[Jhhnn]

The NEC has demanded at least 1 heavy duty 20A kitchen circuit for some while, so modern apts should have that. One of the slots in the wall receptacle will look like a T.

Lots of apt buildings have separate panels in each apt.

[troutman]

If you get an old extension cord and expose the wires at one end while plugging them into a large 20 pound turkey.
Plug it in the other end into an outlet and start our stopwatch. It takes about 1 minute per pound until it's well done
when you have a 15 amp fuse outlet.

So if it take less time where you are then you have more power than 15 amps per outlet.

[YetiOG]

Originally Posted by Bobby Boucher

Is there tool that can be used to deduce the electrical schematic of an apartment (which circuits are branched together + amperage potential of each circuit) without having access to the panel?

Just a very stoned morning musing. I've got myself a nice multi-meter and a circuit breaker finder, but.. without access to the panel, I don't see how they can do me any good.

I don't rent, I'm just curious if this is possible without having to overload each circuit 1 by 1 and calculate the draw it took to overload them. That seems like a stupid thing to do, all things considered.

Seems like a very application specific tool that probably doesn't exist, but I figured I'd ask anyway. Sorry, and thanks!

A voltage pen. Dont overload stuff just switch off one at a time and check and see what outlet is effected...

[kava]

hey the outlets with 14 gauge is a 15 amp breaker. Outlets with 12 gauge wire (thicker and stiffer) is on 20 amp breakers. the kitchen counter top outlet (2 per breaker) should be 20 amp. Fridge and clothes washer should be on breaker by them self each. Living areas (living room bedrooms and hallways not dinning rooms) should be on 14 gauge 15 amp breakers (no more than 10 outlets per breaker). that is just basic so hope it helps.

[cravin morehead]

As stated above, #12 wire is rated for 20amps. #14 is rated for 15 amps. Circuit breakers really protect the appropriate wire size from bring over loaded and burning up ��. That being said, in certain circumstances, the wires are rated for higher amps, i.e. free air. So, breakers are made to trip at 80% of the rated capacity. So in reality 20 amp breakers are supposed trip at 18 amps.

Cm

[Papa-Woodie]

Journeyman electrician.
Easiest method for finding what ccts are where is to turn on all thr lights in the house and get a plug tester. Turn all the breakers off except one. Everything that has power will be left on. Kitchens typically have 2x 20a ccts. Your nook, fridge, and outside plugs should be on their own 15a dedicated cct. Bedrooms should have 15a and all connected together.
If you want to know how much each cct is pulling, open your panel (or any plug if you don't have access) and use a clip on amp meter (most multi-meters have this) and clip around only one of the hot wires. Not both hot and neutral, as one will just cancel out the other and you'll have an inaccurate reading.

[Bobby Boucher]

Good info. The musing however was "what if you are a renting and don't have access to the panel?". Although I see now that wasn't made entirely clear by the first post.

I think the best answer was to simply open up all the boxes, gauge the.. gauges, and deduce which boxes are set up in series with a circuit toner. Then again, I'm no professional.

[coldcanna]

If you have a 240 outlet for clothes drier or electric kitchen range that wire would be big enough to set up a small subpanel with enough juice for a small grow room. Otherwise, like a few people have said - electrical ratings for amps is all a function of wire size so just pull open the outlets you need to use and see whats going on. If its a relatively new building you could prob assume each room has a feed, if its older well good luck haha

[exploziv]

To use a circuit without having acess to the circuit breaker seems stupid to m, cause sooner or later you will trip a breaker and have to reset it. Once you find what that circuit can take you need to install another breaker to basically be able to reset it without having to call the person that has access to the main breaker for that circuit. Basically, there's little chance of installing a big grow without having access to the main panel at least once. Unless you keep the power consumption at a safe level, under the recommended load for sockets in your country. That's 16Amps in Europe for 230V. Safe continous load would be 80% of that, so under 13A per socket, assuming there is nothing else on the same circuit that is drawing power. If there is, you would need to find a different socket on other circuit or substract the existing load from the recommended continous load.
I don't know what breakers are used on sockets in other places other that EU. Probably in the 10 to 20A as well.

[Bobby Boucher]

I'm talking 2x600w in lighting and 150w in 120 appliances split evenly between 2 circuits, er smaller. I wouldn't want to blow up a spot that wasn't mine with anything more than a light er two to begin with.

I more wanted to know wtf a circuit toner was even called. I figured there must be a tool for this application, but could not figure out for the life of me what it was called. fp.