Remote Facility with a Water Well. Electric Heat-Trace installed onto underground water pipe from buildings crawl-space out to the water well head.
The Heat Trace is 208 VAC 5 W/Ft. Raychem. It is fed by a 30 Amp 2-Pole EPD Breaker. Branch circuit wiring from breaker to trace power splice is #10 AWG.
The breaker trips and always has tripped since the facility was built from what I am told. The cable is over 380 Feet Long. If the breaker ever held the contractor must have energized the trace during the warm summer months when there was next to zero load on the breaker.
Continuity and Megger Tests separately on the cable and the branch circuit wiring are all good. The cable power splice and the end seal look good.
Talked to Raychem Tech. Support about this installation. The guy suggested I can upsize the 30 Amp Breaker to a larger breaker. He said if I go above 40 Amps their literature, technical and testing data does not exceed 40 Amps for this specific cable.
Inrush Current @ Cold Start with Ambient at -5 Deg. F. but the cable is under asphalt and below grade at least 3' or deeper so the majority of the trace length is not nearly as cold as the ambient:
Phase A: 39.2
Phase B: 39.7
The 30 Amp EPD Breaker trips within 2-Seconds or less.
On the same building is a near identical Heat-Trace install on the underground Septic Pipe. This trace is shorter in length but has the same 30A EPD Breaker feeding it.
Its Inrush Phase A: 30.5 A Phase B: 26.4. The 30 A Breaker holds and has not had problems. The amperage very quickly drops to below 10A.
QUESTION:
If I upsize the Well Water Heat-Trace Breaker to a 40 Amp Breaker, will I need to upsize the #10 AWG Branch Circuit Wiring Also ? If the 40 Amp Breaker holds, I foresee the amperage to do exactly what the Septic System Heat Trace does - the amperage will drop significantly very quickly.
QUESTION:
Raychem did not say I could not Exceed 40 Amps. With the trace pulling 40 Amps at Cold Start should I consider a 45 or 50 Amp Breaker ?
The Heat Trace is 208 VAC 5 W/Ft. Raychem. It is fed by a 30 Amp 2-Pole EPD Breaker. Branch circuit wiring from breaker to trace power splice is #10 AWG.
The breaker trips and always has tripped since the facility was built from what I am told. The cable is over 380 Feet Long. If the breaker ever held the contractor must have energized the trace during the warm summer months when there was next to zero load on the breaker.
Continuity and Megger Tests separately on the cable and the branch circuit wiring are all good. The cable power splice and the end seal look good.
Talked to Raychem Tech. Support about this installation. The guy suggested I can upsize the 30 Amp Breaker to a larger breaker. He said if I go above 40 Amps their literature, technical and testing data does not exceed 40 Amps for this specific cable.
Inrush Current @ Cold Start with Ambient at -5 Deg. F. but the cable is under asphalt and below grade at least 3' or deeper so the majority of the trace length is not nearly as cold as the ambient:
Phase A: 39.2
Phase B: 39.7
The 30 Amp EPD Breaker trips within 2-Seconds or less.
On the same building is a near identical Heat-Trace install on the underground Septic Pipe. This trace is shorter in length but has the same 30A EPD Breaker feeding it.
Its Inrush Phase A: 30.5 A Phase B: 26.4. The 30 A Breaker holds and has not had problems. The amperage very quickly drops to below 10A.
QUESTION:
If I upsize the Well Water Heat-Trace Breaker to a 40 Amp Breaker, will I need to upsize the #10 AWG Branch Circuit Wiring Also ? If the 40 Amp Breaker holds, I foresee the amperage to do exactly what the Septic System Heat Trace does - the amperage will drop significantly very quickly.
QUESTION:
Raychem did not say I could not Exceed 40 Amps. With the trace pulling 40 Amps at Cold Start should I consider a 45 or 50 Amp Breaker ?
