Any Electrictions in here? I need Advice ..

[thebutler4]

So I upgraded my lighting from 250 watt HQI to 400 watt Mogal with 4 55 watt Actinic PC`s .. here is my problem .. the halides work great .. however the the PC`s has a remote ballast with what I would assume has 2 110 watt PC ballasts .. if I run 1 of the ballasts everything is great .. will not matter what one .. however if I fire up both of the ballasts with in 20 or so minuets my GFI breaker will pop .. now dont think its a circuit overload and that I am pulling 1025 watts from a GFI (although I dont see that being a problem) I have the 2 400 watt halides on 1 dedicated circuit and the actinics on another dedicated circuit ... I have tried 2 differant dedicated circuits and have the same problem ... (yes I have 3 dedicated circuits for my tank and only 2 of them are currently being used)

Anyone know where I could even start with this issue? .. I dont know much about electricity .. but this is driving me totally nuts ...

[OneDummHikk]

How many amps are each breaker? Amperage trips the breaker, not wattage even though they are connected to one another.

[thebutler4]

Could it be possible that the PC`s are pulling more amps than the 2 400 watt Halides?

[OneDummHikk]

I doubt it. Amperage is related - directly - to volts.

Amps = Watts/Volts

So if you have 800 watts and 120 volts, you are pulling 800/120 or 6.7 Amps. That is very simplistic but pretty accurate for what you are doing. If you are tripping breakers, something is wrong somewhere though (which you figured out). Do you have a Kill-A-Watt meter? You can get one from Harbor Freight and it can help you trace down problems.

[Neuticle]

If you don't have a fault in your PC system, then it's a bad (or dirty) GFCI outlet. Both are possible.

You could take apart your ballasts and see if anything is grounding. If not, spend 12$ and buy a nice GFCI

[wharyat]

Sounds like a grounding issue. Make sure both ballasts are grounded to the case and that the case is correctly grounded to both cables.

Also make sure that the GFI breaker is installed correctly, there will be a wire coming from the breaker that will be tied to the neutral bus bar (the one with all the insulated wires -- should all be white, some reds depending).

[Jadinop]

Is it a plug in GFCI. I picked up a brand new plug in GFCI for my tank and it would trip everytime my 96w refuge PC light would come on. It would do this even with nothing else plugged into it. I even pulled out the light and tried it away from the tank. This is a relatively new light with no salt creep or other issues. I don't know why but something about that particular ballast tripped the GFCI. Tried the light on a different plug in GFCI that I had and it would work fine.

[Neuticle]

Sounds like GFCI problem then. How many amps is it rated for?

[Loverotties]

What size circuit are they?if at least 20 amps then are you using a 20 amp GFCI or are you using a 15 amp GFCI?

[pipermacwills]

right on with the amp count. Many houses are wired with several outlets pulled from one circuit breaker. If the breaker is 20 amp, you have to figure out how many outlets are on that breaker. If it is the tank set up and the entertainment center you will blow every time. The contractors in my area are really sneaky when doing runs in homes. Turn on the light upstairs and the microwave in the kitchen and the circuit blows. It pays to go through your house after move in and re-address the breaker box. JMO.

[TahoeMtn]

Since you said they were dedicated circuits, I will assume you have plenty of amperage. Also since you said the problem follows you from plug to plug, the problem is with the lights not the circuits.I think I saw they are all gfi plugs.
Are the lights factory wired? Because of the way gfi's work if the pos (black) and neg (neutral/white) wires are reversed in light fixtures or in the cord(plug end) this could cause your problem. If the cord plug end is not polarized (one blade wider than the other) try turning one of the plugs over.

[thebutler4]

Well here is the kicker .. I can run one side or the other .. but not both together ... they do have separate plugs for each side so I am thinking about plugging one side in to one outlet and the other side into another and see what happens .,... Yes they are all factory wired .. bascally plug and play .. so .. I just dont get it .. I am at a total loss .. if it was a bad ballast why would it run fine alone .. but both ballasts running blow the CFI .. BTW just to clear things up .. its not blowing a breaker in the breaker box .. just the GFI ...

I do have 3 dedicated circuits for this tank ...

[Neuticle]

Maybe it's the starters in the ballasts, have you ever replaced them?

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by thebutler4

its not blowing a breaker in the breaker box .. just the GFI ...

I do have 3 dedicated circuits for this tank ...

That's why I asked what are the ratings of the circuits?If they are at least 20 amp circuits and your only using 15 amp GFCI in stead of the 20amp ones,they will trip before the breaker would.

[thebutler4]

Ok why would I be able to pull 800 watts .. but not 220 watts? They are plugged into seperate outlets that are dedicated to my tank ... (I have 3 20 amp circuits and yes the GFI`s are rated at 20Amps) ....

I am at a total loss .. I called Hamelton today and they told me I was overloading the circuit .. I dont see how this can happen .....