single pole breakers

[erict]

I have come acrossed a 30 amp 2 pole disconnect on a farm and one pole is jumpered to the other giving obviously in a way 2-15 amp fused circuits. My question is, is this legal the disconnect is fed from a barn and it has a 20 amp breaker on the circuit.
Sorry if this sounds like how to but am still an apprentice and just trying to make this 2nd barn safe for storage.

 

[charlie b]

Re: single pole breakers

Help me understand your description. Are you saying that the hot wire from the 20 amp breaker goes to the disconnect, and that it is jumpered to both ?line side? connections, and that the ?load side? of each of the two disconnect poles goes to separate loads in the building? What happens to the neutral wire from the breaker? Does it go to both loads somehow (i.e., without going through any type of disconnecting means), so that the return current from both loads finds its way back to the breaker?

 

[erict]

Re: single pole breakers

on the line side of the disconnect it is jumpered to both 15 amp fuses from one to the other so that they are in series with each other. both of the fuses have a load on them. the nuetrals are all wire nutted together inside the old disconnect. does that help?

[ February 18, 2005, 11:06 AM: Message edited by: erict ]

 

[petersonra]

Re: single pole breakers

Originally posted by erict:
on the line side of the disconnect it is jumpered to both 15 amp fuses from one to the other so that they are in series with each other. both of the fuses have a load on them. the nuetrals are all wire nutted together inside the old disconnect. does that help?

There is no code violation having multiple OCPD in series if that is what you are asking.

 

[kiloamp7]

Re: single pole breakers

erict - Do you really mean to say that the "line" side of the fuses are in parallel?

If that is the case, & charlie b's assumptions are correct, then sounds like you have a 20A "feeder" that is simply broken into (2) 15A "branch ckts".

Electrically it sounds fine, but someone could stretch a point & say that 215.2(A)(2) requires 30A conductors to the line side of those 15A fuses.

I have run across the set-up you seem to be describing, & it takes a minute to look it over & figure it out. IMO, it is not a preferable way to do things, but is electrically safe.

 

[physis]

Re: single pole breakers

Or is it a two pole 30 Amp breaker used as a disconnect on a two pole 15 Amp circuit or feeder?

 

[jimwalker]

Re: single pole breakers

Could you perhaps make a drawing and post it here.Noticed you been a very silent member for 2 years.Can we assume this is your barn and not a customers.Might be good idea to get an opinion from a fellow worker where your employed.

 

[roger]

Re: single pole breakers

Erict, this is the same thing as mounting a 4" square box above the panel, then splicing two conductors to the feed conductor, and then attaching one of these conductors to each of the breakers you are talking about.

This is a perfectly fine way to individualy protect the smaller downstream loads.

Roger

 

[erict]

Re: single pole breakers

hey thanks for all the info and yes a silent member cause you guys seem to already have answered most of the questions asked ( that is a good thing ). I have figured it out and all is well.
Thanks Eric