GFCI Breakers
- Thread starter derek22r
- Start date
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Most GFI requirements are for dwellings, which typically aren't 3-phase. And what is required to be GFI protected in a commercial setting usually uses SP breakers or GFI receps.
One could legally use a 3-pole GFI breaker, but I would be, IMPO, a poor design. One circuit has a fault, and it keeps two others from working.... not good when serving food is what pays your bills.
One could legally use a 3-pole GFI breaker, but I would be, IMPO, a poor design. One circuit has a fault, and it keeps two others from working.... not good when serving food is what pays your bills.
Whats the difference between this and a fault on one pole of an mwbc. Still going to have one single phase component trip three circuits.
bobsherwood
Senior Member
- Location
- Dallas TX
They do make 3 phase circuit breakers!!! There are a bunch of them on this campus and they are safe but a PAIN!~ We had a controls tech turn on a circuit that had a shorted radiant heat panel on it. Lost the entire building due to the main being GFCI. In the gym, one outside step light shorted and tripped the breaker in feeding the 42 circuit, 277 lighting panel. The entire floor went dark.
bobsherwood
Senior Member
- Location
- Dallas TX
opps... they do make 3 phase GFCI circuit breakers...
That's just what I said. One circuit faults, all three go down.
Sounds like you are talking about GFP, not a GFCI.
bobsherwood
Senior Member
- Location
- Dallas TX
SQ "D" calls it GFCI in the catalog???
Got a link?
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
- Location
- Massachusetts
Those are not GFCI breakers, those are GFP breakers.
They are similar but are not the same, GFCIs trip at about 6 ma, GFPs trip from about 1 amp to 1000 amps depending on the settings the engineer has provided.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
For this purpose, and as long as the receptacle circuits do not share a single neutral, you can use three GFCI receptacles.
Or, if they do, you can pull additional white wires to make three separate 2-wire circuits, and use three GFCI receptacles.
Or, you could use a GFCI receptacle at each receptacle location, One would have to compare the feasibility of each option.
Or, if they do, you can pull additional white wires to make three separate 2-wire circuits, and use three GFCI receptacles.
Or, you could use a GFCI receptacle at each receptacle location, One would have to compare the feasibility of each option.
To interrupt a quote, you need to type [/quote] where you want the quote to halt, and
not the 30ma trip for equipment protection, it was mains that were tripping. GFP in the hundreds of amps range. Keeps you from burning up an entire run of shorted bus duct when supplied with a 5000amp breaker (oh wait :/)
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
When ground fault tripping is done above the mA range, the device is often called a GFI. And of course GFI becomes mis-spoken as GFCI often.
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