help upgrading home power panels for lighting?

[bhunt240]

Well guys im taking a big step next year with my display and more than tripling my led count and going to 128 channels

Well the only 2 outdoor receptacles are both on the same 15a circuit one on each end of the house....

I have a single 100amp service in my house and my panel has 2 bottom breaker slots empty my main question is can you or should I say an electrician and a completely separate outdoor breaker/outlet panel (kind of like a camp ground or similar)

Or would I be better off to put in 2 breakers at the bottom that would be 2 dedicated circuits with multiple outlets?

does anyone have any pictures of their setups that I could get ideas from?

My display next year will consist of 20,000+ leds and I plan on expanding every year so dont want to have to redo my power requirements each year

Thanks guys

Blake

[Santas Helper]

Blake,

If your using all LEDs you can go a long way on two breakers at the bottom of the box.

Here is a shot of my display. EVERYTHING is on ONE 15a breaker. And it's all LED

My mega tree alone is over 20,000 LED lights. Not including the rest of my display, to include 32 10w LED RGB floods and strobes, mini trees, icicles and more.

Blake,

 

And to add, my lights don't dim during the show, telling me I have a little more room to expand.

[htebault]

I would suggest you add a circuit just to be used for your outside lights, and make it a GFI -  A qualified electrician could easily place two or more weatherproof duplex outlets for you.

I had one existing outside GFI circuit, had an electrican add two more that and, together with changing over to LED's (and no rain this season) gave me a fault free season.

[Orville]

If you have empty spaces/slots in your current circuit breaker panel, then you don't need the added expense of a separate power panel, you can just add in some GFI Circuit Breaker and have the electrician wire the outlets wanted to those CB's in the panel.    That's what I'm going to have done as soon as I can get up the extra funds to have it done.   I have 4 open slots in my CB panel, and I want to add at a minimum 7 more outside outlets, for a total of 8, duplex in front and back, and 3 along each side of the house.   I'll have the one currently on the one side rewired.

 

I could do all this myself, but it requires permits and be at the current electrical code ratings, so an electrician is going to be needed for what I want done to my home.  Although thinking about an extra one or two in the garden and/or maybe one along the opposite side of the driveway as well, then that would be a total of 11 duplex outlets.  doubt I'd really need that many, but would like to be prepared just in case I might some day.

[thevikester]

 That's what I'm going to have done as soon as I can get up the extra funds to have it done.   I have 4 open slots in my CB panel, and I want to add at a minimum 7 more outside outlets, for a total of 8, duplex in front and back, and 3 along each side of the house.   I'll have the one currently on the one side rewired.

 

 You currently only have one outside outlet?

[bhunt240]

i think im going to do the 2 empty slots with multiple dedicated outlets for lighting out front, thanks for the advice guys!

[Orville]

Since the darn quoting won't work with IE11, thanks Microsoft{jerks!}

 

@thevikester, yes, there is only ONE single duplex outlet outside my home and it's on the same side as the driveway, so I built an 5 duplex outlet box that is mounted to the frame of my rear porch stairs, the outlet feeds a duplex GFCI outlet that then feeds the 5 junction box {10 outlets} that I connect my controllers too, pond pumps, etc. in the garden area.   This is why when I can I will have this all modified so I have GFCI CB's installed and feeding all the exterior outlets I may need.      For now, my temporary outlet box set works well, but the problem is if I want to put a controller at the front or opposite side of the house, I have to snake a very long extension cord along the side of the house behind the skirting and to the controller, or crawl under the house and run an extension cord to the opposite side, so every year I do my display, running power cords is actually the worst part of setting up and getting my display functional.

 

Hoping I'll be able to get this changed in the near future, hopefully BEFORE I have to start setting up for the 2014 display season, but now that an handicap ramp is being installed in February, may have to do some additional modification as to where controllers and outlets will need to be placed!

[bobschm]

I'm picturing smart pixels all up and down that ramp. Nice!

[Orville]

@bobschm:  I'd love to be able to not only have smart pixels on the handicap ramp for both seasonal and off-seasonal use, but also all along the outline of the house,  for the off-season I could set them all to white and light the ramp up nicely in the evening as well.  And maybe even light the outline of the house if I so desired.

 

But smart pixels for me are still a ways off for the future.  

 

So I'll either use some white LED strands on the ramp.   Now I've got to go buy some more LED strands for the handicap ramp, since it's going to be quite long!   So until it gets built and completed, not sure what I'll be using on it just yet.

[Max-Paul]

Nice thing is that your not using your A.C. at this time of year. Well I see your down in Ky so I dont know for sure. I would think that you will be happy for many years with the two new circuits. Wonder if you could put one of those dual breakers in one breaker spaces. That would give you 4 new circuits. But not being there and not knowing what kind of load you have already have, I couldnt say for sure if this is possible.

[jerry72]

Nice thing is that your not using your A.C. at this time of year. Well I see your down in Ky so I dont know for sure. I would think that you will be happy for many years with the two new circuits. Wonder if you could put one of those dual breakers in one breaker spaces. That would give you 4 new circuits. But not being there and not knowing what kind of load you have already have, I couldnt say for sure if this is possible.

Have to have 2 empty slots, one on top of other for a dual breaker.

[Orville]

You're right about that Jerry.  A couple of the existing breakers in my home are dual breakers, and they require two slots in the breaker panel., and will be on top of each other.

 

Most often these are used for high power devices like your A/C and Heating unit, but not always, as my dining room/kitchen area use a double breaker which are definitely lower power than my AC/Heating circuit.

 

I actually have a total of 6 open slots in my CB panel, so I have plenty of room for my LOR expansion when needed.

[jerry72]

You're right about that Jerry.  A couple of the existing breakers in my home are dual breakers, and they require two slots in the breaker panel., and will be on top of each other.

 

Most often these are used for high power devices like your A/C and Heating unit, but not always, as my dining room/kitchen area use a double breaker which are definitely lower power than my AC/Heating circuit.

 

I actually have a total of 6 open slots in my CB panel, so I have plenty of room for my LOR expansion when needed.

I did a job in a house, total rewire job. When i started tracing wires, because there was nothing written in the box, I found several dual breakers hooked up for only like 4 outlets and maybe 2 switches. There was i think 6 of them, 1 was for the hot tub, the other for the range, but 4 were for low voltage. Had me perplexed.