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Adding a bid circuit and and electrical breaker questions

To: shop-talk <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Subject: Adding a bid circuit and and electrical breaker questions
From: Darrell Walker <darrellw@ipns.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 16:24:23 -0800
Hi,

I'm looking to add a 240V, 60 amp circuit for a ceramic kiln.  My  
current panel is 200 amps with 20 spaces, and only has one slot  
open.  Most likely I'll hire an electrician for this, but I'd like to  
know what my options are.

First, is there a limit to the total amperage of circuits in relation  
to the main service amperage?  Right now, adding up the existing  
breakers I get 315 amps.  Seems like a lot, but of course not  
everything is running at the same time.  But since you can get a 200  
amp main panel with 40 spaces, and since I've never seen a circuit  
less that 15 amps, that would seem to imply that you can add a lot of  
circuits!  So can I really have 375 amps full of circuits behind a  
200 amp main service?

Second, since I don't have a double slot available, I think I would  
either need to add a sub-panel (and move at least one existing  
circuit over there along with the new one for the kiln), or replace  
the main panel with a bigger one.  Are those my options, without  
shedding an existing circuit?

If so. I'm thinking a full new panel is a cleaner solution, though  
unless the new panel uses the same breaker types as the old one I  
will have to buy a bunch of new breakers.  That would be offset  
somewhat with the fact that with a sub-panel I would have to buy a  
pretty big (80 or 100 amp) breaker to feed the subpanel, and you can  
usually get quite a few 10 and 20 amp breakers for the price of one  
on those!

Anyway, any ideas appreciated!

Thanks,
Darrell


-- 
Darrell Walker
66 TR4A IRS CTC67956L
Vancouver, WA, USA




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