On Sun, 09 Sep 2007 13:39:03 -0700, Bruce L. Bergman
wrote:

On Sat, 08 Sep 2007 23:28:10 -0700, Gunner
wrote:
On Sun, 09 Sep 2007 03:13:48 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

If it's even remotely close to maxing out a 240V 200A 3ph service, it's
a big installation, no mater how physically small it may be.

Chuckle..I did that yesterday. Had 6 Moog Hydrapoints and 4 Okuma Twin
Turrets running on a 200 amp. Then I added a Okuma LS2200.

Ooops

Well..he was hogging with a 1.25" drill bit. Shrug
The hogging exceeded my very very thin margin..

No, more like you were betting on not all the machines running at
the same time, let alone several of them running flat out and hogging
at the same moment... And as you can see, that isn't a smart bet.

The customer was betting on it. I warned him many months ago.
On the other hand..he pays very well and on time. Shrug.

Busted tools in just about every machine.

And the front office people probably weren't amused when their
computers and AC went away either. Is this an industrial park, or can
they bump the service up?

I bumped it up from 200 amps total to 800 amps total, with multiple
services. 4 shops in the complex, one with 600 amps total, 1 with 200
amps on the same meter main, and 2 with seperate 200 amp meter mains.

It took 3 months for the City and So Cal Edison to get their heads out
of their asses on the new meter main..with another 2 weeks to convince
the city inspector that 1992 Okumas never had, nor never will have UL
listings.

How many of those machines are dual 240/480V? You can get the new
service in and change them over one at a time.

Nope..only about 25% are dual voltage.

Sometimes you can cheat - if this is in an industrial park and the
unit next door is only being used as a warehouse, they aren't using
their full 200A service - you can install a sub-meter and get some
more electricity from them.

-- Bruce --

Already doing that with the 120 volt service...the bulding was built
in 1959. Most of the shops had single 50 amp 120 volt service with a
meter attached to the 6 breaker "main"

They hired an engineering company at the outset. Then they expected
me to impliment the results.

Ive many compliments on the quality of workmanship, the way I designed
everything for future expansion and so forth.

I dont get any brownie points for not getting 400 amps from a 200 amp
service. Shrug

Its safe, its up to code, it looks good. But they simply dont have
enough power in some places. And it will take an act of Crom to get
anyone to make it so.

Then they stuck (2) I-R 15hp screw compressors and the dryers into the
mix...cringe.

Gunner