2000w in a 15A circuit

kevstauss

kevstauss

Active member
I've been shooting auditions with a Mole 2K Zip for about a year now. Come to find out, the outlet I've been using all the time is only a 15 amp circuit. My limited knowledge of electricity tells me this shouldn't work, but I've never tripped the breaker. Am I destroying the wiring by doing this? Why does this work? Is the Zip not pulling 16.67 amps? Thanks!
 
Might be heating up the wiring to an undesirable level, but destroying it? I don't think so.

Are you sure the zip has FCM lamps or is it something of a lower wattage like EJG's or FDF's? A 15a breaker sometimes can handle a 2k load for a considerable time before tripping, but if you've never had it trip then I would guess your fixture is bulbed down.
 
If the breaker were a 15amp breaker it would have popped so most likely its a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit. Also is it lamped at 2k? There could be lower wattage bulbs in there.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I don't have the light in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it's lamped with two 1K bulbs. Probably never runs for more than 30-45 minutes at a time though. And the circuit is labeled at the breaker box as 15A.
 
From Goodson Engineering:

The first (and most common) misconception is that a breaker trips when its nameplate rating is exceeded. Actually, a 20 amp breaker must trip at a sustained current rating of 27 amperes (135%) at less than one hour and 40 amperes (200%) in less than 120 seconds. These two trip points are defined in NEMA standard AB-1.
 
It's been my experience that putting 2K on 15A works just long enough to fool you, then the breaker pops and you lose that "perfect" shot. Also, it seems that aging breakers trip EARLY instead of holding for their spec'd time (could just be me). Check the lamps.
 
Paul F said:
From Goodson Engineering:

The first (and most common) misconception is that a breaker trips when its nameplate rating is exceeded. Actually, a 20 amp breaker must trip at a sustained current rating of 27 amperes (135%) at less than one hour and 40 amperes (200%) in less than 120 seconds. These two trip points are defined in NEMA standard AB-1.
Click to expand...
Ah, just the answer I was looking for! Thanks Paul!
 
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