# Amperage draw when nothing plugged in



## sokoservices (Feb 23, 2010)

Had a guy tell me today that since the panel was full and 90% of the circuits didnt have any amp draw that becuase there as a wire on the breaker and an outlet on the other end that it has to be using something..... causing excessive wasted energy.



How do i explain this to the guy that he is WRONG?

Thanks


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Don't waste your time with guys like this. If he wants you do actually do something, let him prescribe the "repair", do it, collect your money, and move on. I've made a metric shet ton of money in the past doing work for wack jobs using that method. 

The old standby joke is to tell him to stick some of those things in the receptacles you use to keep kids from sticking bobby pins in them, and that will keep the electrons in.


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## kaboler (Dec 1, 2010)

sokoservices said:


> Had a guy tell me today that since the panel was full and 90% of the circuits didnt have any amp draw that becuase there as a wire on the breaker and an outlet on the other end that it has to be using something..... causing excessive wasted energy.
> 
> How do i explain this to the guy that he is WRONG?
> 
> Thanks


Could ask him how many watts he thinks he's using. And energy used is measured in wattage. He could phone the power company and ask them to confirm your side of the story.

Maybe he looks at his power bill and wonders what the "transmission cost" is?


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

Marc's right, you can never win an argument with a guy in a tinfoil hat.


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

He is correct, there is some energy loss with a connected wire, but I am not sure it could be measured. No insulation is perfect and the leakage current is energy used, but like I said the amount of current is so small that it probably could not be measured unless you circuit is 10s of miles long.


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

don_resqcapt19 said:


> He is correct, there is some energy loss with a connected wire, but I am not sure it could be measured. No insulation is perfect and the leakage current is energy used, but like I said the amount of current is so small that it probably could not be measured unless you circuit is 10s of miles long.


So, in a 100 years in a typical home, you would waist ........ a nickel?


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

hardworkingstiff said:


> So, in a 100 years in a typical home, you would waist ........ a nickel?


 Maybe 1/1000 of that


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

hardworkingstiff said:


> So, in a 100 years in a typical home, you would waist ........ a nickel?


Unless the U-ground on the receptacles is upside down, then the electricity leaks all over the floor. It stains the carpet too. :whistling2:


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## JohnR (Apr 12, 2010)

JRaef said:


> Unless the U-ground on the receptacles is upside down, then the electricity leaks all over the floor. It stains the carpet too. :whistling2:


Is that what is on the rug by the door? Man :no: and to think all these years I never knew.:whistling2::laughing:

To the OP, just mention you could install a relay on each circuit if he wishes, that would stop all the power being wasted by the long runs.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

JohnR said:


> ...Just mention you could install a relay on each circuit if he wishes, that would stop all the power being wasted by the long runs.


If the H/O is so concerned about the immeasurable amount of current being used now, what happens when he realizes he's losing a couple hundred kWh per year because of all the darn relay coils. 

That guy's gonna end up hunting the OP down with a baseball bat. :laughing:

-John


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Offer to use red tape around all the devices to keep the electrons from escaping.


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## Smoke (Feb 25, 2011)

sokoservices said:


> Had a guy tell me today that since the panel was full and 90% of the circuits didnt have any amp draw that becuase there as a wire on the breaker and an outlet on the other end that it has to be using something..... causing excessive wasted energy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


another moron, sorry to be blunt, but i can put 1000 circuits in a structure, unless you plug a load into it there is no draw or bill

Smoke

btw, i didnt mean you soko lol, the home owner i meant


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