jaylectricity
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- licensed journeyman electrician
Two main questions in bold:
I've never done anything larger than a single meter service. I'm putting together a service for a 3 family building. It will need a 4 gang meter socket. Originally I had planned on feeding it with 2/0 copper as I would a 200 amp service. Gas stove, furnace, and dryers. A/C units for each apartment.
I decided to do a load calculation just to be sure and I think I came out to 230A, but I'm a little confused. Do I have to calculate each apartment separately and then add them up with the common area lighting load? One of the reasons I ask is that the demand factor on the A/C units is 70% if I'm counting all 3 of them together.
I rarely need to calculate a load for a service so I'm quite a bit out of practice. I dug up my notes from school from many years ago, but they only showed how to do a single family.
Also, assuming my calculation is correct am I OK with sizing the feeder from the service drop and having each meter for each apartment with it's own breakers or do I need an OCD for the total service?
I've never done anything larger than a single meter service. I'm putting together a service for a 3 family building. It will need a 4 gang meter socket. Originally I had planned on feeding it with 2/0 copper as I would a 200 amp service. Gas stove, furnace, and dryers. A/C units for each apartment.
I decided to do a load calculation just to be sure and I think I came out to 230A, but I'm a little confused. Do I have to calculate each apartment separately and then add them up with the common area lighting load? One of the reasons I ask is that the demand factor on the A/C units is 70% if I'm counting all 3 of them together.
I rarely need to calculate a load for a service so I'm quite a bit out of practice. I dug up my notes from school from many years ago, but they only showed how to do a single family.
Also, assuming my calculation is correct am I OK with sizing the feeder from the service drop and having each meter for each apartment with it's own breakers or do I need an OCD for the total service?
