Stupid question: single phase amperage

[dielectricunion]

a single phase 100 amp service. ...Each legs conductor is rated for 100 amps, and protected by 100 amp OCPD.

Does this allow 100 amps on each leg at one time or (for example) balanced load of 50 on each leg?

 

[GoldDigger]

100A each leg (and zero to 100 on the neutral since it just carries the difference between the legs.)

 

[infinity]

If it's 120/240 you could have 2-100 amp loads at 120 volts or 1-100 amp load at 240 volts.

 

[ggunn]

a single phase 100 amp service. ...Each legs conductor is rated for 100 amps, and protected by 100 amp OCPD.

Does this allow 100 amps on each leg at one time or (for example) balanced load of 50 on each leg?

100A everywhere. Current is a loop; if a 100A load is balanced, 100A goes in on one leg and out on the other. Instantaneously, of course; a half cycle layer what was in is now out and vice versa.

 

[dereckbc]

Just an added note while it is possible in theory to have 100 amps on one leg, and 0 on the other is not something you would ever want to happen. Nor is it possible to have 100 amps on each leg and neutral at the same time as that would result in 0 amps on neutral.

 

[dielectricunion]

Here is another related question....

Just doing the laundry at home, I had the electric dryer running and wanted to see what kind of amps it was pulling.

I read 19 on one conductor and 24 on the other. 5 amps out of balance? Shouldn't this be running closer to balanced under normal conditions??

It's a 4 wire (has neutral) on a 30 amp breaker.... An additional few amps are coming through a line to neutral to power the motor?

 

[GoldDigger]

Here is another related question....

Just doing the laundry at home, I had the electric dryer running and wanted to see what kind of amps it was pulling.

I read 19 on one conductor and 24 on the other. 5 amps out of balance? Shouldn't this be running closer to balanced under normal conditions??

It's a 4 wire (has neutral) on a 30 amp breaker.... An additional few amps are coming through a line to neutral to power the motor?

A lightly loaded drum motor may have a low power factor and could draw 5A.
So 19A line to line for the heat and 5A line to neutral for the motor would match your observation.

 

[ggunn]

Here is another related question....

Just doing the laundry at home, I had the electric dryer running and wanted to see what kind of amps it was pulling.

I read 19 on one conductor and 24 on the other. 5 amps out of balance? Shouldn't this be running closer to balanced under normal conditions??

It's a 4 wire (has neutral) on a 30 amp breaker.... An additional few amps are coming through a line to neutral to power the motor?

In a typical electric dryer, I believe that part of it (the heater coil?) runs balanced line to line on 240V while part of it (the motor?) runs on 120V line to neutral. It sounds to me like the motor is drawing 5A and you should see 5A on the neutral.