> Even the common plug-in circuit breakers made by Square D,
> Cutler-Hammer, and others are available in high-inrush
> versions- but you
> won't find them at Home Depot.
Yeah, I know. I've always heard them called "hi-mags", meaning higher
magnetic (current) trip point as compared to standard breakers, yet still
have the same thermal trip point for longer-term protection. I seem to
recall larger industrial breakers having a built-in delay for inrush current
trip protection. You're the power guy, you tell me :-)
> In the specific case you cited, it may be that the 20A
> circuit was shared
> with other equipment. That's not good.
In many cases, no, that wasn't the cause. But I agree that sharing a
circuit among multiple tenants is never a good idea, regardless of the
average or peak current draw. You never want one bad apple to spoil the
bunch.
And I only buy electrical supplies at the Depot when the good electrical
supply places are closed, like on a Monday, or at 10PM the night before a
job. I don't think I need to get into the reasons why...
--- Jeff
