| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Nashou66
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 16171
Location: West Seneca NY
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
 Link Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
That's a 3 pole transformer. You may be able to use just one leg, I'm not sure.
_________________
www.vawinesnob.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
| Link Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
So I picked up the panel this weekend and I have a couple of questions.
1)Should I mount this thing out of the way where it would be a bit difficult but not impossible to wire it up or should I mount it in a location where there is a lot of foot traffic and it would be much easier to wire. The second location is also closer to the main box.
2)While at menards they had whole house surge breakers there. I don't believe my house has one. Are they beneficial in having one? I have surge protectors on most of my electronics equipment but I was intrigued by it. The smart home site says it would save the X10 stuff from being shocked. Both surge protectors are between $100-200. I have my doubts about them being able to stop a surge though.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
By code you need to have 3' clear work area in front of the panel.
I have a whole house surge protector, I can't tell you if it works or not. I had it installed after suffering a surge last year. I lost all my dimmable switches, microwave, DVD player, powered sub-woofer, LCD tv, steam shower, and power board on my furnace.
The tv and dvd were both on plug-in surge protectors.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
| Link Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:21 am Post subject: |
|
|
| tri_joel wrote: | | That's a 3 pole transformer. You may be able to use just one leg, I'm not sure. |
Looking at some three phase stuff it appears that 3 phase is setup more for commercial and industrial stuff.
Am I getting in over my head with a 3 phaser, I plan on calling some electricians tomorrow to see what they could do with it.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yes, three phase is commercial use. Very few single family residential buildings will have three phase available. I am not an electrician, but I manage many large scale power installations in comercial buildings, so I have an idea of the way electricity works. I'm not sure what a transformer does for power conditioning. In three phase, each leg alternates as the "hot" leg. In old applications there wasn't a common, in other words not too long ago there was a three wire, three phase set-up. The transformer you have linked above has a common, it's for a four wire, 3 phase application. I don't know how, or if, you can use the two "hot" legs of 220 and end up with 110 through that transformer.
We installed 3 phase in a large residence I managed many years ago. We had to run all power for the A/V equipment off the same leg.
_________________
www.vawinesnob.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
| Link Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
response from the vendor
| Quote: | The transformer you have is three phase, typically used in a industrial application, you most likely have household single phase power 240vCT (120v each side of grounded neutral), however if your load will not exceed 13.8 amps at 120v, then you can apply 120 v to HO and H1 terminals and take your isolated load from X1 and X3, leaving all other terminals un-connected.
Calc: 5000 VA devided by 120v devided by 3 = 13.8 amps for the secondary,
Rick Moser, IPS Roanoke |
I think I will stay away from this one and look for others that pop up.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
That's interesting, so it will work. I wouldn't use it either though. I put an Amprobe on my BG1208, it's drawing a fairly steady 13 amps.
_________________
www.vawinesnob.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
WanMan
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 10273
|
| Link Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 11:47 am Post subject: |
|
|
I have a Kilowatt device the wife got me for Xmas 2007. I never thought of putting it on the CRT projector. In the basement, I had a dedicated circuit run just for the projector.
_________________
Trust no one. Absolutely no one. Advice of the board.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
| Link Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
A question about the box it self. I have a foil on the inside of my house for insulation and to keep the government mind control out of my families heads (J/K). Anways the foil was there when I bought the house and when I put the subpanel up it touches the foil.
Is the exterior of the box grounded in anyway? I a bare spot of the box were to touch the foil would that send everything for a loop when trying to isolate ground noise?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nashou66
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 16171
Location: West Seneca NY
|
| Link Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
| stgdz wrote: | A question about the box it self. I have a foil on the inside of my house for insulation and to keep the government mind control out of my families heads (J/K). Anways the foil was there when I bought the house and when I put the subpanel up it touches the foil.
Is the exterior of the box grounded in anyway? I a bare spot of the box were to touch the foil would that send everything for a loop when trying to isolate ground noise? |
If your worried, put a piece of plywood on the wall raised by 2x4's laid flat against the wall. then mount the box to that so no screws go into the foil.
Athanasios
_________________
Don't blame your underwear for your crooked ass~ unknown Greek philosopher
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15." --- President Reagan
One Smart Dog!!!
Marquee High Performance Bellows now shipping!!
Marquee Modifications and Performance Enhancement
Marquee C-element and Bellow removal
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
I doubt the foil is conductive enough to make a noticeable difference. You need to ground your panel with a ground rod.
_________________
www.vawinesnob.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
| Link Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| tri_joel wrote: | | I doubt the foil is conductive enough to make a noticeable difference. You need to ground your panel with a ground rod. |
So the ground for the panel doesn't go back to the original breaker box?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | So the ground for the panel doesn't go back to the original breaker box? |
Your panel needs a dedicated ground to be safe.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Nashou66
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 16171
Location: West Seneca NY
|
| Link Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:18 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| stgdz wrote: | | tri_joel wrote: | | I doubt the foil is conductive enough to make a noticeable difference. You need to ground your panel with a ground rod. |
So the ground for the panel doesn't go back to the original breaker box? |
yes it should go to the main panel box.If not you will have two different potential grounds one that is connected tot he neutral going to your sub panel box and the new one from your sub panel box. Using a separate ground can cause problems unless you isolate the neutral and hot also.
If your going to use a isolation transformer before the sub panel, then the ground from the main panel box goes to the isolation transformer's ground on the primary side, and the sub panels ground goes to the Isolation transformers Ground on the secondary side (this goes to sub panel). But one thing on the sub panel if using the Isolation transformer, there is a bonding screw that connects the neutral bar to the panel box thus tying in the neutral and ground in the sub panel(most system have to be like this). But when using an Isolation transformer between the main and sub panel boxes you want to remove that bonding screw. Now you have a true isolated system where the Ground and neutral are isolated from each other.
You can actually touch the hot wire and the ground and not get zapped, I was too chicken to try but i used a light bulb to test it and compare it to my main panel. on the main panel if i touched the ground to one prong on the bulb and the hot to the other the light will light up since the neutral is tied to the ground. Now on the sub panel box where i isolated the neutral from ground i can touch the ground to the one prong on the bulb and the hot to the other prong and the light stays off. this is a true isolated system where the hot and neutral are now isolated from the rest of the house.
if you get confused look over on my thread about the transformer and Bob explains it there also.
Athanasios
_________________
Don't blame your underwear for your crooked ass~ unknown Greek philosopher
"Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15." --- President Reagan
One Smart Dog!!!
Marquee High Performance Bellows now shipping!!
Marquee Modifications and Performance Enhancement
Marquee C-element and Bellow removal
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Athanasios,
This is very interesting, but confuses me. I would like to read the thread where Bob explains it, I'll go searching. Maybe it will answer my questions.
_________________
www.vawinesnob.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tri_joel
Joined: 03 Jul 2007
Posts: 646
Location: Northern Virginia
|
| Link Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 8:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | Yes - Your neutral and hot are now isolated from ground just as though it was a battery out in space. You have the safety advantage still having a ground, but you no longer have a path that can create groundloops or shock hazards. |
Now I get it. Just to clear my own understanding, the transformer is grounded to the main panel, the sub-panel has an isolated ground (not an earth ground, the bonding is removed?) to the transformer?
_________________
www.vawinesnob.com
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stgdz
Joined: 07 Dec 2008
Posts: 107
|
| Link Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
|
My sub panel comes with a 100amp main breaker and I don't think I will get near that, I can just use a 60amp breaker to feed the sub panel correct?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Forum FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Photo Albums
Register
Profile
Private Messages
Log in
