Current Limiter Solutions For Track Lighting

[kerajam]

I'm in Washington State and am installing 200 feet of track in a retail space. Our standard lighting calculation for track is 50 watts per foot, which would require 6 circuits at 120 volts. I'll be installing eighty 15 watt ceramic metal halide fixtures at 20 watts connected each, for a total of load of 1600 watts. At under 14 amps I could feed all of the track in the space with one 20 amp circuit at 120 volts.

Energy codes permit the current limiter rating to be substituted for the linear footage formula. I can install one on each track or install a remote panel between the track and the source panel but since I'm dealing with just one circuit I wondered if there would be a simpler and less expensive solution. I checked the web and came up empty. Then I wondered if the single breaker in the panel could be considered a current limiter with respect to the track? If so that would solve my problem. I couldn't come up with a down side as it seemed to address any concerns about exceeding the

I'll check with the AHJ tomorrow but thought I'd get a little feedback in the mean time.

Thanks

 

[hbendillo]

I am going to try to look this up again because I was faced with a similar situation about ten years or so ago. What I came out with was that you could feed as much track as you want on a single circuit. The circuit breaker keeps the load from exceeding the track rating. Take a look at 410-151B and the FPN. I suggest using two circuits to give yourself plenty of margin for error.

 

[nakulak]

410.151 B FPN seems to indicate that this is an acceptable solution, unless I am misinterpreting it. (I am assuming you are on 2008 ?)

 

[Benton]

Current limiting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Current limiting is the practice in electrical or electronic circuits of imposing an upper limit on the current that may be delivered to a load with the purpose of protecting the circuit generating or transmitting the current from harmful effects due to a short-circuit or similar problem in the load. This term is also used to describe the ability of an overcurrent protective device (fuse or circuit breaker) to reduce the peak current in a circuit, by opening and clearing the fault in a sub-cycle time frame.

 

[dicklaxt]

What is the amp draw on the ballasts?

dick

 

[raberding]

track lighting

track lighting

Don't confuse Energy Codes with the NE Code. The NEC 220.43 requires 75 va per foot for the feeder/service load calc. And WA (if i remember correctly) requires 50 w/ft for the ENERGY calc. That would be 200x50, or 10,000 w

A Current Limiter is a SUPPLEMENTARY OVERCURRENT PROTECTIVE DEVICE - see art 100 - and can be used to reduce the ENERGY LOAD calc. I'd suggest using two 1200w CLDs for eighty 15w luminaires. Two 20a ckts.

 

[IslandSparky]

Don't confuse Energy Codes with the NE Code. The NEC 220.43 requires 75 va per foot for the feeder/service load calc. And WA (if i remember correctly) requires 50 w/ft for the ENERGY calc. That would be 200x50, or 10,000 w

A Current Limiter is a SUPPLEMENTARY OVERCURRENT PROTECTIVE DEVICE - see art 100 - and can be used to reduce the ENERGY LOAD calc. I'd suggest using two 1200w CLDs for eighty 15w luminaires. Two 20a ckts.

While it has been 10 years since I had this issue, we were always required to limit track length based on NEC calc, so it would be a maximum of 25' for a single-circuit track, or 8 circuits total. The current limiters only benefit the energy code compliance. Logic being that an over-current protective device's function is not to limit load, but to ensure safety.

 

[dpeter]

The track connections are going to be your weakest link and that first connection will see that 14 amps and fail in short order. If you use one circuit to feed then I would feed it at several points and limit the load on a portion of track to what the manufacturer limits that length to be.

 

[boboelectric]

Boy ,did I get a foreign station?

 

[georgeswe]

Nora Lighting makes a live end feed for 1 and 2 circuit track lighting that has a current limitng breaker installed. You would just have to do your calcs and purchase the correct one. Not sure what kind of track you are installign but you may want to check to see if your manufaturer may make something similar. Only downside would be that if it is hard to access if it was ever to fail or trip.

NT-348/xA

NT-358/xA

 

[georgeswe]

Nora Lighting makes a live end feed for 1 and 2 circuit track lighting that has a current limitng breaker installed. You would just have to do your calcs and purchase the correct one. Not sure what kind of track you are installign but you may want to check to see if your manufaturer may make something similar. Only downside would be that if it is hard to access if it was ever to fail or trip.

NT-348/xA

NT-358/xA

 

[georgeswe]

I do agree that the current limiting is for energy code compliance and that you should install the proper legth based on the NEC calc.

I have installed a Silver Bullet current limiting panel feeding multiple 8 ft tracks that would not allow the end user to add more heads to circumvent the energy codes.