Recently I was asked what the maximum allowable panel loading allowed by the NEC was.
My immediate response was that the panel should not be loaded past 80 percent of its rating. I was then asked to produce the reference.
In a search of the 2002 NEC Handbook, on page 272 under ?Should Neutral Conductors Be Oversized,? I found this sentence:
?According to 384-16(C) of the 1993 NEC (for the 2002 NEC, refer to 408.16), the total continuous load on any overcurrent device located in a panelboard should not exceed 80 percent of its rating (the exception being assemblies listed for continuous operation at 100 percent of its rating)."
In a continued search of 2002 NEC, Article 408.16, I could find no statement indicating that ??in a panelboard should not exceed 80 percent of its rating?.?
Did I miss something here?
Or is this a misprint or a paragraph that got omitted during a revision?
Or is this information been placed elsewhere in the NEC? If so where?
Or is this requirement no long applicable?
I did find in the 1996 NEC Article 384-16(C):
?Continuous Load. The total load on any overcurrent device located in a panelboard shall not exceed 80 percent of its rating where, in normal operation, the load will continue for three hours or more.?
I look forward to your responses.
Thanks
Carl
My immediate response was that the panel should not be loaded past 80 percent of its rating. I was then asked to produce the reference.
In a search of the 2002 NEC Handbook, on page 272 under ?Should Neutral Conductors Be Oversized,? I found this sentence:
?According to 384-16(C) of the 1993 NEC (for the 2002 NEC, refer to 408.16), the total continuous load on any overcurrent device located in a panelboard should not exceed 80 percent of its rating (the exception being assemblies listed for continuous operation at 100 percent of its rating)."
In a continued search of 2002 NEC, Article 408.16, I could find no statement indicating that ??in a panelboard should not exceed 80 percent of its rating?.?
Did I miss something here?
Or is this a misprint or a paragraph that got omitted during a revision?
Or is this information been placed elsewhere in the NEC? If so where?
Or is this requirement no long applicable?
I did find in the 1996 NEC Article 384-16(C):
?Continuous Load. The total load on any overcurrent device located in a panelboard shall not exceed 80 percent of its rating where, in normal operation, the load will continue for three hours or more.?
I look forward to your responses.
Thanks
Carl