single phase to three phase upgrade path

[Khun Jean]

As new wiring will be installed soon i would like to know what i need to do to be able to upgrade to a 3 phase system in the future.

Currently my needs can be covered by a 15-45 connection. However there are a few machines on my wishlist that will need more power and it is very likely that one of those machines will have a 3-phase motor.

At the moment the plan is to install 2 consumer units, maybe even a third if that would make the transition later easier.

As i understand it now the single phase will be one 16mm Live and 16mm Neutral wire connecting both (maybe three) CUs in parallel.

Later when switching to a 3 phase connecting i would then simple give each CU its own Live 16mm wire, the CU's will still share the neutral.

Is that correct?

Currently i have a small lathe and mill that draw 1200w maximum each. I also have a mig/tig/arc welder that needs a 16A plug.

Later i would like to add a cnc (probably 3 phase for the spindle) and maybe other power tools.

What kind of device would i need to be able to switch off all power or redirect one phase to another?

[Forkinhades]

Yes they will share the neutral. Any imbalances of current will flow down the neutral.

Not sure what you mean by redirecting phases. You can incorporate a stop button via a contactor to stop all power.

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[Khun Jean]

With redirecting i meant that if one or even two phases loose power i could then switch the kitchen and some small lights over to the still live wire.

Or is that just not going to happen in reality?

[Crossy]

Totally do-able Jean, not simple mind, depends upon how important it is to you to keep going.

Probably better to have lights and outlets in each area on two or more phases (some on R, some on B, some on Y) so losing one or two phases doesn't put everything out. But that makes your internal wiring more complex.

Myself or Forky (or one of the other sparks who post here) could design a unit to transfer load to a still working phase but loading could be an issue.

[Forkinhades]

A simple UPS system could be a better option.

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[Forkinhades]

Or even LED emergency lighting.

I have a couple of emergency LED lights in the house, and they last for about 5 hours.

You could even design your lighting to be fed by all 3 phases in the kitchen.

Many options.

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[h90]

Here, they went and installed a complete new box.

So I have a 3 phase circuit only for the CNC machines, a complete clean and perfect installation.

And the normal household 2 phase for general use.

(But only one meter outside).

That was a lot liked by the electric company and it is better when some people mess around with the electric...they do it only with the 220 and not the 380 Volt.

We run an Emco Turn 2 345 and 3 Economos SKF CNC lathes on the 3 phase and no problem at all...(well the old CNCs run even if there are just 2 phases out of 3 available)

[rakman]

Here, they went and installed a complete new box.

So I have a 3 phase circuit only for the CNC machines, a complete clean and perfect installation.

And the normal household 2 phase for general use.

(But only one meter outside).

That was a lot liked by the electric company and it is better when some people mess around with the electric...they do it only with the 220 and not the 380 Volt.

We run an Emco Turn 2 345 and 3 Economos SKF CNC lathes on the 3 phase and no problem at all...(well the old CNCs run even if there are just 2 phases out of 3 available)

Interesting setup. Using one phase out of the 3 for the house would cause a small load factor shift, unless the 3 phases were distributed into the house so that "normal" load is spread across the 3 phases. I guess Thailand hasn't gotten around to billing additional for load factors.

I would suspect if one phase is missing the spin up of the CNC machines are a little slower, but the inertia of the machine would keep the tool spinning with a small variation in speed. I wonder if there is any change in the finish?