How to get PEA to upgrade my Amp Service

[jimmyyy]

I am running out of power, we have too much running all the time.  Was wondering is it possible to ask PEA to upgrade our electrical service?  I know I will need to purchase some things, but is it possible?  Thanks

[Forkinhades]

Can you show us a picture of your current meter

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[jimmyyy]

Yep stand by kind sir.

[jimmyyy]

[Crossy]

That's a 5/15 (max 15A) service, no wonder you're running out of power ????

 

You should be able to get an upgrade to a 15/45 (max 45A) without much trouble. You may need to upgrade the wires from the meter to your house, it depends what size they are now, and you'll need a 45/50A main breaker in the house.

 

Take yourself along to your local PEA office, take your latest bill and a Thai speaker. You will need to pay a deposit on the new meter (you should get a refund on the old meter), their man should be able to tell you what needs doing (they may or may not do a survey).

 

[jimmyyy]

Thanks i will head down there tomorrow and see what needs to be done

[bankruatsteve]

You will probably help things proceed by first trying to determine how much power you need.  Add up the watts for all stuff that you are likely to have running at the same time.  Fridge, aircon(s), water pump, TV, water heater(s), kettle, oven, lights.  If you don't know the watt draw then just list the items here and someone can estimate.  You didn't mention how you have determined that you are "running out of power".  Does the voltage drop?  Does a fuse blow or a breaker trip?  As mentioned in another thread, you may well need a meter upgrade but that won't give you more power if the supply (PEA) doesn't provide it.  So again, estimate your realistic max demand and try to determine what happens to the voltage when you are at that level.  The PEA may need to do some upgrading to provide it.

[jimmyyy]

We run the following:

 

Inside the house

Oven electric

2 refrigerators

1 deep freezer

3 Air conditioners

2 PC

2 Smart TV

Router

3 or 4 fans

 

Outside

My welder

Air Compressor

Electric power tools (depending on what i am working on)

Washing machine

[jimmyyy]

What will happen is i will continue to pop breakers until i turn stuff off. Lights get dim, air con starts powering down, fans slow speed, computer starts going off.

[bankruatsteve]

1 minute ago, jimmyyy said:

What will happen is i will continue to pop breakers until i turn stuff off. 

Ah ha.  Time to take a photo of your CU/distribution box/whatever with the cover off.  And tell which breaker(s) trips.  You definitely need a larger meter and possibly a re-do of your CU, breakers, and wires.  I'm sure Crossy will jump in after you post for that.

[jimmyyy]

[jimmyyy]

If i fire up the welder then what ever circuit it is connected to is going to pop, just normal operations, if the wife turns on the oven and its starts pulling juice it gets dark.  If my compressor is cycling on and off, i typically get the dimming efffect.

[jimmyyy]

My electric bill typically runs between 7 and 10k a month

[jimmyyy]

[jimmyyy]

so according to my PEA bin we consumed 1579 units last month

[bankruatsteve]

5 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

If i fire up the welder then what ever circuit it is connected to is going to pop, just normal operations, if the wife turns on the oven and its starts pulling juice it gets dark.  If my compressor is cycling on and off, i typically get the dimming efffect.

Well, that was a photo with the cover on but it will suffice for now.  What is connected to the 32 amp circuits?  No wonder you are popping the other breakers as they are only 10 amp.  If your wire size to receptacles is 2.5mm² you can change breaker size to 20 amp and probably solve that issue.

[jimmyyy]

I don't have a clue, when I had the house built they didn't label anything.  OK i will check the wires to see what size they are tomorrow morning when the kids leave for school.  They are all home today, if i kill power to open the box they will start a revolution due to the playstation not being available. 

[bankruatsteve]

9 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

My electric bill typically runs between 7 and 10k a month

Could be higher than it should because your meter is calibrated to 5 amps and you can guess which way the distortion will go if higher.

 

As to the dimming when you turn on a high load... that could indicate that your PEA supply needs a boost.  It will help your case if you can provide voltage measurement at your CU AND your meter before/during the high load.

[bankruatsteve]

6 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

I don't have a clue, when I had the house built they didn't label anything.  OK i will check the wires to see what size they are tomorrow morning when the kids leave for school.  They are all home today, if i kill power to open the box they will start a revolution due to the playstation not being available. 

You can open the box (take the cover off) without worry - just don't go poking around inside with power on.  It will be good to know the wire sizes to which breaker.  Turning off a breaker will tell you what is connected to it because <whatever that is> won't turn on.

[bankruatsteve]

Also to note that you do not have RCD protection (you should) and after you remove the cover check on the ground/earth situation.  IE: do you have a large wire from earth bar going out to a ground rod?  How many wires are connected to the earth bus?  Or take a photo maybe with a bit more resolution if you can.

[jimmyyy]

Sent the wife and kids to KFC, here you go

[jimmyyy]

5 more

[jimmyyy]

I am not a photographer, but hope it gives you a better idea.  The wires are not thin by any means.

[bankruatsteve]

2 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

I am not a photographer, but hope it gives you a better idea.  The wires are not thin by any means.

Actually you did good with the photos but your camera won't win any awards.  All the circuit wires look the same size to me - which means the 32 amp circuits are not properly sized.

 

So that's the earth bar at the top and the neutral bar on the left, yah?  That large wire on the earth bar is hopefully going to the ground rod.  There's at least 4 other wires connected to the earth bar?  That indicates that your ground situation should be OK.

[jimmyyy]

32 amp circuits are not properly sized

 

What is the solution, larger breakers?

[jimmyyy]

With the 32 amp breaker being the main incoming side, will i need to kill power at the pole to change them?

[Blue Muton]

2 hours ago, Crossy said:

That's a 5/15 (max 15A) service, no wonder you're running out of power ????

 

You should be able to get an upgrade to a 15/45 (max 45A) without much trouble. You may need to upgrade the wires from the meter to your house, it depends what size they are now, and you'll need a 45/50A main breaker in the house.

 

Take yourself along to your local PEA office, take your latest bill and a Thai speaker. You will need to pay a deposit on the new meter (you should get a refund on the old meter), their man should be able to tell you what needs doing (they may or may not do a survey).

 

That was not the case for us, despite Mrs BM arranging for the supply to our whole road to be renewed and re-routed a couple of years ago (after we had waited for a year), we have been unable to get them to sell us more than 15 amps. This is a real PITA with no resolution in sight.

[Crossy]

2 minutes ago, Blue Muton said:

we have been unable to get them to sell us more than 15 amps.

 

Is that a 5/15 or 15/45 you cannot upgrade?

 

Many places cannot go above a 15/45.

[bankruatsteve]

7 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

32 amp circuits are not properly sized

 

What is the solution, larger breakers?

First determine what is on those (32a) circuits.  Solution is 20a breakers OR 4-6mm² wires.  Do you have an outbuilding for your welder?  What does that need for power?

[jimmyyy]

Crossy if PEA asks me should i max out at 15/45 or just do incremental upgrading.