Multiple Fridges / 1 breaker....?

Okay so I know refridgerators are supposed to be on their own breaker. BUt I though, I'll check my ratings just incase.

Scenario:
Currently have a Chest freezer in the Garage with an Am rating os 1.38A.That seems low to me for a fridge, but I just checked my Chest freezer in the basement that Im using for a keezer and it's 1.3x as well. Do Chest freezers just have smaller Amp Ratings or is this not the correct number for whatnumber for max CUrrent draw? It's the only Ampere Rating on the service tag. Now the side by side in the kitchen rates 11.5A, That sounds right.
The new fridge (The reason for the question) states 6.5A. I'd love to just throw it on the same circuit (saves me from running a new breaker and drop into the garage) if it's ok. I mean it's a 15-20A breaker, I'd have to double check) and only 7.88A That's far less than the 80% Recommended load in the garage! Aside from the fridges one that circuit is aslo a garage door opener, I'll have to check that one, and 2 lights. THe main question is Do these low 1.3x A ratings on the Chest Freezers and even teh low 6.5A rating on the new (new to me, actaully its 20 years old) fridge sound right?
I need the fridge cooling by this weekend for a planned brew for fermenting and would like it on a couple days in advance to fine tun the temp to 65* before putting my wort in there. I plan n filling my fermenter with oxiclean to clean it so I would throw that in the fridge while setting temps, assuming it goes that high..? Ranco is in the fridges near future, but fermenting wort is even closer in it's future.

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be), fridges are supposed to be on their own circuit so that nothing else you might be running on their circuit will trip the breaker and cause the refrigerator to lose power. I think it's food safety C.Y.A.

It would most likely be fine on one breaker. Check the draw on the door opener to find out if you'll max out the breaker.

if it's a 15A breaker and you've got 12Ga wiring you can swap the breaker out to a 20A and have a bit more room.

Doesn't sound to me like you will be overloding the circuit. I doubt all three will cycle at the same time and cause a "break" condition. Worst case, the beer gains a few degrees, Not like food in your primary fridge. OK RDWHAHB

Rick500 said:

If I'm not mistaken (and I may be), fridges are supposed to be on their own circuit so that nothing else you might be running on their circuit will trip the breaker and cause the refrigerator to lose power. I think it's food safety C.Y.A.

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This is because most fridged at upwards of 11-12 + amps. THat would need it's own 15 Amp breaker after you take into account that you're only supposed to load a breaker ~80%

But the two fridges in question only add up less than 7 amps.


Thanks for the other opinions. I just wasn't sure mainly about teh low rating for the chest freezers. Does anybody know why they draw so much less???

So no other opinions about 1.3x amps being extremely low for a freezer?

My CL GE 7.0 chest freezer seems to show 5 amps. It does indeed seem low.

I emailed Magic Chef inquiring about this. They replied, "the info on the tag is the info we have." I said "Nobody knows the Full Amp load of the freezer? How can you design an electrical appliance and not know this information? Is there another email address of someone who would know more information? This is basic information for placing the unit on a household circuit!". I haven't gotten a reply.

That seems like a "we don't want to tell you" or a "we're too lazy to look into it" answer. Get yourself a kill-a-watt if you're really curious. It plugs in between your fridge and outlet and shows you amps, watts, kwh, time, etc. A handy little device for less than $30.

I didn't know those showed Amps. I could just borrow a clip on Amp meter from work and force the freezer on.

I don't think you need to worry about the 80% load. Continuous load means over 3 hours, the fridge will not cycle on for 3 hours IMHO You are way below 80% anyway so you'll be fine.

well no breakers kicked yesterday or last night so I should ok. Only problem now is the firdge on warmest setting is 41*F. Not going to have time (commonly spelled m-o-n-e-y) to get a ranco before this weekend...Maybe I can find a cheap thermstat at menards that'll allow me to go to 65.

It's been a few years, and the cobwebs might be showing, but...

I seem to recall that it's not the on-state current that you have to worry about, but the start-up current; since the compressor is basically an electric motor, it will draw a large amount of current when it starts up. This is the reason why a refrigerator outlet is exempted from having a GFCI; this in-rush of current could trip a GFCI, which is bad news.

My only concern with two appliances on the same circuit would be if they were to both kick on at precisely the same time. Since both would be drawing a large current at the same time, there is a chance the breaker could trip. I don't know enough about this to say whether or not this would be a problem, just stating that it COULD be an issue. Hopefully someone else out there knows a little more than I do, and can carry on from here.

I have two fridges (a newer GE and an older than dirt Westinghouse), two garage door openers and my mini-fridge ferm cabinet... And I think they are all on the same breaker... Nothing trips unless I plug in the air compressor and it kicks on when the fridges are running...

cool. That's alot Duckfoot! What size breaker?
I understand it's just startup current draw, but it's possible (albeit unlikely) that they kick on together.
Next problem is temp control. I picked up a thermostat at Menards last night and brought it to work to look at wiring and such. The first thing I see when I pull out the manual sheet, is Not for outputs over 1A! Why can they not put this ANYWERE on the package? You have to BUY it and OPEN it to find this out. ugh. Is there any hope of finding a thermostat that could handle the load of a fridge compressor at a Lowes/Menards/HomeDepot type store? Or am I hosed on this weekends brew using my new fermentation fridge until I can order a Ranco?

You could hook the 1A output to a relay. I don't know if those are expensive or not though.

Yeah, I was thinking that, But then also saw that the thermostat doesn't except a 120V voltage. What the heck poweres these things. It take 2 AAA battereies, but that can't all that powers an AC unit and furnace can it?

Anyone explain how these are powered in home systems>

Depending on the unit, you could use it to gate 12-24v that would be used to switch a 12v relay. The output of the 12v relay would control the 120v end of things.
Hope that helps,
Tom

I returned the thermostat and bought a LUX WIN100. I may have found a locally available lower cost alternative to a ranco. There is a male plug on the back that you plug into wall or extension cord, then a female on the front that you can plug either a refrigerator or heater into for heating/cooling. It says it can handle anything on a normal 15A breaker and upon opening to have a look at it's insides, there is a 16A Relay inside. My only concern with it is the probe is only about 2 inches long. But where it connects inside it is just spade terminals. So I am planning on lengthing the probe leads and reattaching.

I don't know much about Temp probes and the documenbtation doesn't state what type probe it is. But Generally. Does the length of the lead have much to do with the readout? IE if I lengthen it by say 24" will it through off the accuracy? Or will the resistance not change much in those extra 24" for effect it's feedback?

It was $35 (although I'm now finding it online for $29-$34)
Only downside is that it's programmable so to keep a steady temp you have to go through the programming of each time period for the week and weekend and set to your temp.

Chances are it's a thermistor, they're the cheapest temp sensor around and give good results. If this is the case, lengthen away!

IrregularPulse said:

cool. That's alot Duckfoot! What size breaker?

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Not sure... I will double check when I get back home... Thinking it is a 20A... May be a 15A though...

I plan on an upgrade when I run the electical for the wall I framed in...

Well I toosed the themrmostat inside the fridge with a poser word to pwoer the thermostat and the fridges power cord just squeezed between the doors seal. Once it got to temp I checked with my Fluke Meter's temp probe. Fridge set to 65, Fluke read 64.0-65.0. AWESOME. after my brewe tomorrow (just couldn't wake up this morning) I'll think Of a better way to mount everything.

jpc said:

It's been a few years, and the cobwebs might be showing, but...

My only concern with two appliances on the same circuit would be if they were to both kick on at precisely the same time. Since both would be drawing a large current at the same time, there is a chance the breaker could trip. I don't know enough about this to say whether or not this would be a problem, just stating that it COULD be an issue. Hopefully someone else out there knows a little more than I do, and can carry on from here.

Click to expand...

I did a very dumb thing years ago. Plugged a dehumidifier, an upright 16cuft freezer and a sump pump on a 20A circuit. Things were fine for 2 years, then on a rainy summer evening 2 or 3 of the units must have fired up together. I lost a freezer full of food and had a flooded basement to boot. I would measure start up power use for everything using that circuit.

well worst case my beer ferments at the wrong temp if there is any in there and I walk past and check the other freezer daily, but I'll double check everything. Right now I have 10 gallons in my new fridge fermenting away. Had to do a little emergency fridge surgery after my wort was already in my fermenter and then I realized it doesn't fit with the door closed and needed lifted 10 inches due to a slope in the back.