Upgrade to 3 phase

[SUNRAY]

The local Church Hall has a single phase installation but we keep getting a bit near the mark on load, the last show the AmDram put on peaked at 103A.
I have made a guess the supply is 100A and suggested upgrading to 3 phase which the church have readily pursued.
A price has been quoted for the new feed for which I think I understand the DNO have made a visit [but I must say the 'caretaker' keeps describing him as 'electrician'] and digging has been mentioned.
While there today I had a look at the installation and I see a 3ph head with 1ph meter.

What are the chances there is already a 3ph feed in place?

 

[JohnD]

if the Amdram load is related to stage lighting, they might consider moving over to LEDs and the load will drop greatly. Perhaps they own or hire old lamps.

You can get LEDs to fit in some old lamps, but they'll need new dimmers.

Old stage lamps litter the market as people are dumping them.

An old church hall may well have a 3-phase supply. There used to be a special tariff for "places of worship" and many of them used electric heating at times. Post some photos of the service head please.

 

[John D v2.0]

If the head is 3 phase there's a very good chance. Maybe the dno need to replace the head then the meter operator needs to replace the meter.

We have exactly that situation, a three phase head with a single phase meter. I know all three phases are live because they checked them all when they replaced the iron age cutout with a modern plastic one.

 

[SUNRAY]

if the Amdram load is related to stage lighting, they might consider moving over to LEDs and the load will drop greatly. Perhaps they own or hire old lamps.

You can get LEDs to fit in some old lamps, but they'll need new dimmers.

Old stage lamps litter the market as people are dumping them.

Oh absolutely yes but the cost implication of changing over to LED is way outside the available funds of the small group. Having said that their total load is only 7KW.

An old church hall may well have a 3-phase supply. There used to be a special tariff for "places of worship" and many of them used electric heating at times. Post some photos of the service head please.

 

[SUNRAY]

What are the ongoing cost implications of a 3ph supply?

 

[JohnW2]

What are the ongoing cost implications of a 3ph supply?

As I have said a number of times before, as far as domestic supplies and my supplier (E.ON) are concerned, there are no cost-implications - standing charge is the same for single-phase and 3-phase, and identical tariffs (at identical prices) are available for both types of supply.

What happens with church halls, and other suppliers, I have no idea!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnD]

certainly looks like it was 3-ph

you can even see the old-colour phase identifier disks, presumably used for the original meter.

 

[JohnW2]

you can even see the old-colour phase identifier disks, presumably used for the original meter.

Probably not as 'old' (or odd) colours as mine ....

Kind Regards, John

 

[SUNRAY]

As I have said a number of times before, as far as domestic supplies and my supplier (E.ON) are concerned, there are no cost-implications - standing charge is the same for single-phase and 3-phase, and identical tariffs (at identical prices) are available for both types of supply.

What happens with church halls, and other suppliers, I have no idea!

Kind Regards, John

That's good to hear.

 

[SUNRAY]

Probably not as 'old' (or odd) colours as mine ....

View attachment 136855

Kind Regards, John

You often see that colour combination on pylons.

 

[SUNRAY]

certainly looks like it was 3-ph

you can even see the old-colour phase identifier disks, presumably used for the original meter.

The cable outlets have never been broken out so this head has never been used for 3ph & I assume, like you, that there was previously a 3ph supply there on an old head.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Having said that their total load is only 7KW.

So where did the other 16.7kW come from?

The cable outlets have never been broken out so this head has never been used for 3ph & I assume, like you, that there was previously a 3ph supply there on an old head.

Possibly.

Or maybe they thought that when they turned up to replace the old cast-iron cut-out, and CBA to go back out to the van when they found it wasn't.

There is only the one way to find out. Or two, if you trust old records.

 

[SUNRAY]

So where did the other 16.7kW come from?

There is no dispute with what is in use or being drawn.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I wasn't suggesting there was, just curious about "peaked at 103A" vs "their total load is only 7KW"....

 

[JohnW2]

You often see that colour combination on pylons.

Interesting. I must say that it's not a set of colours I have personally ever seen used for phase identification, but my experience of all things 3-phase is pretty limited, so that doesn't prove a lot.

Kind Regards, John