Electrical

Electrical

Sanctuary Electrical

Service panels, branch circuits, breakers, etc. Note that there is a nomenus-electrical Yahoo group; please document your work by an email there, and feel free to join that (small, quiet) group if you’re interested in such things.
Mugwort has most electrical information.
Status: This doc is unofficial, edited by individuals.
BarnGarden House, The BoxNaraya Cabins

Garden Pole: Power Drop, Meter, and Master Panel

1,2 (empty)
3 20A (off)
4 20A
5 30A
6/7 60A
8/9 60A (unused)
10 20A
11-14 200A Main
15/16 40A Theresa
17/18 100A Garden House
19/20 125A Barn Rear
21-25 (blank)

The panel is overcrowded and in poor shape; at some point we’ll need to replace it, but that will require involving the power company; please check with Mugwort for details first.

(#8/9 is the old, ca 1987, unused feed to the front of Barn.)

Barn Front ‘A’

This is the old panel, circa 1986, on the front wall just East of the main door.
Fed with 60A from Barn ‘B’ #1, with round NM-B Cu 4/4/4/8 running under the floor. (Note we could use a larger breaker; 60A was cheap, available, and equalled the prior feed from the pole.)

A-1/3 20A A-2/4 100A Main
A-5 20A A-6 20A
A-7 20A A-8 20A
A-9 20A A-10 20A
A-11 20A A-12 20A
A-13 20A A-14 20A
A-15 20A A-16 20A

No Neutral-Ground bond; has a ground rod and is bonded to the ground system of ‘B’ by Cu 6 in addition to the feed.
(The old 60A feed from #8/9 on master panel at Garden pole still exists, 3-wire Al in sch 40 PVC conduit; the latter became exposed along the driveway and directly in front of the Barn, so it was taken out of service 10/1/13. Barn ends have wire nuts and tape, in this panel.)

Barn Main: Rear ‘B’

Fed with 125A from #19/20 on master panel at Garden pole, by 3-wire Al in sch 40 PVC (not the same conduit that’s becoming exposed in the driveway).
Has a Neutral-Ground bond, two ground rods, and is bonded to the ground system of ‘A’ panel by Cu #6 and the feeder.
This is the new panel, circa 2010, at the rear wall. I don’t know who installed and wired it.
Siemens panel, takes breakers QP, QT, etc.

1/3 60A panel A 2 (blank)
3 (other half of #1) 4 (blank)
5 (blank) 6 (blank)
7 20A 8 20A
9 20A back ceil? 10 10A
11 20A 12 20A
13 20A 14 20A
15 20A 16 20A
17 20A “upstairs lts” 18 20A
19 20A 20 20A
21a
21b
20A upstairs back
20A coffee
22 (blank)
23a
23b
20A coffee
20A coffee
24 (blank)
25a
25b
20A coffee
20A upstairs front
26 (blank)
27 20A N wall 28 (blank)
29 (blank) 30 (blank)

#9 includes the back ceiling lights. There are two switched lines for lights in the left half of the room; one, assigned to the right-hand switch, has a short and pops the breaker, so it has been disconnected and the switch removed.

May 2012: The coffee area is provided with 4 new circuits. These are supplied by 12/3 Romex, so in keeping with 2010 NEC these multiwire circuits have breaker handle-ties. To provide the needed polarity I used three QT 20/20 breakers, leaving two breaker positions available and unused. (Mugwort)
Sept 2013: Provided new feed to Panel A (so we no longer need exception NEC 225.30E for two services). Installed 3 new outlets, each on its own circuit (21a, 25b, 27). Plan to open up more of the N wall to provide outlets also on #27, but that will probably ruin the paneling. Also plan Bosch hot-water-heater antifreeze outlet. I temporarily removed the 2010 NEC handle ties between 21b/23a and 23b/25a, as their width was pushing the breakers out of position (causing problems mounting 27).

Plan: Provide a new 20A circuit and a dedicated outlet for the Bosch hot-water heater (and anything else that needs to be powered when the Barn is otherwise unused in cold weather). Provide outlets in the north wall facing the main Barn (for sound system, lights, etc). Give this panel a main breaker! Re-install narrower handle ties (21b/23a and 23b/25a).

Garden House

Fed with 100A from #17/18 main panel on Garden pole, via USE-2 Al #1/2 in sch 40.
Has a Neutral-Ground bond and a ground rod.
Siemens weatherproof panel, takes breakers QP, QT etc.

1 15A Garden House (temp upper) 2 20A Office 1
3 20A Office exterior 4 20A Office 2
5 (blank) 6 15A Garden House (temp lower)

Garden House originally had two circuits, fed from two breakers at the pole, appearing in a junction box near ground level at the NE (kitchen) corner outside. This new panel was installed 2009, and supplies those two circuits.

Plan: Replace erratic dimmer for dining room. Identify the individual wires making up the existing two circuits, so they can be split off to different breakers. Replace as much old wire as possible. Give Altairia its own circuit. Check for failed outlets and other problems. Cover plates.

Office

Fed from Garden House panel, via THWN #12 in sch 40 PVC.
Wired for two circuits, so computers and an electric heater can co-exist; also a separate, exterior GFCI outlet. At present, only the exterior outlet is connected; the building is temporarily plugged into that outlet.

Plan: There may have been a problem with the final wire layout before wallboard was put up; check configuration vs plan (see Mugwort). Wire up the two building circuits.

Blue Box

Not permanently wired yet; can be temporarily plugged into an extension cord.
Square D “QO” load center, takes breakers QD, etc.

1a
1b
20A
20A
2a
2b
20A
20A
3a
3b
20A
20A
4a
4b
20A
20A
5 15A
6 (blank)

Plan: Trench from pole to Blue Box and to cabins; supply the Box with ** in schedule 40 PVC.

Naraya Cabins (Sage, Cedar)

Temporarily fed with #10 UF plugged into GFCI outlets in the Garden near the pole and outside the Office.
Wired with 1 circuit apiece using Cu #14 (hence, 15A max).

Plan: Place a weatherproof, 4-breaker panel on the south side of the northern cabin. Trench from pole to Blue Box and to cabins. supply this panel with ** in sch 40. Trench between the cabins, allowing for two branch circuits in each cabin. Initially supply each with one 15A circuit. If that blows its breaker too often, attempt to access existing wires to move the heater outlet to its own circuit (or, failing that, the lights).
Q: What about future cabins?


Edited by mugwort on Oct 30, 2013 10:51 pm