Current Draw of RCBS Pro Melt

[dbarnhart]

I'm planning on retiring Sir Dripsalot (Lee 10# Production Pot 4) soon. I'm looking at the RCBS 110V Pro-Melt. None of the information I can find states the current draw. I emailed RCBS and they say it draws 15Amps which seems an awful lot. (The Magma Masterpot draws 13 Amps)

It's an 800 watt furnace so I'd think the current draw would be around 7.5 amps.

Are any of you using the RCBS Pro-Melt on a 15Amp circuit?

[RydForLyf]

I'm planning on retiring Sir Dripsalot (Lee 10# Production Pot 4) soon. I'm looking at the RCBS 110V Pro-Melt. None of the information I can find states the current draw. I emailed RCBS and they say it draws 15Amps which seems an awful lot. (The Magma Masterpot draws 13 Amps)

It's an 800 watt furnace so I'd think the current draw would be around 7.5 amps.

Are any of you using the RCBS Pro-Melt on a 15Amp circuit?

Midway states that it is an 800 watt pot. 800 Watts / 110 volts = 7.27 AMPS

That is a little more than half of a big hair dryer, which is usually 1,500 watts.

Chuck

[Rockchucker]

Midway states that it is an 800 watt pot. 800 Watts / 110 volts = 7.27 AMPS

That is a little more than half of a big hair dryer, which is usually 1,500 watts.

Chuck

That's correct sir

volts divided into watts = amps= 7.27

[theperfessor]

Not questioning the info from RCBS, but are you sure they said it draws 15 amps, or that it needed to be run on a 15 amp circuit? There's a difference.

I'm running a 20 lb Lyman furnace and a GE hot plate, both controlled by a dual PID controller, all on the same 20 amp circuit at the end of a 25 ft extension cord made from 12 gauge wire. Haven't popped a breaker yet.

I could see the momentary current rush requiring a 15 amp breaker (as opposed to a 10 amp breaker perhaps) at initial start up, but can't imagine blowing a 15 amp breaker during normal operation.

[C.F.Plinker]

The nameplate on mine also says 800 watts. A 15 amp circuit should be good to go as long as you don't have another 800 watts of continuous loads, such as lights and fans, running on it at the same time.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I run mine at the end of a 100 foot long 15 amp circuit and there is a 25 foot 16 ga extension cord in there too. My hot plate is plugged into the same circuit also.

There is no starting current on a heating coil so what you see is what you get. 7.5 amps is the draw.

RCBS recommends a 15 amp circuit as that is normally the minimum size circuit in a house wired with 16ga romex. I used 14 ga romex when I wired my garage but it still only has a 15 amp CB.

no need to worry here.

Randy

[dbarnhart]

s
Not questioning the info from RCBS, but are you sure they said it draws 15 amps, or that it needed to be run on a 15 amp circuit?


My specific question was:

How much current does your 110V Promelt use? How Many Amps?

Their reply was simply:

15 Amps

I think that W.R. Buchanan's reply settles it that RCBS mis-spoke and they want a 15amp circuit not that it draws 15 amps.

[Catshooter]

keith,

A heating element is a resistive load there is no inrush current.

Randy is correct in everything he says except for the 16 gauge Romex, pretty sure there is no such animal. Fourteen is minimum.

The RCBS person mis-spoke to you.


Cat

[W.R.Buchanan]

Upon frurther inspection my Romex is in fact 14 ga. I did get all the wires connected right though.

At least the place hasn't burnt down yet!

Randy

[theperfessor]

Cat, now you know why I'm a Mechanical, not Electrical engineer! Appreciate the correction. Main point is that OP got answer he was looking for. It's probable that the RCBS person he talked to knows less about electricity than I do and just read something off a fact sheet.

[Catshooter]

Exactly correct, both Randy and Keith. :)


Cat