Laser printer blowing circuit breaker

[fuzzymath10]

I know printers can spike, but for whatever reason it's happening a lot more frequently now whenever I send a print job and the printer comes out of sleep...you hear the printer click and then the circuit breaker for the outlet goes and everything shuts off. I have the following plugged into a 6-tap wall surge protector:

1) My NSK1480 box (I upgraded to SB from a quad core 775, but I turned off my video card overclock and removed two 3.5" hard drives)

2) Two LCD monitors (U2211H and E2010H from Dell)

3) 15W halogen desk lamp

4) Samsung CLP-310N (colour laser)

Should it matter how the plugs are distributed across my 6-tap surge protector? It's the type that covers the wall socket and offers 6 plugs at the wall.

 

[gsaldivar]

It's just one too many...

 

[imagoon]

US person here but I think CA uses the same basic standards...

120V 15Amp circuit = 1800 watts max load. Recommended load is typically 80% or 1440 watts. Most breakers trend to trip when they are above are above 80% for long periods of time. Also as a breaker ages, the trip value goes lower. Each trip reduces the life of the breaker.

As a reference:
120V 20A = 2400 watts @ 80% = 1920.

Odds are you have to much on that circuit. And no you can't just throw in a 20amp breaker.

 

[Lemon law]

We have a tiny clue but no precise number for the watts going through the 6 outlet surge strip, but the question is, what other areas does that 15 amp circuit breaker service other than the one outlet the surge strip is plugged into?

I also have a laser printer, but I only turn it on when I use it. I also have a similar set up to our OP except I only use a single LCD monitor. But instead of a surge strip, I have a sub $100.00 UPS. With the laser printer plugged into the surge but not battery protected side.

 

[fuzzymath10]

The breaker serves my bedroom, but the only other things plugged in are a small speaker and a clock radio.

I was mostly curious if shuffling which plugs were used for which devices in the surge tap would make sense, or if I'm simply spiking and there's no way around it.

I find it hard to believe that my slight hw reconfiguration would cause the breaker to start tripping.

 

[shortylickens]

I have the same problem. Whenever I start up my color laser in the morning I have to make sure all the space heaters upstairs are off, the 2nd computer and its monitor & audio system, and for extra measure I turn off all the lights. Also, the fan in the bathroom.
Fun times.

 

[imagoon]

The breaker serves my bedroom, but the only other things plugged in are a small speaker and a clock radio.

I was mostly curious if shuffling which plugs were used for which devices in the surge tap would make sense, or if I'm simply spiking and there's no way around it.

I find it hard to believe that my slight hw reconfiguration would cause the breaker to start tripping.

Grab a watt meter and check. If you are confident you won't kill yourself, put a inductive load meter on the breaker wire that keeps popping and see what the load is.

Edit

You might discover any one of these or more than one:
You are pulling more load than you are expecting.
You have a weak breaker.
You have a bad wiring job:
-Undersized wire (rare if original more likely if a home owner was 'handy')
-Aluminum wire '50s '60s it made an appearance
-Aluminum wire attached to a copper only device - creates a hot spot / poor connection. Can burn the outlet
-Loose / poor connection someplace in the outlet chain - See above about hot spot
-Bad outlet
-That someone decided to use speaker wire to attach that room [only 1/2 joking...]

 

[bendixG15]

The breaker serves my bedroom, but the only other things plugged in are a small speaker and a clock radio.

In house wiring, electricians usually put 2 or 3 rooms on a circuit, depends how may outlets the local code allows.

So I would check the adjacent rooms to see whats sucking up the juice.