On Aug 4, 8:32*am, jamesgangnc wrote:
On Aug 4, 12:37*am, Higgs Boson wrote:





On Aug 2, 4:14*am, "RBM" wrote:

"Higgs Boson" wrote in message

....
On Aug 1, 10:11 am, jeff_wisnia
wrote:

Higgs Boson wrote:
Lately, one circuit on my box blows. It covers the microwave and
regular oven. I could
understand it blowing when another heat-using appliance, like toaster
oven or toaster runs at same time as microwave. But now it's blowing
all on its own.

Last time, today, only the micro was being used, to "reduce" a glass
dish of chicken drippings.

Can one circuit go bad all on its own? If so, why? And what should I
do about it.

Any info appreciated.

Since nobody has mentioned this yet and it sounds like it's a kitchen
circuit, is the breaker perchance a GFI one?

The microwave may have marginal "hot to ground" leakage which sometimes
becomes high enough to trip a GFI breaker.

If it's not a GFI breaker, then I'll side with those who say, "change
the breaker.

The breaker box was installed many years ago and I don't have any
paper work on it. *Is there a way for a *non-techie to ascertain
whether it is a GFI breaker?

Also, is it normal for a near-new MW to have the "marginal "hot to
ground" leakage? * How do I ascertain this?

(Starts to look like an expensive electrician visit...sob...)

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10e12 furlongs per fortnight.

From your two replies, it sounds like this circuit is not dedicated to the
microwave. Is it a 15 or 20 amp circuit? What is the wattage of the
microwave? If there is truly nothing else operating simultaneously on the
circuit, and it trips, it's most likely a problem with the microwave, or a
bad breaker. Have you checked to see if anything else goes out when that
circuit trips, such as the refrigerator or something in another room?

The microwave is only a few months old, as I mentioned earlier. *It is
a
Sears Kenmore Elite. *Here are the specs:

Power Supply: * *120 V AC, 60 Hz
Rated Power Consumption: *1,600 W
Microwave Output: *1,200 W
Rated Current: 14.0 A

You are correct; the circuit is not dedicated to the microwave. *As
another poster mentioned, older houses don't always have dedicated MW
circuits.

How do I find out whether it is a *15 or 20 amp circuit? *Is this
relevant if, as it appears, I will have to have a
dedicated MW circuit installed?

******QUESTION: *What should such an electrician visit cost, including
parts. This is a fairly expensive area,
and I am not a fairly expensive homeowner, so I need to budget ahead.
Estimates appreciated.

In answer to your q. if anything else goes out when the circuit
trips: *No, just the light panel on the wall oven
and the toaster and/or toaster oven IF either happens to be on and
pulling juice. *Nothing in another room.

Your advice much appreciated.

As another poster mentioned, older houses don't always have dedic- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

By reading the breaker handle. *If it is a 15amp circuit then it would
be helpful to know how much of the rest of the kitchen is on it. *That
microwave is going to pull around 12 to 13 amps based on it's 1600
watt label. *If you are on a 15amp circuit and the fridge is also on
it then your problem is probably that the fridge tries to start up
while the microwave is running. *I'm also inclined to guess you had a
less powerfull microwave before. *You can not use other stuff in the
kitchen while microwaving but you can't really easily control when the
fridge will try to kick in.

Upgrading the circuit to 20 amp is not very practical. *Running a new
dedicated circuit for the microwave would be your simplest solution.
How much that costs depends on a lot of variables like distance from
the breaker panel and how difficult it will be to run the wire. *Where
you are factors in as well, some locations are only going to allow a
licensed electrician or the homeowner to perform this work. *In that
case an economical alternative solution is to get a more knowledgable
friend to help you diy it. *You'd be better off getting some local
quotes as far as possible prices go than asking here.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Agree with the above. The MW is rated at 14 amps, 1600 watts. If
it's on a 15 amp breaker, that doesn't leave much for any other load.
Which is why with new wiring there is a dedicated circuit for the
microwave. Another possible alternative that would be a lot less
expensive is finding a MW that is lower power.

But first he needs to determine:

Is it a 15 amp breaker/circuit?
What else is on that circuit.
Can he easily avoid any additional load on the MW circuit by moving
any other loads to a different circuit, eg plug the toaster into a
different outlet.