, invisable and deadly as hell. I am an electrician, it takes 5 years to complete the apprenticship in my area, and even with all the training and specialized tools and procedures electricians die because of it. I am amazed and appaled at all of the bogus advice that has been generated from this post. As much as I would like to single those with the most damaging advice I will suffice with this, get an electrician.

  The National Electric Code is updated every 3 years, there is a reason for each and every rule. The NEC is there for two reasons to protect people and property. Electricle modifications to a existing structure are not as simple as you may think it is, or it may be, my point is that unless you understand the whole system you can't possibly make an informed decision. If you wire something improperly you may Kill Yourself or worse some one else. You may burn down your house and your neighbors with it.

  If you are opperating on a shoe string budget, get estimates, go to a jobsite and see if any of the electricians will do some side work. Adding a subpanel or an additional circuit or two is not as expensive as you may think.

 Hope this helps