Treadmills on circuits

[ronball]

How many treadmills could possibly be put on the same 20 amp circuit.
For any of you that may have done fitness equipment before.
Just a general idea, I don't have spec's yet on equip.Needing to see if I can get more
than 1 circuit per couduit without derating factor.
Thx Ron

 

[K8MHZ]

The instructions for most treadmills say they each need a dedicated circuit.

You need to know what your particular unit's instructions call for.

 

[infinity]

Regarding derating if you use #12 AWG conductors and MWBC's you could get up to 9 circuits in one conduit before the derated value of the #12 would be below 20 amps.

 

[kwired]

Seen higher quality treadmills in fitness centers that can draw quite a bit of power, also seen some lower grade ones that probably can put 3 or 4 on a 20 amp circuit and never have much for overload issues.

I once told the fitness center owner where I was running circuits for treadmills that the user was supposed to do all the work, not the machine

 

[dkidd]

Really. They should be putting energy back into the system.

 

[kwired]

I don't remember the nameplate amps on those I ran circuits to last fall in the fitness center, but they did have 20 amp plugs on them.

 

[Little Bill]

I had a service call to a fitness center a few months ago. They had (4) treadmills per 20A circuit. I didn't see the nameplates but I saw on the panel schedule there were (4) per circuit.

 

[chris1971]

I checked the nameplate of one we were going to run a circuit for and it needed to be on its own dedicated circuit. A 20 amp circuit I believe. I think it was a Bowflex.

 

[kwired]

I had a service call to a fitness center a few months ago. They had (4) treadmills per 20A circuit. I didn't see the nameplates but I saw on the panel schedule there were (4) per circuit.

I wonder just how often they draw rated current, and/or in a case like yours how often all four are going at high rate at the same time.

It shouldn't take much current just to turn the belt, it is any resistance to that belt from the user that will put significant load on it. If the user is in sync with belt speed it should just be a brief spike in load with every step. Now compare the potential load added by a 125 pound person to that of a 275 pound person and remember that the majority of users are not going to be obese, and you probably don't have all four with obese people at same time very often if ever.

 

[ronball]

Treadmill circuits

Treadmill circuits

Regarding derating if you use #12 AWG conductors and MWBC's you could get up to 9 circuits in one conduit before the derated value of the #12 would be below 20 amps.

Where does this show up in code? Are the 3 circuits sharing one neutral only considered as 1 circuit< thus allowing 3 sets of these.
Am I correct to say that I would have 9 hot circuits with 3 neutrals and 1 Ground in same conduit.

Thx Ron Thomas

 

[steve66]

Where does this show up in code? Are the 3 circuits sharing one neutral only considered as 1 circuit< thus allowing 3 sets of these.
Am I correct to say that I would have 9 hot circuits with 3 neutrals and 1 Ground in same conduit.

Thx Ron Thomas

It's in 310. It applies to what some call 3 full boats - that is (3) multiwire circuits each with (3) hot conductors and 1 neutral. (each multiwire circuit must be 3 phase with the phase conductors being one each of A, B , and C phase)

You don't count the 3 neutral wires per 310.15(B)(5) a.

Assuming you have 90 degree conductors, you can use the 90 degree rating (30 amps for #12) for de-rating calculations.

Up to 9 conductors, the derating is 70%, and 70% of 30 amps is still 21 amps. Enough to be allowed on a 20 amp circuit.

Edit: If the circuits had significant harmonics, you would have to count the neutrals, and you would be limited to 2 full boats.

 

[infinity]

Where does this show up in code? Are the 3 circuits sharing one neutral only considered as 1 circuit< thus allowing 3 sets of these.
Am I correct to say that I would have 9 hot circuits with 3 neutrals and 1 Ground in same conduit.

Thx Ron Thomas

As Steve66 outlined you do not need to count the neutrals as CCC's. If the system were 1Ø, 120/240 you could have 8 circuits utilizing #12 conductors with each circuit having an adjusted ampacity of 21 amps.

 

[JoeStillman]

Really. They should be putting energy back into the system.

That's what I've always said! It's quite ironic that you have to use a lot of electric energy to burn off calories.

 

[JFletcher]

Really. They should be putting energy back into the system.

heh, true. I remember taking a field trip to York Power Station about 30 years ago. They had a treadmill hooked to a generator, that powered a light. Iirc, it would take a man running 10mph 4 days to generate the amount of energy that a gallon of fuel oil held.

Still, neat idea. One treadmill or bike with a generator could power several LED lights. It would be a literal "green machine".