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More Power to Ya By: New Jersey Home Inspector Michael Del Greco Article Word Count: 502 words  [Comments (0)] Total Views: 2 Views

More Power to Ya Submitted by: Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector Lic GI 0121, President of Accurate Inspections, Inc, a New Jersey home inspection company Todays homes need considerably more power than homes did just a few years ago. We barely had hand-held hairdryers two decades ago. Numerous electrical services are obsolete. In addition to the frustration of not having enough power, overloads on the electrical service present a serious fire hazard. To figure out how much current a home needs, you have to know the size of the electrical service and the wattage of the equipment present. Knowing how a single- phase service delivers the current to 120- and 240-volt circuits is also helpful. (Single phase is the typical residential service.) There are two 120-volt poles, which are the parts of the panel box that receive power from the utility company. To energize a 120-volt branch circuit, you only use one of these poles. As you add 120-volt circuits, you alternate with the right and left poles. The 240-volt circuits use both 120-volt poles to service large appliances like a clothes dryer, water heater, range/oven, and central air conditioner. The following is a rule of thumb to help determine the service requirements for a house: 1) Figure out the square footage of the living area. 2) Multiply the square footage of the living area by three watts for the lighting and small appliance loads. 3) Calculate the total wattage used by the major electric appliances (e.g., dryer, range/oven, water heater, central air conditioner, and electric heat). Figure the first 10,000 watts at 100% and the remaining wattage at 40%. 4) Add these figures together and divide by 240. The answer should reflect your necessary amperage or service size. If your maximum usage is close to or above the rated amperage of the service, you should consult a licensed electrician for your best options. Here is an example of a typical house situation that you can use as a reference: 120-Volt Circuits 240-Volt Circuits (Load is shared by two poles) (Load is drawn off both poles) Lighting & Small Appliance Wattage at 120 Volts Actual Lighting 1,500 Toaster 1,000 Hair Dryer 1,500 Refrigerator 400 Microwave 800 Coffee Maker 800 Iron 1,000 Dishwasher 1,500 Washing Machine 600 Garbage Disposal 1,500 Approx.Sub Total 9,600 Major Appliance Wattage at 240 Volts Range/Oven (all elements) 15,000 Water Heater 4,500 Dryer 4,800 Heat Pump 5,000 Heat Pump Back-up 15,000 Approx. Total for Major Appliances 44,300 The 9,600 watts distributed to both 120-Volt poles converts this figure to 4,800 watts at 240 volts. 240-Volt Major Appliances -44,300 120-Volt Appliances (converted) - 4,800 Total wattage =49,100 The first 10,000 watts at 100% =10,000 Balance at 40% demand (39,100 x 40%) =15,640 Net wattage necessary =25,640 25,640 divided by 240 = 106.84 amps. The service size should accommodate 107 amps. This means you would need a 125-amp service. The 150-amp service is a more likely choice and somewhat standard size. Visions of the numbers listed above may have brought about bad memories from Jr. High math class, but figuring out your amperage is an interesting task and really not difficult. Information provided by Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector Lic. GI 0121, American Society of Home Inspectors Member 102273, Pesident of Accurate Inspections, Inc. A West Paterson New Jersey Home Inspection firm.

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