Need some basic electrical advice

[Tinkerin_wit_tools]

For those of us who are scared of messing with anything electrical, such as yours truly, I need to know how to fix an issue. The lights in my garage, which were set up by the previous owner don't work, first off. They are just four ceiling mounted 60W screw in bulbs. When they originally went out about a year ago, I tried to change out the bulbs with fresh ones thinking that one or all went out. Never did go on. I have a few multimeters which I have from my Dad's hand me downs that I don't know how to use to save my life, so I let this issue lie. The real problem came when a few weekends ago, I was out in the garage working on my wife's car and I had purchased two small ceiling mounted heaters which just plug into a normal outlet. Needed them to keep me warm and had a radio plugged into another. One heater wasn't enough to keep me warm, so I put both on and to include the radio, the breakers tripped, twice. The box is in the garage and I believe it has two 15amps in it. Suffice it to say, just to get the job done, I only went through the rest of that evening with just one heater and no tunes. What do I do? Am I using too much juice?? There are four outlets that are installed in the garage.

[HayZee518]

Normally you'll find one circuit for lights, the other for power. Heaters are either 1100 watts or 1500 watts. at 1100 watts you are drawing rougly 11 amps. at 1500 wats you've almost maxed out the 15 amp circuit. if there is a panel box in the garage, it would behoove you to install a couple of 20 amp circuits for power. If the garage is just off two branch circuits from the house, then you are stuck. next option is to run a feeder to a sub panel in the garage where you can do most anything. a 6/4 romex will give you 60 amps @240 volts to play with.

[Tinkerin_wit_tools]

Normally you'll find one circuit for lights, the other for power. Heaters are either 1100 watts or 1500 watts. at 1100 watts you are drawing rougly 11 amps. at 1500 wats you've almost maxed out the 15 amp circuit. if there is a panel box in the garage, it would behoove you to install a couple of 20 amp circuits for power. If the garage is just off two branch circuits from the house, then you are stuck. next option is to run a feeder to a sub panel in the garage where you can do most anything. a 6/4 romex will give you 60 amps @240 volts to play with.

So, are you basically saying that I can just switch to 20 amp breakers without doing anything special?? If so, that would be at least a step in the right direction. I will have to wait until the weather gets a little better to spend more time in the garage, though.

[HayZee518]

NO! in order to run 20 amps the wiring needs to be rated for 20 amps - 12 gauge

[Mark Weese]

For those of us who are scared of messing with anything electrical, such as yours truly, I need to know how to fix an issue. The lights in my garage, which were set up by the previous owner don't work, first off. They are just four ceiling mounted 60W screw in bulbs. When they originally went out about a year ago, I tried to change out the bulbs with fresh ones thinking that one or all went out. Never did go on. I have a few multimeters which I have from my Dad's hand me downs that I don't know how to use to save my life, so I let this issue lie. The real problem came when a few weekends ago, I was out in the garage working on my wife's car and I had purchased two small ceiling mounted heaters which just plug into a normal outlet. Needed them to keep me warm and had a radio plugged into another. One heater wasn't enough to keep me warm, so I put both on and to include the radio, the breakers tripped, twice. The box is in the garage and I believe it has two 15amps in it. Suffice it to say, just to get the job done, I only went through the rest of that evening with just one heater and no tunes. What do I do? Am I using too much juice?? There are four outlets that are installed in the garage.

Hi Tinkerin...

you have 2 issues here...

1. why no lights 2. power availability.

Lets talk about #2 first, you can change out breakers to 20amp, only... and I stress "only" if your wiring is at least a 12 ga. wire w/ground! that's 2wire w/grnd. total of 3, that includes 1 black (hot), 1 white (Neutral), and 1 ground (bare). this wire is made for 20amp loads.

15amp breaker/wire (14 ga.) won't handle the loads.
if you need to know how to change the wire to 12 ga. let me know, i could walk you through it.

now... issue #1 lights.... sounds like you've got a bad ground somewhere... don't freak out! just check each outlet or junction box for/at each light. make sure you check the wire nuts are tight on each connection at every location; you'll have to loosen and tighten every connection... I'm sure you'll find the culprit.

Mark

[driz]

While you are at it you might consider getting something hotter for your main source of heat as well. Electric radiant, the big overhead jobs are about the only ones powerful enough to do much of anything. I just use one of the propane radiant Coleman's that clamps to the top of a 20lb tank. No electrical hook up needed either so you can use it outside if you have to or even heat your house in a pinch. 35K btu's that you can dial down to 12K or so is great for thawing out cars too.

[pushkins]

Not so sure I'd heat my house with a propane tank heater even in a pinch.

[driz]

Oh come on you need to come to the North Country Up here the smart ones all have at least 2 sources of heat one of which is electricity free as well as own a generator. We have 3. When the power goes out up here it isn't just an inconvenience it's an emergency. Really all you need is a CO detector and you are as snug as a bug in a rug. Nearly everyone has one or 2 of those as well. Us Rock-Eaters know how to survive if nothing else. Trust me, when it get's 45F in the house you will drag that propane bottle right into bed with you

Just give me another year to retire and 3 more to get lost and I am going to be coming down to the Carolina"s to join you.

[pushkins]

Rock eater?.......Ok I give in at the threat of being ignorant.....where is that ?

[HayZee518]

Dan. what's wrong with a propane space heater? They're clean, not too expensive. Properly burned they're efficient and give off water vapor.

[pushkins]

Cause the one Driz is referring to is (I believe that's the one he is talking about) is a camping style, often used by contractors to heat building sites. Like a big dish sometimes two that screw onto a LP tank and burn red hot, they burn poorly, give off high levels of CO2 and need to be used in well ventilated areas, hence unfinished building sites. Most have manufacturers warnings about using in closed spaces.

However, wherever "rock eaters" hail from, apparently they often have power outages, in that case I'd rather risk CO2 poisoning than freezing to death.

[scottz]

Probably nothing wrong with propane heat, but any heater consumes oxygen. You might consider a catalytic heater. They are rated for indoor use (as in RV's), as long as you provide adequate ventilation to replace the oxygen that is consumed.

[Speedy Petey]

Lets talk about #2 first, you can change out breakers to 20amp, only... and I stress "only" if your wiring is at least a 12 ga. wire w/ground! that's 2wire w/grnd. total of 3, that includes 1 black (hot), 1 white (Neutral), and 1 ground (bare). this wire is made for 20amp loads.

15amp breaker/wire (14 ga.) won't handle the loads.
if you need to know how to change the wire to 12 ga. let me know, i could walk you through it.

First off, considering the description the OP gives this is NOT advice I would give in this situation. MY ONLY advice would be to call an electrician to run a new line.
Second, "changing" the wire to #12 is RARELY a valid option. Wiring is run through framing, in walls, secured the whole way. Replacing it make no sense whatsoever.
Running a new circuit to service the loads at hand is a much more logical way to go.

now... issue #1 lights.... sounds like you've got a bad ground somewhere... don't freak out! just check each outlet or junction box for/at each light. make sure you check the wire nuts are tight on each connection at every location; you'll have to loosen and tighten every connection... I'm sure you'll find the culprit.

The advice about checking splices and terminations is sound, but this has NOTHING to do with "grounds". A ground has absolutely nothing to do with the proper functioning of a circuit.