how many breakers and circuits?

[StandUpGuy]

Some advice on my electrical requirements would be awesome. First a list of what I am powering:

One quad outlet that will have a mini fridge, and microwave on it and two free outlets.

One duplex outlet that will have an AC unit on it.

One duplex outlet that will have a mini hot water heater on it.

One circuit with some cabin lights


Can I do this with a two breaker box? How many circuits should this be?

Your help is appreciated, thanks.

[Pyrofish]

I wouldn't. 4 would be better. Each appliance on it's own 15amp. The lights could come off the fridge, or the micro.

If you were thinking about bigger breakers, please keep in mind you MUST use bigger wire for a bigger breaker. Otherwise you might be asking for a unintentional campfire.

[StandUpGuy]

I wouldn't. 4 would be better. Each appliance on it's own 15amp. The lights could come off the fridge, or the micro.

If you were thinking about bigger breakers, please keep in mind you MUST use bigger wire for a bigger breaker. Otherwise you might be asking for a unintentional campfire.

Is a 15 amp breaker big enough for the AC unit?

[dh]

Yes

[dh]

Oh, almost forgot. You can use tandem breaker and fit 4 circuits in a 2 breaker box if space is limited.

[StandUpGuy]

You beat me to the question. I was going to ask that. Cool because the 2 position box is smaller than the four and also a little cheaper. Size was my main issue.

so I believe 14 gauge wire is for a 15 amp circuit but with these appliances should I not go 12 gauge? How about 4 20 amp circuits rather than 4 15 amp?

Lastly I will have a 30 amp coming into the box as my main service. This should be 10 gauge wire right?

[bobhenry]

Here are some examples of the amp
draw for various household appliances:

Clock radio 0.1
Coffee maker 10
Electric blanket 1
Toaster 13
Toaster oven 11
VCR/DVD .23
Window fan 1
Hair dryer 11
Heater (1500w) 14
Microwave oven 8
Radio (stereo) 2
Refrigerator (1.7 cf) 1
Laptop 0.45
Televisions (color) 1
5000 btu A/C unit 4-6

I had a factory built standie and it had two 15 amp circuits.

The appliances with heating elements are the biggies and we camp with the rule of 1 heating appliance running at a time to avoid problems.

[dh]

I would run 10g min on the 30 amp in. A houshold duplex outlet is on a 15amp breaker, things that plug into them generally draw considerably less amps than that. If 12g wire makes you feel safe go for it, but I would still stick with 15amp breakers.

[dh]

My 5500BTU ac says something like 13 amps on the plackard. I flipped till I did a little digging, thats start up load, not run load.

[bobhenry]

All refrigeration equipment has a start and a run draw shown on their ID tags. The newer stuff has "soft start" with capacitors to help deminish the start up amperage draw.

[StandUpGuy]

Here are some examples of the amp
draw for various household appliances:

Clock radio 0.1
Coffee maker 10
Electric blanket 1
Toaster 13
Toaster oven 11
VCR/DVD .23
Window fan 1
Hair dryer 11
Heater (1500w) 14
Microwave oven 8
Radio (stereo) 2
Refrigerator (1.7 cf) 1
Laptop 0.45
Televisions (color) 1
5000 btu A/C unit 4-6

I had a factory built standie and it had two 15 amp circuits.

The appliances with heating elements are the biggies and we camp with the rule of 1 heating appliance running at a time to avoid problems.

Looks like it is not a problem to put the microwave and cube fridge together on one 15 amp breaker.

[StandUpGuy]

I would run 10g min on the 30 amp in. A houshold duplex outlet is on a 15amp breaker, things that plug into them generally draw considerably less amps than that. If 12g wire makes you feel safe go for it, but I would still stick with 15amp breakers.

so 14g should be fine for each one of my circuits then. I am on a budget so if 12g is over kill then I do not want to do it.

I just did not want to start any forest fires.

Sorry I could not help myself.

[GuitarPhotog]

Even on a tight budget, wiring is not a place to economize. It might seem OK now, but down the line you may need power for larger appliances etc.

And scrimping on electrical wiring can be dangerous.

Wiring might account for 5% of your build budget. So how much do you really save by cutting your wiring budget 30%?

My $0.02 worth

<Chas>

[StandUpGuy]

Even on a tight budget, wiring is not a place to economize. It might seem OK now, but down the line you may need power for larger appliances etc.

And scrimping on electrical wiring can be dangerous.

Wiring might account for 5% of your build budget. So how much do you really save by cutting your wiring budget 30%?

My $0.02 worth

<Chas>

So you think I need to go with 12g wire on each 15 amp circuit instead of 14g?

[Pyrofish]

I have 2 words for you, 'extension cords'.

Way cheaper than the same size romex. Sometimes, you already have some laying around that will work. I used a new 10 ga extension cord as my main power coming in, and an old 12 ga cord that I had laying around is all but gone now that I'm working on my wiring

If your budget is really tight, you might even go to some garage sales and/or, flea markets to look for some used ones.