Wiring for Macerating Toilet

[crokett]

The macerating pump for the basement toilet draws 7.5A when running. Not sure what startup is. This will be used by guests at night and the kiddies sometimes. I have 3 options for power:

15A that is used for family room outlets. Right now there are 2 60W bulbs, TV/DVD/etc on it. also plug laptops and the occaisonal vac into it.
It is the closest but is only 15A.

20A for washer and its ejection pump. IIRC total draw when both are running is ~14A. Next closest but do not want to overdraw the circuit.

1 of my 2 20A shop circuits. Most attractive for load balancing but least attractive because of long cable pull and therefore $$$. Leaning towards this option.

What say you?

[pelligrini]

I'd say put it on the washer circuit. It sounds that there is a smaller chance for both toilet and washer components to be running at the same time. I don't know how long the toilet pulls current, but it would probably be ok even if the washer was running.

[Tom Slick]

you need to add a circuit to your panel.
in your family room circuit if you were running the vac and flushed the toilet you'd pop the breaker.
if your washer was running and flushed the toilet you'd pop that breaker too.

if you were running your saw and flushed the toilet...

see a pattern?

[crokett]

you need to add a circuit to your panel.
if you were running your saw and flushed the toilet...

see a pattern?

I wish I could but no more room in the panel. Also I have 2 shop circuits, both 20A I already only use 1 for bench tools - saw, DP, etc and 1 for hand tools. I would add this to the hand tool circuit.

Since no one but me uses my tools, the chances of me using a hand tool and somone going potty are almost nil.

[Uncle Cracker]

I wish I could but no more room in the panel.

I'd add a circuit just for the crapper. Some types of panels accept half-width tandem breakers such as this one. This is not to be confused with a double breaker, such as you would have for a 220V application. The tandem will give you another circuit where you did not have a blank position available. As long as you do not fill your box with these, there is very little chance you will exceed the rating for your box. I am pretty sure that other manufacturers besides SquareD offer these as well.

[pelligrini]

Circuit breakers usually can handle more than they rated for short periods. That's why I wondered about the length of power cycle for the toilet. If it's fairly short, the likelyhood that the washer running full power draw and the toilet running at full power draw is slim.

And I was thinking selfishly as I do with my shop. I wouldn't want to give up any space or any available power.

[JimD]

I run my shop basically on one 20A circuit. I have a second that is for lights and the DC but all the tools run off 1 circuit. With only me in the shop, it has never been a limitation and I have never popped the breaker.

I have a couple half breaker in my panel, however. They are not tough to install. I did not look but I doubt the electric code allows that pump to be on a circuit that handles other things - or if it does, you would have to calculate the circuit and determine it could not reasonably go over the rating - have fewer other circuits.

Jim

[Uncle Cracker]

Now that I think about it, it might also require a GFCI...

[crokett]

Now that I think about it, it might also require a GFCI...

Got that covered. The shop circuit already has a GFCI outlet on it but if I branch off that one I need to put another GFCI in the outlet by the pedestal sink. The toilet will feed off that.

I am thinking about the tandem breaker setup too. Mostly I don't want to be messing around in the panel. Plus breakers for my box are a PITA to find. It was made by somebody who was bought by somebody who was bought by somebody. I had to add a circuit a while back and got two wrong breakers before I got the right one.

[Wandere]

Have to ask...macerating toilet? Honestly have no idea...wife thought it might be a model with a built-in log chipper.

Please tell me she's wrong...

-Rob

[Tom Slick]

your wife is correct. it chops the waste then pumps it up and out. they are for basements where the waste has to be pumped up to ground level and out of the house.

[dlminehart]

I don't know how true it is that there's no likelihood of your using hand tools while someone else uses the toilet. It's likely that you'd personally not do both at the same time! But a kid could flush while you're sawing. Looks like you might need an "Ask before flushing" sign if you're gonna put it on an already loaded circuit.

And "macerating toilet" is really the stuff of nightmares for toilet-training kids!

[crokett]

I am gonna add another circuit. I looked things over last night and decided the run was easier (parallel to the joists), shorter and I will want to put an outlet or two in my wife's utility room whenever I finish that out.