In one of our dorms we are adding more dryers and washers. I need to do a calc. to see if I need to upsize my service to the laundry room panel. I believe I can use 220.54 for the dryers but how to I factor in the washers. Are the washers subject to any demand factors or do I take it at nameplate?
Laundry room in dorm.
- Thread starter JdoubleU
- Start date
- Status
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
Unless your dorm rooms are classified as dwelling units, I do think you get to use 220.54 for a commercial laundry area.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Many dormitories would be classified as dwellings as many have permanent cooking facilities.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I don't believe the washers are subject to demand factor although they should be, IMO. I don't think 220.53 would apply as a washer is not fastened in place-- well residential washers aren't anyway. If they are commercial units you might be able to.
jumper
Senior Member
- Location
- 3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
From personal experience, most dorms are not dwelling units.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Well, that is probably true-- I was thinking frat houses and the like but there are a few dorms on NC campus that d have kitchens.
These Dorms have a laundry room where people go to do there laundry. I know in dorms if the laundry was in the rooms itself I would be able to use the demand factor of 220.54. I guess the real question at this point is how would I calculate the connected loads of a laundry facility?
Electric-Light
Senior Member
I lived in the dorms before. I don't know about your facility, but it wasn't uncommon to go there and find ALL the machines in use and having to wait. Wait until a few days before break and everyone starts doing laundry and all the machines will be running at once, so calculating it with an assumption each one of them will be turned on at once isn't unreasonable in my humble opinion.
- Status