Single phase panels in 3ph-fed residence

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Open Neutral

Senior Member
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Inside the Beltway
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Engineer
In a large residence with some 3-ph loads, such as pool pumps, HVAC, shop tools.... must all the breaker panels be 3-phase?

Or could those feeding the ordinary 120V lighting, utility outlets etc. be run-of-the-mill 120/240 ones; off 2 of the phases? There would be multiple such panels and we could stagger such to balance the loading/phase.

Reason is the electrician called out a significant cost difference in the panels.
 
There is nothing in the NEC that says you can't do what you describe. And being an EE I'm sure I don't need to remind you that you will only have 208V in these 1? panels.
 
Thanks... Yes, it's 208/120Y. [We have one deep well pump that's 480 & we'll need a step-up there.]

We're well aware of the 208 vs 240. The cooktop is some exotic induction thing; it's OK. The oven we can buy 208. The dryer, ditto.

All this depends on the dollars making sense; most of them are in the megadollars to PG&E to get 3ph, and the solar gear, but there's always a bottom line.
 
Open Neutral said:
In a large residence with some 3-ph loads, such as pool pumps, HVAC, shop tools.... must all the breaker panels be 3-phase?

Or could those feeding the ordinary 120V lighting, utility outlets etc. be run-of-the-mill 120/240 ones; off 2 of the phases? There would be multiple such panels and we could stagger such to balance the loading/phase.

Reason is the electrician called out a significant cost difference in the panels.
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Not a problem at all and in fact it is quite common in multi-unit apartment buildings, three phase service with single phase feeders.
 
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