Apartment laundry

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mbrooke

mbrooke

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One site apartment laundry. Each washer has a rating of 9.8amps. The question is it code complaint to have each washer share a 20amp circuit, have each one on an individual 15 amp or have each on a 20amp circuit?
 
mbrooke said:
But does that apply to washers? I mean I guess they could run more than 3 hours on a busy day?
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But even doing 3 1 hr cycles or 6 30 m ones. Most of the cycle is not drawing 9+ amps. The water heating (on a lesser used hot wash) and the spin cycle spinup will have bigger power draws but the chances of two hitting the breaker for 95% of capacity are mathematically lower.
 
If the name plate rating says 9.8 amps the if its on I consider it at 9.8 amps for how ever long it it's on. I'd think a shared equipment that has a min. 1 he use would have to be continuous duty, because it can be.
 
electricalist said:
If the name plate rating says 9.8 amps the if its on I consider it at 9.8 amps for how ever long it it's on. I'd think a shared equipment that has a min. 1 he use would have to be continuous duty, because it can be.
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The controls on this appliance make it impossible for it to be a continuous load. For one thing I have never seen a clothes washer with a control function that would allow it to run for 3 hours at any loading rate, let alone at maximum rating. Even max rating marked is possibly dependent on worst case loading of the machine (as in weight of clothes inside). I have to think that worst case loading would be either spinning (while water extraction from clothes is still taking place) or possibly water heating portion of a cycle for machines that have that option.
 
I understand what you're saying I was more stating if I was going to do it I would charge for a 20 amp circuit, because my level of knowledge isn't at a point where I am determining all possible factors and wiring it because I know I can.
 
kwired said:
The controls on this appliance make it impossible for it to be a continuous load. For one thing I have never seen a clothes washer with a control function that would allow it to run for 3 hours at any loading rate, let alone at maximum rating. Even max rating marked is possibly dependent on worst case loading of the machine (as in weight of clothes inside). I have to think that worst case loading would be either spinning (while water extraction from clothes is still taking place) or possibly water heating portion of a cycle for machines that have that option.
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This is on premises laundry for tenants so on busy days, so we could see a dozen several cycles which would take over 3 hours. Of course Iwire did mention cycles and he is correct imo. The washer does stop to fill and of course pauses between wash, rinse, drain, spin, ect.
 
mbrooke said:
This is on premises laundry for tenants so on busy days, so we could see a dozen several cycles which would take over 3 hours. Of course Iwire did mention cycles and he is correct imo. The washer does stop to fill and of course pauses between wash, rinse, drain, spin, ect.
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From art 100:Continuous Load.A load where the maximum current is expected to continue for 3 hours or more.

We have been through this before with things like ovens. They do not run at maximum current for 3 hours or more. They will reach set temperature before that kind of time has passed and will cycle off, or at very least will very how much they do draw.

The washer in this discussion is no different. I have never seen one that is capable of drawing maximum current for 3 hours or more. Most won't even run for more then about a half hour before they reach "stop" or "end" and even during that half hour or so the load does vary at times. Doesn't matter that you wash one load and immediately start another load and do this for an entire afternoon - it never ran at maximum current for 3 hours or more and is not a NEC defined continuous load.
 
Dishwashers would be another .
So back to the op, what would you run to the equipment.
From you guys who understand the application and it's qualifications..
Its obvious I'm not that smart so tell me how to the money. 2 washers on a circuit or 1?
 
electricalist said:
Dishwashers would be another .
So back to the op, what would you run to the equipment.
From you guys who understand the application and it's qualifications..
Its obvious I'm not that smart so tell me how to the money. 2 washers on a circuit or 1?
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I don't like to over think things either. I would either......
1) do what the boss say
or
2) two washers, 20A, and save costs by using MWBC.
 
I'd be willing to bet you would seldom if ever trip a 20 amp breaker with 3 washers connected to it, but I would still set up for 2 per circuit. The chances are that 9.8 amps draw is not for very long. Motor operated appliances draw according to mechanical load conditions not a constant draw like a fixed resistance heating element. Mechanical demand is likely greatest in first portion of spin cycle, when clothes still are saturated with water - the purpose of spin cycle is to extract water from clothes so as water is extracted, mechanical load decreases because there is less mass for the motor to keep in motion and the motor draws less current.
 
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