KISH>Grassroots>Electricity
?¿? How Much Power ?¿?

Did you ever wonder why you've blown a circuit? You can do the math?

1. You can find out if you will overload your circuits by finding the amount of Amperes your fuse has. Most fuses are 15 or 25 Amperes.

2. Then you must find out how many Watts the appliance will use. Most appliances have a sticker on them that will tell you this information. For instance, look at the light bulb. You can get a 60 W light bulb which uses less watts than a 100 W bulb.

3. Next find out how many Volts of electricity the outlet produces. In most wall outlets are

120 V.

4. Use the formula A = W/V  You then divide the amount of Watts by Volts and your finished product is the amount of Amperes your appliance uses. So a 60 W bulb divided into 110 V from the outlet = 0.54 W/V or 0.54 A.

That would not blow the fuse. But there are probally a number of lights or plug fixtures attached to one circuit. You have to find out how many appliances and calculate the number of Amperes each appliance uses. Then you add them together and see if it will overload the circuit. If the amount is under the number of Amps your fuse box holds, you're ok. If not, you may blow a fuse!!

Formula: Amps=Watt/Volt

Examples:(Answers can be found at the bottom of this page!)

1. There is a 30A fuse box. The circuit includes a 1800D Cd player, 1250W Play Station, and a 460W lamp plugged into a 120V outlet.

2. There is a 20A fuse box. The circuit includes a 1100W electric kettle, a 250W lectric knife, and a 500W toaster. These are all plugged into a 120V oulet.

3. There is a 20A fuse box. This circuit includes a 2000W extension cord, a 1350W drill, a 3000W battery charger, and a 120W clock radio plugged into a 240 oulet.

Answers:

1.1800W + 1250W + 460W = 3510W /120V = 29.25 A...This circuit wouldn't have blown!

2.1100W + 500W + 250W = 1850W /120V = 15.41 ...This circuit is OK.

3.3000W + 2000W +1350W = 6350 /240V = 26.45 ...This circuit would hold these appliances.


Click here to find out how many watts and kilowatts different appliances use.