So how many lava lamps does it take??

[VanessaB]

Does anyone know exactly how many lava lamps one can plug into a wall outlet without overloading it? I have been looking for one of those long 48" power strips with a dozen or more outlets for a wall display but not really sure how many I should actually plug into it it.

Thanks in advance,

Vanessa

[Modulo '70]

Hi Vanessa and thanks for the friend acceptance.
there are guys here who will be able to give you this info no probs as they like to display 20 or even 30 lamps at a time! I on the other hand am only brave enough to light up about 2-3 at a time lol

Regards and lava peace

jerome

[VanessaB]

At my last house, I had seven plugged into one outlet but it always made me nervous...lol... read someone on here had over 300 lava lamps and was thinking someone most know how to figure this out. Most of my lamps and gadgets are rated at 15 to 40 watts with the bulk of them at 25. Of course most of the circuits are 15amp. Including the garage, which I am turning into a home gym. I just finished wallpapering it with old, yellowed, newspapers I collected online from the 30's to the 70's I have The Moon Landing, Lennon gets shot, Watergate, Agnew, Kennedy stories, Hindenburg, Reagonomics, Dr. Ruth etc. I still have to put the gloss coating on this weekend but when it's done I have a plan for a really great window display with the lamps, Plasmas, and flat beaded curtains. Hard to explain but looks really great in my head...lol I also have a lot of other funky stuff to display in there as well. This is going to be my "Happy Place" when I'm done and I will post pics when I finish. BTW, I really enjoy seeing everyone elses Displays because it gives me ideas ;)

[Dave]

well i have a 12 plug socket that i plug into my wall socket in my room and it runs my tv, computer, my lava lamps and my grande and hasnt shorted out yet!

[LampHead]

A 15 amp circuit can run 2200 watts but all electricians will tell you to only load the circuit to about 70% of rating for continuous use, which would be about 1540 watts. Add up what you want to put on that circuit and dont forget about other things that may also run off that circuit. The risk of fire is nil if you have circuit breakers vs. fuses....circuit breakers will trip if you overload them. I have 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits for my lamps and have yet to trip the breaker, I can turn on well over 100 lamps at once but I think you will find the heat generated will be too much to stand. I run about 10 to 20 lamps at a time in a room that is 14x14 and it gets pretty hot in there, I have ran all my lamps (300+ range) at once and it was over 100 degrees within 1 hour....by the time they were flowing I had to shut it down, it was just too hot in there. Lava lamps are basically little heaters, add them up and it starts to get hot quick.


LampHead

[Dave]

yes that would make alot of heat in the room! plus the electic bill will go through the roof! But i have an AC system so i will never get to hot : P

[VanessaB]

Thanks everyone for the info! I feel so much better now. The breeze shouldn't be an issue since I will have them on while I'm working out. A fan is a must when working out since I usually do it for 2 or 3 hours at a time. If I gotta be stuck on excercise equipment that long I at least want something interesting to look at =)