uneboite Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Are there monolights that never goes above 15 amps? Many monolights operates at 6 or 8 amps, but during recycle time theycan peak at 18 amps for a short period of time. I'm too frightenedof starting a fire (my breakers are 15 amps). Even though many peopleclaim that it is not dangerous because it is such a short time...Im in a very old building with old dried wires so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_mullineaux Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 Most household breakers are 15A and many office breakers are too. I haven't heard of 18A peak draws on mono lights. I use pack and heads, but my Balcar pack has a slow and fast recharge times. I believe the slow setting only draws 4A at 120v. So you might want to look for lights with adjustable recharge settings. I think Speedotron also has this feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uneboite Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Well yes, thanks for the insight :) I think I should have written that I'm on a budget being an amateur, with lets say max 700$(Can) to invest on one light (for a start). I'll try to find ajustable recycling time, I don't need the fastest light in town... So it is an interresting avenue. And yes many monolights are stated to work at 5 or 8 amps but also to have a very short duration peak during recycling time wich may go above 15 amps (i've read about 18 amps...). Some people may run the risk, a choice I respect, but I'm too scared of fire when I'm home or even at my model's home... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenn usdin Posted February 12, 2006 Share Posted February 12, 2006 joe, in addition to being a photographer I am also a fire chief. Believe what the folks wrote you. The draw from any single strobe will not exceed any wiring you have in any dwelling that I have ever seen. While the peak draw might exceed the rating for a few miliseconds, the energy is not enough to cause a high enough amount of heat. So you wouldnt create enough heat to melt the insulation and then ignite the material surrounding the wiring. No heat, no fire. If the wiring is that bad that you are worried about fire, replace the wiring. But the strobe isn't going to draw enough to cause a fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uneboite Posted February 12, 2006 Author Share Posted February 12, 2006 Thanks for the comment Glenn, I appreciate a lot. BTW: I feel the need to say how amazed I am to see people like you (both of you, and futur answerers if there are others) taking time to help people. Again, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmf Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Let me qualify a few things written here. Old houses tend to have fewer branches, so while it is true that the rather brief spike (and depending on the flash, it can be much more than a few milliseconds) shouldn't be a problem, it's very unlikely that the flash is the only thing on the branch. Even the extra load of a 250w modeling light (about the same as 4 table lamps) can be a problem when you have 3 or 4 of them lit at the same time. A circuit rated 15 amps is actually rated for 12 amp continous. This comes up periodicly in the forum. Most older breakers are thermal and are supposed to protect correctly rated and installed wiring in good condition. Breakers that are run near max for long periods actually become less "sensitive" and can end up allowing more current than they should. Newer ones also trigger on things like arcs, GFI and current surges, but unless you're renovating, nobody replace breakers. I'm on 100 amp service for the whole house with 20amp branches (for wall outlets). I had a 2000ws and a 2400ws pack plugged into seperate branches. When I fired (at about 1/4 pwr for both), the line voltage dropped enough to trigger my computer UPS for about 3/4 of a second. I was also using 3 heads with modeling lights (1 at 250w and 2 at about 200w). As long as I was not firing very often, I doubt I was heating anything up. Not sure what would of happened if I had been shooting fashion style. My suggestion, (and I'm not trying to scare you) is that if you'll be using the strobes regularly, you have an electrician in to check the current breaker loads, identify branches, and maybe have a general look at the state of the wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uneboite Posted February 13, 2006 Author Share Posted February 13, 2006 Hehe. Now I feel like in an old cartoon where the guy had a small angel on his left side telling him to be good and carefull and on the rigth side a small devil telling him "enjoy life". No seriously, thanks for your comments. Now it is my job to sort out my situation with the help of all the parameters you mention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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