How to run a 20A circuit from mains power?

[Gundog48]

My house wiring can't keep up! Basically, I'm building something which is going to draw 20A of power from the mains. As I understand it, a normal plug will only handle 13A on it's own. If I wanted to power this device in my house, how would I do so?

 

[new boy]

what is it?

 

[Reaper 392]

You will need a 30 amp cable running directly from the circuit breaker I believe. I don't know the details as we had an electrician do it, but our induction hob needed way more than 13A so that's what the electrician installed

*edit*
Think its called three phase cable.

 

[Gundog48]

Probably shouldn't go into the reasons, but it's essentially two 2200W heating elements in parallel being controlled by a solid state relay so I can adjust the power of both at once from nothing up to 4400W.

 

[Mynight]

If it's two 2200w elements are they individually wired?

 

[Gundog48]

So I'd basically be adding in a dedicated ring main and using one of those high-current sockets? Sounds doable! They can be individually wired and ran off different sockets with no problem, however I'd like to run them both through the same SSR so they can be adjusted together. The problem with that is that it would require a single power source.

 

[new boy]

hmmm, only thing I can think of is a home made beer wort boiler made from 2 kettle elements?

 

[Mynight]

It's simple enough to do but legally you'd need a spark to do it.

32amp breaker, 4mm cable and a 20amp wall outlet would do it. Iirc the 20amp outlets are all hard wired they're not plug style.

Didn't realise grow ops were so power hungry .

 

[areksnumbr1sxylady]

are you growing drugs.

 

[Sliver]

*edit*
Think its called three phase cable.

All domestic premises are single phase as far as I know. 3 phase is normally for factory's etc. He just needs a direct cable from his consumer unit with an adequate RCD, to his device, like we do with ovens.

 

[Werewolf]

All domestic premises are single phase as far as I know. 3 phase is normally for factory's etc. He just needs a direct cable from his consumer unit with an adequate RCD, to his device, like we do with ovens.

Yup.
About the only time you'll find a 3 phase in a residential property is if they've got an electric car and the really high capacity charging point, or they're a really avid woodworker or something (some of the gear you can get for high end hobby/semi pro woodworking can take a 3 phase).

 

[scotty365]

You can generate your own 3 phase from single easy enough, although it can also be pulled from the street albeit at expense.

Depending how far from the consumer unit you need to go I would consider a chunky radial that can take the load and run both units from it via RCBO or RCD+circuit breaker (~40A) It's basicly a circuit for a shower.

 

[Gundog48]

My friend's a spark so I'll be sure to get him in on this, I'm pretty comfortable with electrics, but I know virtually nothing about proper house wiring, and I'd like my house to continue not being on fire!

And I should probably put aside talk of growing drugs, I'm only likely to get in trouble with customs for what I'm up to! No harm in making it more obvious I suppose!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcAmrVQjleE

 

[Mynight]

Didn't realise so much power was required for that . Or are you taking on Smirnoff? .

Mates rates always helps. I've signed off mates work before on the cheap.

Scotty pure interest why are you reccomending a 40amp breaker?

The specs given only call for a 32amp could even run it on a 20amp but it would be over tolerances.

 

[Gundog48]

You could do it with less, thing is, a 2200W will bring a 2L kettle full of water to the boil in about a minute, but bringing 23L to the boil would take some serious time on only one element! It does only take a tiny amount to keep it on the boil though. I might just take the easy route and have separate plugs, with one hardwired and one controlled. I put the full 4.4KW in until it reaches boiling, at which point I switch one element off and adjust the remaining one to a slow boil.

 

[PhillyDee]

Sockets are easy, Just get a 32A socket and plug, some 4mm2 twin and earth, and a 32A breaker for your consumer unit.

The blue sockets are the ones you want, not yellow (110V)and certainly not red (3ph 420V).

 

[Mynight]

Doh! Yeah that's the easiest ^^. I completely forgot they made those.

Shows how often I work outside of the norms .

 

[23JMZ07]

As stated

32A MCB, 4mm2 cable and a 32amp commando socket/plug.