Chiller Problems

[jenbertoni]

i jsut bought a chiller yesterday, but it keeps making my power go out in a certain area of the house, not the whole house. were able to turn it back on by switching the breakers, but it keeps going off every few hours. we tried getting rid of some things that were taking up electricity and spread the plugs evenly throught the room, but nothing helps. anyone eles have this problem or any suggestions???

 

[Mr Miagi]

I think you should be speaking to the manufacturer or the store in which you bought it. I would assume its still under warrenty? If so, deffinately speak to the manufacturer and see if you cant get to the botum of it. They might have solved this issue before with a previous customer.

 

[bamboo]

If it is not a faulty chiller then the problem sounds like it might be the circut breaker in the panel, it is probably a 15 amp swich, if so you could have it upgraded to a 20 amp by an electrican and it is very easy and cheap to do.

 

[jenbertoni]

I think you should be speaking to the manufacturer or the store in which you bought it. I would assume its still under warrenty? If so, deffinately speak to the manufacturer and see if you cant get to the botum of it. They might have solved this issue before with a previous customer.

yeah, we just got it brand new and it has a 2 year warrenty. ill call and see if they have had similar problems. thanks for the advice!

If it is not a faulty chiller then the problem sounds like it might be the circut breaker in the panel, it is probably a 15 amp swich, if so you could have it upgraded to a 20 amp by an electrican and it is very easy and cheap to do.

i think youre probably right. ive been talking to some people and they said similar things. i will probably have an electrician come out this week to give me an estimate. thanks for your help!

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, it might not be quite as easy as dropping a 20amp breaker in there. Depending on how old the wiring in the house is, it might be a much larger job than you're expecting. I'd first look into the power requirements of the chiller. Does it have a voltage and current rating on it? I would imagine we're talking somewher ein the 10amp range (if its a US source). If your chiller is rated for 15 amps, then you're blowing the circuit breaker for a reason

 

[bamboo]

Ski is correct, If the amps are that high you will need a dedicated line, to hold the unit. Assuming the wiring is still good. Good Luck

 

[crazyelece]

whatever you do - DO NOT DROP A 20 AMP BREAKER IN FOR A 15!

Most likely the breaker is tripping for a reason and that reason is overloading the line. This won't be any problem with the chiller itself but the electricity in the house. First thing to do would be to see if it works on other outlets in the house. Even if it is impractical to leave running in these spots it will tell you if it blows the breaker everywhere (which is a sign of a short internal to the chiller). Most likely though a chiller is much like a refridgerator and needs a dedicated line.

15 amp breakers though are used in conjunction with 14 gauge wire. If a 20 amp breaker is swapped out in place of the 15 amp, the breaker would not trip soon enough on a heavy load. The wiring could heat to the point the insulation melts and can cause a fire. Never play with any electric unless you know what you are doing. Its cheaper to pay an electrician than to replace property or medical bills.