Electrical Panel

[Lost in LOS]

I understand the American system for home electrical well. we use 110v mainly and usually have a 200 amp, single phase, 3 wire system

[ 2-110v hot wires and a neutral l] to the panel which is plenty. I know nothing of the this system. In my new house being built by a developer the main panel to the house is 3 phase - 30 amps. is this sufficient for a 3 bedroom 200+ sq meter air conditioned house with pond, pool, waterfalls and large gazebo all with lots of lighting.

thanks in advance

Jimmy

[Pink Mist]

200 amps, are you sure you understand, anyway what your developer suggests is sufficient with the limited amount of imformation provided.

[pampal]

I understand the American system for home electrical well. we use 110v mainly and usually have a 200 amp, single phase, 3 wire system

[ 2-110v hot wires and a neutral l] to the panel which is plenty. I know nothing of the this system. In my new house being built by a developer the main panel to the house is 3 phase - 30 amps. is this sufficient for a 3 bedroom 200+ sq meter air conditioned house with pond, pool, waterfalls and large gazebo all with lots of lighting.

thanks in advance

Jimmy

In thailand they use a 220 volt system.

If you double the voltage, you halve the amperage

Meaning 110 volt at 200 amperes roughly equals 220 volts at 100 amperes.

The same amount of energy.

watt\volt=amperes

Also in the US you had single phase power, here you have 3 phase by 30 amperes which equals roughly to 200 amperes at 110 volts.

So no problems for your house.

[elkangorito]

To find more definitive answers to electrical questions, search for or go to the topic of "Domestic Electrical Wiring". There are 'qualified' people there who can give correct advice.

[Lost in LOS]

I understand the American system for home electrical well. we use 110v mainly and usually have a 200 amp, single phase, 3 wire system

[ 2-110v hot wires and a neutral l] to the panel which is plenty. I know nothing of the this system. In my new house being built by a developer the main panel to the house is 3 phase - 30 amps. is this sufficient for a 3 bedroom 200+ sq meter air conditioned house with pond, pool, waterfalls and large gazebo all with lots of lighting.

thanks in advance

Jimmy

In thailand they use a 220 volt system.

If you double the voltage, you halve the amperage

Meaning 110 volt at 200 amperes roughly equals 220 volts at 100 amperes.

The same amount of energy.

watt\volt=amperes

Also in the US you had single phase power, here you have 3 phase by 30 amperes which equals roughly to 200 amperes at 110 volts.

So no problems for your house.

thanks for that, it is as i thought but i wanted to make sure [ P=IE ] I was a general contractor in the states for 40 years and wired many houses in the US system and fixed the wiring on phantom jets for 4 years. I never dealt with three phase [industrial in america] and we didn't use 220 plugs or power very often. 180 amps is plenty. thanks for the clear explanation Jimmy

[Pattaya Dave]

I understand the American system for home electrical well. we use 110v mainly and usually have a 200 amp, single phase, 3 wire system

[ 2-110v hot wires and a neutral l] to the panel which is plenty. I know nothing of the this system. In my new house being built by a developer the main panel to the house is 3 phase - 30 amps. is this sufficient for a 3 bedroom 200+ sq meter air conditioned house with pond, pool, waterfalls and large gazebo all with lots of lighting.

thanks in advance

Jimmy

Jimmy,

When I built my house in Pattaya several years ago, I demanded 3-phase AC power primarily because I thought that 3-phase AC was what we used in the United States. Later, my brother had told me that the US power is actually more of a 2-phase with ground. Regardless, I had 3-phase installed in my house whereby all of my neighbors use single-phase. It is my understanding that 3-phase AC power is supplied through the main power lines by EGAT, but most buyers of private homes only tap single-phase AC power from the pole. My house is around 240 square meter and I have 9 Air Conditioner units and a large kitchen with a full array of power sapping electrical appliance, a 200 liter hot water heater and washer & dryer. Of course I don't run all of my air conditioner units at once, however I could if I wanted. I have tested my electrical system's load capability by turning on every electrically powered apparatus in my house with no drop in power and no popping of circuit breakers. The downsides to installing 3-phase AC power is that EGAT charges about Baht 38,000 ($1,070) for the purchase of the 220V, 32A 3-phase AC meter. Yes, you have to purchase your own meter in Thailand, not the same as in the US. A single-phase meter of similar amperage rating costs around Baht 16,800 and a single-phase 15 ampere meter which is used by many, costs only around Baht 5,000. Also, my wife had spoken with the the Thai guy from EGAT who comes out to read the meter concerning why our monthly electric bill is so high and she was told that EGAT charges a higher rate per kilowatt for 3-phase AC power. It appears that EGAT views 3-phase AC power as a commercial usage therefore charging a commercial rate even though it is only powering a residence. You may want to ask this question of the EGAT representatives yourself. Anyway, bottom line, a 3-phase AC system will more than handle your electrical requirements. I hope this helps a bit.

Pattaya Dave

[Somtham]

edit....a 200 liter hot water heater ....

edit...EGAT charges about Baht 38,000 ($1,070) for the purchase of the 220V, 32A 3-phase AC meter...

Dave - two points

1. Why do you want to heat "hot water"?

2. You got ripped off on your 3 phase meter. We paid B12K for ours.

rgds