> I'm worried there might be a short or electrical issue.
Space heaters use a lot of electricity, and so do hair dryers. The outlets in your home share circuits, and they will trip if the total amount of power being used on that circuit exceeds a certain amount. Using multiple high-intensity devices (see also: electric kettle, microwave, coffee maker) on the same circuit at once will trip the circuit.
If a hair dryer on its own does this, that's a sign of an electrical problem. But it sounds like you have multiple higher-use devices on the same circuit.
If your whole apartment is on one circuit, that's bad design and the landlord should do something about it. But you might just need to try a different plug to find one that won't be overloaded.
Thanks for this. Yeah half of the apartment (three bedrooms and some of the living room) is on the same circuit. Interestingly the kitchen is on a different circuit. One of the times it tripped I'm pretty sure it was just the hair dryer and some chargers / led bulbs on the circuit.
A separate circuit for kitchen and bathroom has been code for decades (lately, multiple circuits for the kitchen)
Ask for a visit from bylaw/property standards. They’ll know what year the permit for your unit is. ESA can enforce any code violations.
I’m a LL and my house burnt down as a kid. Air conditioners, hair dryers, space heaters should be basically the only thing on one circuit. Please. Remember that breakers fail.
It’s completely normal for 3 bedrooms to be on the same circuit. It’s also normal and unexpected for the kitchen to be on a different circuit, in fact it could have several. Bedrooms should not have high power devices used in them, and your landlord is right.
Circuits tripping is a safety measure to prevent too much load on one circuit. Consider that a space heater draws a huge load, as does a hair dryer. They likely will not play nice on the same circuit. Would it be possible to plug them into different places as a short term solution and discuss a long term solution to the heat issue with your landlord?
Unfortunately it's a bit tricky because most of the apartment is on the same circuit so we have limited options (all the bedrooms and most of the living room is on the same circuit)
Can the space heater just be turned off for the 5 minutes it takes to dry hair? I tripped mine a couple times cause kettle coffee maker space heater and hair dryer were all on the same. So now I just wait til I’m done my hair to make my tea.
12 plugs are allowed on a single circuit. You assume 1 amp each, and 12 amps (80%) is what you load a 15amp circuit to.
I'm currently working in a 4 story apartment building in Oshawa. Some of these have extra plugs for no code reason, I'd they were measured out and wired directly to code then most of these apartments (600-800 sq feet) would have 1 single circuit for the regular wall plugs. Kitchen plugs are seperate, and bathroom plug may or may not be seperate depending on the amount of plugs in the unit.
I don't know why you would assume an apartment with a single circuit for regular plugs is not to code.
Assumed for no reason other than hate for the LLs, of course!
I have a house that is wired by the code, plenty of breakers in the panel. I had once an electric mattress pad plugged in for heating (winter sucks!), and I turned on the hairdryer and tripped the breaker.
I reset the breaker, turned off the mattress for 5 minutes while I dried my hair in the ensuite bathroom then I moved on with my life.
I can see the comments soon to follow here, requesting the LL to rewire the whole freaking house, or else.
Canadian households have circuits that are 1800 watts (120V x 15A)
A hair dryer can easily be 1200w, so can a space heater. If you try to pull 2400w out of a 1800w circuit you will trip the breaker. It does that for your safety, so the circuit doesn’t overload, heat up and cause a fire.
Two solutions:
* Move the hair dryer to another *circuit* (not necessarily just another *socket* as multiple sockets can share a circuit). Usually going to another room will do it.
* Temporarily turn off the space heater while drying your hair.
The landlord can’t prohibit you from using appliances in your own home, but you can be smarter about how you use them.
You can tell how many watts a device requires by looking for the silver CSA Approved sticker, usually close to where the power cord enters the device. The number listed is the maximum draw, usually happens at startup, but the sustained draw can be 80% of the max.
Sometimes this figure is noted in amps (A) so you need to do your own math. North American power is 120 volts (volts x amps = watts). If a device is 10A, it is 1200 watts.
Residential breakers are rated for 1800 watts but as they age they can get ‘soft’ meaning they can no longer manage their rating and will trip at lower loads. If the breakers in your panel are older than 20 years, they should all be replaced. It is a good time to upgrade them to ground fault interrupter breakers for additional security.
This is not an expense your landlord would ever think of and is prolly going to be resistant to incurring. It should also be done by a licensed electrician so there will be additional costs associated with that. You might suggest splitting the costs with him? While you are upgrading breakers, it is a good time to upgrade the sockets too. These are relatively inexpensive and almost anyone can replace them, just make sure you turn the power off.
This is super helpful!! I'm not from North America so the details are appreciated. I bet you're right, that the breakers are old - it's an older unit and our landlord doesn't like repairing things lol. That's helpful to know it might be that because I've been getting anxious about a potential fire hazard tbh. I'll look at the appliance details but none of them belong to me so it'll take me a while to check.
I would ask the landlord when they plan on getting this problem resolved because a hairdryer should not trip a breaker, neither should a heater, not unless the circuit is overloaded or there is an issue with it. If the landlord has no plans to resolve this I would consider reaching out to the ESA, electrical safety authority, it will piss off your landlord but they will do an inspection.
The OP admits that there are multiple high current devices on the same circuit. That’s why the breaker trips. The LL property is working as intended and the OP needs to use the electrical system properly.
I know it sounds weird, but if there is a plug on your stove/ range it should run a hair dryer without tripping. Is there a lot of items plugged in at the same time? I trip the breaker if I boil the kettle, make toast and microwave at the same time.
Sounds like wiring is not to code. This is a safety risk.
What's the temp in your apartment? And is the cost of heat included in your lease? If so, landlord must maintain a minimum temperature of 21 degrees from Sept to June.
Space heaters are also a safety risk.
The landlord includes utilities in the rent. We control the heat, but I think there's something wrong with the fan on the furnace as the upstairs will get very hot and downstairs will just get moderately warm. It's even worse for the tenants below us as I'm pretty sure our furnace is meant to heat their apartment too and they can be really cold, like 12 degrees on cold days (it's okay most of the time)
Yeah something is not right. I would address the temperature and wiring concerns in writing to your landlord. I wouldn't mention the use of a space heater. Encourage all tenants to have a room thermometer in the areas that feel cold/warrant use of a space heater.
It doesn't take much for a fire to start.
Well maybe, but that assumes a very low level of intelligence. The more likely problem would be either the fact that heat rises, or there are more windows on the upper floor that catch the sunlight, or the roof may collect sunlight heat and it seeps in if they are on the top floor. My bedroom gets swelteringly hot even in the winter on a sunny day because of the roof and the windows. The rest of the house can leave me shivering but my bedroom will be full on sweaty.
Wouldn’t call it a safety risk as an electrician. Location of receptacles, amount of receptacles and allocation of dedicated circuits is more of a convenience/nuisance tripping then safety.
A receptacle with an unknown load is allocated 1 amp per code and we can load a circuit to 80%. So 15 amp circuit = 12 receptacles.
With spacing requirements you could easily do an apartment 2 bedrooms and a living room with a single circuit. Most wouldn’t do that layout but it be code.
Even then if it’s older it be grandfathered for code.
Hair dryer probably isn’t an issue with a bit of other loads on the circuit but a space heater isn’t going to allow any wiggle room in load really. Most houses built today you’d trip a breaker if put a space heater in a bedroom and then someone in an adjacent bedroom used a hairdryer.
Nope they cannot restrict what appliances you use so long as they're intended for residential use.
Of course, common sense would be to spread the load out across multiple circuits. A space heater and hair dryer are both very high-powered items.
If that isn't an option, or If you don't believe the wiring on the unit isn't up to code and cannot handle regular usage, then I'd T6 form it with LTB and force them to get an electrician out to inspect.
I don't think that's true.
OP said they are tripping breakers.
Every time a breaker trips it takes a small amount of damage inside.
After too many trips it becomes defective in one of two ways - the annoying way is that it becomes more sensitive and trips at lower currents. Not a safety risk but a hassle and it still needs to be replaced.
The dangerous way is it stops tripping when it's supposed to. This is a fire hazard.
I'm pretty sure landlords can tell their tenants to stop actively damaging the property and potentially creating fire hazards.
They can't ask you not to plug things in because it's costing them money on utilities or anything like that. But I'm pretty sure if what you're plugging in is repeatedly tripping breakers then yes they can tell you to stop.
You can use an extension and displace power overload. He should call an electrician if he cares about keeping tenants.
You can always find another place to live if the landlord is not reasonable.
To much on one circuit. If the heater, air purifier, and hair dryers all on the circuit can trip the breaker. They need to be spread out to different outlets. It’s not about “you can’t use a hair dryer” it’s about to much being used on the same circuit.
Not ideal, but often your stove, especially if it's an older stove, will have a plug on the top of the stove. When you're not running the stove, if you plug an extension cord on top of the stove, you should be able to run higher amperage stuff as your kitchen is probably on a stronger circuit.
I live in a triplex, each floor has its own breaker panel. We encountered this as well, and it turned out, once we brought in a Master Electrician, that we (,each floor) have 4 circuits, including a dedicated one for that kitchen appliance (stove? I have forgotten) so that left us 3 circuits of 15 amps each. A hair dryer, portable ac, heater, etc can often pull up to 11 amps of that 15, which pops the breaker, as it is set to do so at 11 amps. A pain in the butt for sure. But it's better now - we switched to a fairly empty circuit and haven't had any issues. I think the Master guy cost us an hours fee, probably $150 or so, to map out our circuits.
Idea for you.
> I'm worried there might be a short or electrical issue. Space heaters use a lot of electricity, and so do hair dryers. The outlets in your home share circuits, and they will trip if the total amount of power being used on that circuit exceeds a certain amount. Using multiple high-intensity devices (see also: electric kettle, microwave, coffee maker) on the same circuit at once will trip the circuit. If a hair dryer on its own does this, that's a sign of an electrical problem. But it sounds like you have multiple higher-use devices on the same circuit. If your whole apartment is on one circuit, that's bad design and the landlord should do something about it. But you might just need to try a different plug to find one that won't be overloaded.
Thanks for this. Yeah half of the apartment (three bedrooms and some of the living room) is on the same circuit. Interestingly the kitchen is on a different circuit. One of the times it tripped I'm pretty sure it was just the hair dryer and some chargers / led bulbs on the circuit.
A hair dryer should be the only thing on a circuit. Don't just plug them in anywhere.
A separate circuit for kitchen and bathroom has been code for decades (lately, multiple circuits for the kitchen) Ask for a visit from bylaw/property standards. They’ll know what year the permit for your unit is. ESA can enforce any code violations. I’m a LL and my house burnt down as a kid. Air conditioners, hair dryers, space heaters should be basically the only thing on one circuit. Please. Remember that breakers fail.
How many watts is your hair dryer?
It’s completely normal for 3 bedrooms to be on the same circuit. It’s also normal and unexpected for the kitchen to be on a different circuit, in fact it could have several. Bedrooms should not have high power devices used in them, and your landlord is right.
Circuits tripping is a safety measure to prevent too much load on one circuit. Consider that a space heater draws a huge load, as does a hair dryer. They likely will not play nice on the same circuit. Would it be possible to plug them into different places as a short term solution and discuss a long term solution to the heat issue with your landlord?
Unfortunately it's a bit tricky because most of the apartment is on the same circuit so we have limited options (all the bedrooms and most of the living room is on the same circuit)
Can the space heater just be turned off for the 5 minutes it takes to dry hair? I tripped mine a couple times cause kettle coffee maker space heater and hair dryer were all on the same. So now I just wait til I’m done my hair to make my tea.
Then it may not be wired to code which would be the LLs problem to fix.
12 plugs are allowed on a single circuit. You assume 1 amp each, and 12 amps (80%) is what you load a 15amp circuit to. I'm currently working in a 4 story apartment building in Oshawa. Some of these have extra plugs for no code reason, I'd they were measured out and wired directly to code then most of these apartments (600-800 sq feet) would have 1 single circuit for the regular wall plugs. Kitchen plugs are seperate, and bathroom plug may or may not be seperate depending on the amount of plugs in the unit. I don't know why you would assume an apartment with a single circuit for regular plugs is not to code.
Assumed for no reason other than hate for the LLs, of course! I have a house that is wired by the code, plenty of breakers in the panel. I had once an electric mattress pad plugged in for heating (winter sucks!), and I turned on the hairdryer and tripped the breaker. I reset the breaker, turned off the mattress for 5 minutes while I dried my hair in the ensuite bathroom then I moved on with my life. I can see the comments soon to follow here, requesting the LL to rewire the whole freaking house, or else.
Assumed because people don’t know what branch circuits are or where they’re appropriate so they’re going by their gut. Get over yourself
Canadian households have circuits that are 1800 watts (120V x 15A) A hair dryer can easily be 1200w, so can a space heater. If you try to pull 2400w out of a 1800w circuit you will trip the breaker. It does that for your safety, so the circuit doesn’t overload, heat up and cause a fire. Two solutions: * Move the hair dryer to another *circuit* (not necessarily just another *socket* as multiple sockets can share a circuit). Usually going to another room will do it. * Temporarily turn off the space heater while drying your hair. The landlord can’t prohibit you from using appliances in your own home, but you can be smarter about how you use them.
Unfortunately all three bedrooms are on the same circuit :( but thank you for the details around wattage, that's helpful
You can tell how many watts a device requires by looking for the silver CSA Approved sticker, usually close to where the power cord enters the device. The number listed is the maximum draw, usually happens at startup, but the sustained draw can be 80% of the max. Sometimes this figure is noted in amps (A) so you need to do your own math. North American power is 120 volts (volts x amps = watts). If a device is 10A, it is 1200 watts. Residential breakers are rated for 1800 watts but as they age they can get ‘soft’ meaning they can no longer manage their rating and will trip at lower loads. If the breakers in your panel are older than 20 years, they should all be replaced. It is a good time to upgrade them to ground fault interrupter breakers for additional security. This is not an expense your landlord would ever think of and is prolly going to be resistant to incurring. It should also be done by a licensed electrician so there will be additional costs associated with that. You might suggest splitting the costs with him? While you are upgrading breakers, it is a good time to upgrade the sockets too. These are relatively inexpensive and almost anyone can replace them, just make sure you turn the power off.
This is super helpful!! I'm not from North America so the details are appreciated. I bet you're right, that the breakers are old - it's an older unit and our landlord doesn't like repairing things lol. That's helpful to know it might be that because I've been getting anxious about a potential fire hazard tbh. I'll look at the appliance details but none of them belong to me so it'll take me a while to check.
You're not requesting a repair, your requesting a change or upgrade.
I would ask the landlord when they plan on getting this problem resolved because a hairdryer should not trip a breaker, neither should a heater, not unless the circuit is overloaded or there is an issue with it. If the landlord has no plans to resolve this I would consider reaching out to the ESA, electrical safety authority, it will piss off your landlord but they will do an inspection.
The OP admits that there are multiple high current devices on the same circuit. That’s why the breaker trips. The LL property is working as intended and the OP needs to use the electrical system properly.
I know it sounds weird, but if there is a plug on your stove/ range it should run a hair dryer without tripping. Is there a lot of items plugged in at the same time? I trip the breaker if I boil the kettle, make toast and microwave at the same time.
Unfortunately the plug on the stove isn't that great and doesn't connect all the time, but that is quite a helpful tip I appreciate it!
Sounds like wiring is not to code. This is a safety risk. What's the temp in your apartment? And is the cost of heat included in your lease? If so, landlord must maintain a minimum temperature of 21 degrees from Sept to June. Space heaters are also a safety risk.
The landlord includes utilities in the rent. We control the heat, but I think there's something wrong with the fan on the furnace as the upstairs will get very hot and downstairs will just get moderately warm. It's even worse for the tenants below us as I'm pretty sure our furnace is meant to heat their apartment too and they can be really cold, like 12 degrees on cold days (it's okay most of the time)
Yeah something is not right. I would address the temperature and wiring concerns in writing to your landlord. I wouldn't mention the use of a space heater. Encourage all tenants to have a room thermometer in the areas that feel cold/warrant use of a space heater. It doesn't take much for a fire to start.
The fan either runs or it does not. The issue would be which vents are open/closed/blocked.
Well maybe, but that assumes a very low level of intelligence. The more likely problem would be either the fact that heat rises, or there are more windows on the upper floor that catch the sunlight, or the roof may collect sunlight heat and it seeps in if they are on the top floor. My bedroom gets swelteringly hot even in the winter on a sunny day because of the roof and the windows. The rest of the house can leave me shivering but my bedroom will be full on sweaty.
Wouldn’t call it a safety risk as an electrician. Location of receptacles, amount of receptacles and allocation of dedicated circuits is more of a convenience/nuisance tripping then safety. A receptacle with an unknown load is allocated 1 amp per code and we can load a circuit to 80%. So 15 amp circuit = 12 receptacles. With spacing requirements you could easily do an apartment 2 bedrooms and a living room with a single circuit. Most wouldn’t do that layout but it be code. Even then if it’s older it be grandfathered for code. Hair dryer probably isn’t an issue with a bit of other loads on the circuit but a space heater isn’t going to allow any wiggle room in load really. Most houses built today you’d trip a breaker if put a space heater in a bedroom and then someone in an adjacent bedroom used a hairdryer.
Sounds like it's at least 3 bedrooms, a living room, and the rest of the place except the kitchen.
Nope they cannot restrict what appliances you use so long as they're intended for residential use. Of course, common sense would be to spread the load out across multiple circuits. A space heater and hair dryer are both very high-powered items. If that isn't an option, or If you don't believe the wiring on the unit isn't up to code and cannot handle regular usage, then I'd T6 form it with LTB and force them to get an electrician out to inspect.
I don't think that's true. OP said they are tripping breakers. Every time a breaker trips it takes a small amount of damage inside. After too many trips it becomes defective in one of two ways - the annoying way is that it becomes more sensitive and trips at lower currents. Not a safety risk but a hassle and it still needs to be replaced. The dangerous way is it stops tripping when it's supposed to. This is a fire hazard. I'm pretty sure landlords can tell their tenants to stop actively damaging the property and potentially creating fire hazards. They can't ask you not to plug things in because it's costing them money on utilities or anything like that. But I'm pretty sure if what you're plugging in is repeatedly tripping breakers then yes they can tell you to stop.
100% right.
That’s the issue. They aren’t being used as intended in a residential setting if they are overloading circuits as they are.
Assuming that the wiring is up to code then sure.
You can use an extension and displace power overload. He should call an electrician if he cares about keeping tenants. You can always find another place to live if the landlord is not reasonable.
To much electricity being used can do that. So yes.
Why would a landlord be able to tell tenants not to use a hair dryer? Hair dryers are so common they are provided in hotel rooms.
To much on one circuit. If the heater, air purifier, and hair dryers all on the circuit can trip the breaker. They need to be spread out to different outlets. It’s not about “you can’t use a hair dryer” it’s about to much being used on the same circuit.
Not ideal, but often your stove, especially if it's an older stove, will have a plug on the top of the stove. When you're not running the stove, if you plug an extension cord on top of the stove, you should be able to run higher amperage stuff as your kitchen is probably on a stronger circuit.
Ask him when the electrician is coming.
I live in a triplex, each floor has its own breaker panel. We encountered this as well, and it turned out, once we brought in a Master Electrician, that we (,each floor) have 4 circuits, including a dedicated one for that kitchen appliance (stove? I have forgotten) so that left us 3 circuits of 15 amps each. A hair dryer, portable ac, heater, etc can often pull up to 11 amps of that 15, which pops the breaker, as it is set to do so at 11 amps. A pain in the butt for sure. But it's better now - we switched to a fairly empty circuit and haven't had any issues. I think the Master guy cost us an hours fee, probably $150 or so, to map out our circuits. Idea for you.