How many amps?

[flatgrinder]

How many amps does this panel support?

I'm guessing 100 Amps on the left and 160 on the right, for a total of 260 amps ... am I right?

Thanks! :thumbup:

 

[azwelke]

Check the name plate, I bet it is a 100 amp or 125 amp 120/208 volt, 3 phase panel. It should only be loaded to 125%, but it has loads that will not run at the same time. The breakers are Square D type QO or QOB. I see twin breakers as well, it is definately close to being overloaded The cover has even been notched to fit another twin

Those breakers on the bottom are definately 3 phase, but the panel may be single phase, if only 2 of the 3 terminals are being used on those breakers.

Al

How many amps does this panel support?

I'm guessing 100 Amps on the left and 160 on the right, for a total of 260 amps ... am I right?

Thanks! :thumbup:

 

[grizzled gizzard]

It should say on the back of the "door". You have 10 circuits available, so theoretically, you could put 4, 50amp, 220v circuits, plus 2, 20 amp, 110v circuits. The "theory" part means that you can't use more amperage than the box specifies, or more accurately, you can't use more amperage than the wire feeding the box can take without burning something up (like your building).

I'm not a card carrying electrician, just speaking from practical experience.

 

[flatgrinder]

Thanks for the replies!

I checked the main breaker and it's rated at 100 amps, so the subpanel is overloaded!!

 

[Jack O'Neill]

It should say on the back of the "door". You have 10 circuits available, so theoretically, you could put 4, 50amp, 220v circuits, plus 2, 20 amp, 110v circuits. The "theory" part means that you can't use more amperage than the box specifies, or more accurately, you can't use more amperage than the wire feeding the box can take without burning something up (like your building).

I'm not a card carrying electrician, just speaking from practical experience.

the rating of an electrical panel is based on what the buss bars can carry before an overheat and melt down happens .

You can have 200 amps worth of breakers in a 100 amp panel as long as no more than 100 amps are drawn on the buss bars . The reason a lot of new panels have a main breaker fixed in them .

 

[middleagedmutan]

What size wire is feeding it is it cooper or aluminium is it a sub or main?

 

[Drew Riley]

What size wire is feeding it is it cooper or aluminium is it a sub or main?

This is the biggest thing to consider. The bus bars will take a heck of a lot more current than the wires feeding your loads. The important thing is that you don't have 14g wire feeding a 20+ Amp circuit.

As for having more "capacity" in the total breakers than the main breakers, this is a normal occurrence. Not only are the individual breakers RARELY maxed out (or probably even close to max), but all of the breakers are rarely under load at the same time.

That being said, it might not be a bad idea to put an amp meter across the supply leads when you're running your normal configuration to see where you are at.