My 15 amp circuit breaker that has the basement, garage lights and outdoor
lights and outlet is tripping a lot after putting up my Christmas lights. I
tried spacing the decorations aroun to different outlets but it still trips.
Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp without causing any problems? Thanks for any
info

The circuit breaker's job is to limit the amount of current to that which
the wire can handle safely. If you increase the breaker size, you allow the
wire to be overheated and create a potential fire hazard. Try finding
another outlet on a different circuit to split up your lights
"Rennyboy" wrote in message
...
My 15 amp circuit breaker that has the basement, garage lights and outdoor
lights and outlet is tripping a lot after putting up my Christmas lights.
I
tried spacing the decorations aroun to different outlets but it still
trips.
Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp without causing any problems? Thanks
for any
info

No.
If any of the circuit is 14ga wire, that's why the breaker is 15A. You
would instead
need to find some load to get off that circuit to compensate for the added
lights.

Bill

"Rennyboy" wrote in message
...
My 15 amp circuit breaker that has the basement, garage lights and outdoor
lights and outlet is tripping a lot after putting up my Christmas lights.
I
tried spacing the decorations aroun to different outlets but it still
trips.
Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp without causing any problems? Thanks
for any
info

Could you have a GFI on that circuit? My guess is the GFI is tripping
and you have a wiring problem with one or more of those light strings. Are
they all in like new condition and are they all rated for outside use? I
believe the red UL sticker is used for outdoor rated lights, or is it green?

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math


"Rennyboy" wrote in message
...
My 15 amp circuit breaker that has the basement, garage lights and outdoor
lights and outlet is tripping a lot after putting up my Christmas lights.
I
tried spacing the decorations aroun to different outlets but it still
trips.
Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp without causing any problems? Thanks
for any
info

Good point, but in addition, it just could be a bad breaker. It depends
on how much load is being added.

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Could you have a GFI on that circuit? My guess is the GFI is tripping
and you have a wiring problem with one or more of those light strings. Are
they all in like new condition and are they all rated for outside use? I
believe the red UL sticker is used for outdoor rated lights, or is it green?

Rennyboy wrote:
My 15 amp circuit breaker that has the basement, garage lights and outdoor
lights and outlet is tripping a lot after putting up my Christmas lights. I
tried spacing the decorations aroun to different outlets but it still trips.
Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp without causing any problems? Thanks for any
info

Rennyboy,

Could it be possible that one of your light strings has a short? If they
works for awhile, could one of them possibly have an intermittent short?

If it were a simple case of overloading the circuit with too many
things, I would think those other things would have to be ON for the
breaker to trip.

Tell us, does it trip with all of these items on? (Garage lights,
outdoor lights, etc...)
--Mike

"Mike Fritz" wrote in message
ink.net...
Rennyboy wrote:
My 15 amp circuit breaker that has the basement, garage lights and
outdoor
lights and outlet is tripping a lot after putting up my Christmas
lights. I
tried spacing the decorations aroun to different outlets but it still
trips.
Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp without causing any problems? Thanks
for any
info

Rennyboy,
..
Who wrote "Can I upgrade the 15 amp to 20 amp ..... " Wow! That's 33% more
load. 20/15 = 1.33
Geez. No! You don't overcome/fix one problem by creating another!
The 15 amp breaker, if as installed originally by a competent person, should
be the correct size to protect the size of wiring that was used. You
wouldn't, I hope, put two extra people into a five seat car and expect it to
not be overloaded?
It definitely appears as if there is just too much stuff plugged in to that
one circuit. Unless the breaker is faulty (which sounds unlikely) the
tripping is a definite indication of at/near overload.
The 15 amp circuit is capable of supplying a maximum but steady load of
about 1600 watts, of all types. But if there is something such as fridge
with a motor it can take quite a big load every time it starts that takes it
well over capacity for a short while. That can trip the breaker on an
already heavily/over loaded circuit.
Putting the decorations on different outlets won't help a bit IF THEY THOSE
OUTLETS ARE ALL ON THE SAME CIRCUIT AND BREAKER! At very least spread the
load onto different circuits.
BTW in event of an insurance claim, or God forbid a fatality, incorrect
electrical could invalidate your policy and or create a liability!
Be careful.

I think it may be a problem caused by moisture. What is the best way to
eliminate any kind of water from getting into the receptacles?

How can one think or suspect anything without first doing
numbers? Those lights have numbers on them. How much power
does each draw? No one can responsibly answer your question
without numbers. You provided none. Therefore all answers
are only wild speculation - in some cases to keep you from
making matters worse.

I suspect your lights draw trivial amounts of current - no
where near to 15 amps. Then you would put in a larger breaker
so that shorted lights cause a fire inside walls? Think man.
The breaker is saying you have created a human safety
problem. So you blame the 15 amp breaker?

What type of breaker - another missing facts?
Conventional? GFCI? What is causing failure remains
completely unknown without sufficient information - especially
numbers. What scares most is your immediate assumption that
maybe a larger breaker is required.

How many lights with what numbers? What else is on the
circuit? List of everything that loses power when the breaker
trips is necessary. What type of circuit breaker? If
moisture is causing a problem, then likely you have a threat
to human life. Only circuit breaker is preventing problem
from becoming worse. For example, interior lights that get
wet better trip a breaker. Don't wildly speculate. The
worse case result is not called an accident. It would be
called criminally negligent homicide.

Most likely reason why circuit breaker was tripping - so
that humans are not harmed by that mistake. Now we must find
that mistake. Currently you have posted woefully insufficient
information for anyone to provide a useful answer. Don't
speculate without facts - especially without numbers.

Rennyboy wrote:
I think it may be a problem caused by moisture. What is the best way to
eliminate any kind of water from getting into the receptacles?