3 Phase 15/45A

[dBrown]

My current house has a 30kVa single phase transformer and a 30/100A single phase meter. I have 5 aircons, swimming pool, irrigation system and lots of pumps etc and I'm doing fine.

This house is sold and I'm gonna build a similar house elsewhere.

Where I found land that interests me there is 3 Phase from government available and they say I can get a 15/45A 3 Phase meter.

Will this be sufficient for my house?

[Crossy]

A 3-phase 15/45 will give about 40% more oomph than a single-phase 30/100 so should be fine.

Of course, a it depends upon how well that 3-phase supply bears up under maximum load.

[dBrown]

A 3-phase 15/45 will give about 40% more oomph than a single-phase 30/100 so should be fine.

Of course, a it depends upon how well that 3-phase supply bears up under maximum load.

Please explain about the maximum load, what can happen and is there a way to find that out in advance ?

I assume that currently I have no issues, that even if maximum load is 40% lower I will be fine.

[Crossy]

You are currently right next to a 30kVA Tx, you could likely draw 200A from that supply and it wouldn't flinch.

Now take your new location, possibly a 70kVA village Tx (3-phase) followed by 1/2 a mile of damp string to your location. Not to mention all the sheds and farms etc. along the way. By the time the power gets to you it may already be down to 200V before you pull any load.

PEA have the duty to supply the power you request, unfortunately they don't have the budget to upgrade their infrastructure, many of us stumble along on inadequate and/or unreliable power.

How to tell in advance? Not easy, but a quick survey of the size of the Tx, the distance to your plot, how many homes connected and the size of the wires would allow us give an educated guess.

EDIT Is HV available at your new plot (3 wires on big insulators above the normal 4-wire LV)? If so nothing to stop you installing your own local Tx as you have now if the village supply proves inadequate.

[dBrown]

You are currently right next to a 30kVA Tx, you could likely draw 200A from that supply and it wouldn't flinch.

Now take your new location, possibly a 70kVA village Tx (3-phase) followed by 1/2 a mile of damp string to your location. Not to mention all the sheds and farms etc. along the way. By the time the power gets to you it may already be down to 200V before you pull any load.

PEA have the duty to supply the power you request, unfortunately they don't have the budget to upgrade their infrastructure, many of us stumble along on inadequate and/or unreliable power.

How to tell in advance? Not easy, but a quick survey of the size of the Tx, the distance to your plot, how many homes connected and the size of the wires would allow us give an educated guess.

EDIT Is HV available at your new plot (3 wires on big insulators above the normal 4-wire LV)? If so nothing to stop you installing your own local Tx as you have now if the village supply proves inadequate.

Thanks for the explanation, will have a closer look at it, though it will be difficult to measure the wire size. A quick survey shows that is approx 7-800 mater from the Tx and actually not many connections on that stetch, which are also all single phase meters.

No HV available there.

[Crossy]

A photo of the transformer would be useful, if you can read the rating plate (take your binoculars) that would be more useful (the difference in size between 50 and 100 kVA is remarkably small).

[dBrown]

Difficult to see from where the 3 Phase exactly is provided. Wires lead to place a few kilometers down the road, where there are 2 Tx opposite each other, One has a number plate 160 while the other is 250, but it looks like the 250 one provides only a small moobaan at the backside of the Tx.

From the 160 one 2 sets of 4 wires start, at each side of the poles which go along for about 1 km, and then 1 set goes straight on and the other set turns right to the location of the plot I'm looking at which is still at least 2.5km away from that section.

[Crossy]

Hmmm, at 3.5km that's a l-o-n-g 220V run, are you sure there's not another Tx closer?

[bankruatsteve]

And, that doesn't sound like 3-phase to the new property. (?)