3 phase panels

[Phillip]

I have done 3 phase before but I have never seen panels like this in a home.

Image Insert:

91.91 KB

Image Insert:

117.73 KB

Image Insert:

85.57 KB

I have no question about them; I put them up for others to see.

[qhinspect]

Looks straight forward for 3 phase but what were they supplying power to in a house?

[Phillip]

The only thing that was using 3 phase at this time was one of the AC units.

Here are some of the ways they made changes.

This is at the newer Heat pump unit which did not work.

Image Insert:

81.84 KB

Here is how they done it in the panel.

Image Insert:

80.83 KB

[msteger]

An A/C system requiring 3 phase power? Are we talking about a regular sized home or a large shopping mall?

[Phillip]

Here is the home. 6000 sq. feet built in 1958.

Image Insert:

154.57 KB

Here is the data tag from the unit.

Image Insert:

66.9 KB

[Phillip]

There is one older neighbor hood that the homes range for 1800 to 3000 sq. ft. that all 3 phase in my area.

[Bain]

That data-plate's too fuzzy to read, but surely there's nothing in the house that requires three-phase power.

Is it possible the installation of a three-phase service was intended to supply more juice to the house than the 60- or 100-amp service that was typical for 1958?

[Neal Lewis]

Originally posted by Bain

surely there's nothing in the house that requires three-phase power.

The data plate says it's rated for 3 phase.

[SonOfSwamp]

Might be a mechanic or wood shop on the property. I say this because my childhood house (1200 sq ft w/fuel oil heat) had a metal shop out back. The shop had 3 phase...

WJ

[Phillip]

No shop on the grounds. It was installed for the heating and cooling systems. There are lumber mills close by. This may be why there is 3 phase to the home.

[qhinspect]

Originally posted by Phillip

No shop on the grounds. It was installed for the heating and cooling systems. There are lumber mills close by. This may be why there is 3 phase to the home.

That's surprising since back in the 50's the houses didn't require that much power. No air conditioners, maybe one TV, no computers, printers, etc. It sounds like the house doesn't have electric water heater, stove and furnace.

I'm surprised nobody has switched completely over to single phase since then.

[truevalue]

hi

I live in lower westchester area and I live in a house was built in 1952 so is the rest of the houses on the block, all of them has 3 phase pannel, I was told by a con edison worker that around that time it was common in some areas to provide the 3 phase power was no code for it then.

[Bill in Georgia]

Three phase power is more economical for motors than single phase. I wish I had it for my A/C. Lots of homes in Albany, Ga have three phase for their A/Cs. Some are in single phase panels with a three phase style breaker which has an input for the third leg and outputs for all three phases. I put a label in these types of panels that this breaker and the main breaker need to be turned off to remove all power from the building.

[Kyle Kubs]

It's actually pretty common in what used to be farming areas or old horse stables, turned residential. All a matter of the lines on the street being 3-phase or not. I wish mine was, I've got a more then 100 year old, 20" bandsaw with a 3-phase 1.5 horse motor that I just can't seem to find a good single phase replacement for.

[Jim Katen]

It's actually pretty common in what used to be farming areas or old horse stables, turned residential. All a matter of the lines on the street being 3-phase or not. I wish mine was, I've got a more then 100 year old, 20" bandsaw with a 3-phase 1.5 horse motor that I just can't seem to find a good single phase replacement for.

If you don't mind giving it a kick start and suffering a little loss of power, you can just run it on single phase power.

Also, if you can find another three phase motor, you can make yourself a converter. It's not that difficult.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Tom Raymond]

This was the first link on the search "phase converter", 3hp converter for the price of a decent 240v motor.

http://www.phaseconverter.com/

Tom

[Jim Katen]

This was the first link on the search "phase converter", 3hp converter for the price of a decent 240v motor.

http://www.phaseconverter.com/

Tom

Well that's no fun.

[ghentjr]

So now that you all commented on the various aspects of 3 phase, how many of you picked up the white wire being used as a hot leg? The tripple 40 amp breaker only has two legs on one side, three on the other.

[Norcal]

Three phase power is more economical for motors than single phase. I wish I had it for my A/C. Lots of homes in Albany, Ga have three phase for their A/Cs. Some are in single phase panels with a three phase style breaker which has an input for the third leg and outputs for all three phases. I put a label in these types of panels that this breaker and the main breaker need to be turned off to remove all power from the building.

This is dredging up a ancient thread but what is being described in the above post is called a Delta Breaker & it is now prohibited by NEC section 408.36(E) (2005 edition) it 1st showed up as 384-16(e) in the 1978 NEC.

The breaker pictured is a Cutler-Hammer CH360D.