Power Issue with my Machine Shop

My power company told me the min cost per month for 3 phase would be $500. And that is if I didn't use a watt. I don't think most hobbist can pay that

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no spam
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Really? Are you sure you didn't misunderstand?

When I put 3 phase in my building, they charged me $450.00 per month for a year to cover the cost of a new transformer. After that, they dropped it back to normal prices. Mine is usually under $200 per month.

Reply to
Dave Lyon

Pacific Greed and Extortion told me much the same.

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Reply to
Gunner

Did they tell you why?

Reply to
J. Carroll

Makes a genset of your own a viable option. I mean $500 a month will cover how big a generator? According to my catalogue here: 8kw 100 amp standby generator for $3000 (plus shipping and handling, it costs to get those fingerprints put on). Eight to nine months and you've got that paid for.

But I'm sure that Gunner can get you a "deal".

pyotr

"Such a deal I got for you, I wouldn't give my own brother. But then he knows where I live."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

"we don't need a reason, we are the Power Company. We are Om-nip-otent." Thanks to Lily Thomlin's "Ernistine, the Telephone Lady."

tschus pyotr

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

It's a bit like getting Oxy Acelelene tanks. You are paying for the 3 phase line and transformer and its maintenance, which changes very little between 100 wh per month and 500kwh per month. You could, of cource, pay to have the line installed, and buy the transformer. Then it might cost you $100 per month instead.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

Nope..just lots of wheel spining and blinking.

Gunner

Political Correctness

A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Reply to
Gunner

We used to rent warehouse space in an old furniture factory that had three phase. The only thing it ran were a couple of fluorescent light (most of the bulbs were burned out or broken ) for about 5 hours a month.

Every we got a bill for $80.00 with the description "In Lieu of Demand"

I miss the warehouse, but I sure don't miss that bill.

Paul K. Dickman

Reply to
Paul K. Dickman

What a ripoff, my second house had 3 phase power at no extra cost for the meter, the third cost an extra $200 for the 3 phase meter as the peak draw was 25 kW, mainly electric stove & oven + 5 kW aircon. Regret moving. Current house also has 3 phase, which I need to get extended out to the shed. Long power cords are a PITA. Residential does not attract a peak loading charge. Cannot find latest account, it was about $120 for winter, (Aug/Sep) last one for old house was $194.45 for 58 days, (Jan/Feb) aircon running part of most days, but it was a cool summer.. Cost per unit is 13.94 cents, receive account every 2 months. Just had 3 smaller aircons installed instead of 1 large one, ready for summer. Warm yesterday, about 95F, cooler today, only 85F. Alan, in Gosnells, Western Oz. VK6 YAB VKS 737 - W 6174

Reply to
alan200

Up here on the "top" of the world, residential 3 phase is almost unheard of (at leas in North America - particularly Canda.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

The guy at REA told me it was because of the extra money needed to run and 'up keep' 3 phase lines. IIRC, he said one of the extra cost was the fact that even if 3 phase was running near me I'd have to have more than one transformer (3 pops into my mind) installed

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no spam

That's partly a Red Herring - they send the main 'trunk feed; for the area as 3-phase to keep the powerplant generator loads even on all three phases - Power is almost always generated and transmitted as

3-Phase.

If you live right along the main trunk-line feeder route, it's already up there. Go out and look at the top arm of the pole right outside your house, it will have either three or four conductors on the top arm - if there are four, one is on smaller (often white) insulators and that's the ground leg.

(There will be "butt plate grounds" and grounding risers spaced every few poles.)

Now if you live on a branch to the main feeder, where they only brought two hot legs down for a Delta-fed transformer (or one hot line and a ground lead for a Wye-fed transformer) they *will* have to extend all three hot lines to the pole outside your house or shop. But that doesn't cost them all that much.

You can guesstimate the cost - drive out to the main road till you see where they catch all three phases, and then watch your odometer on the way back to get the distance, and count the poles along the way. Your utility can give you the cost per mile figures.

You only need two transformers on the pole to get a 120/240V Open Delta feed - The existing one stays for the regular loads and they add a small can to get the Wild Leg. But it takes three transformers for a full 120/240V Delta or 120/208V Wye.

The lower voltage 120/240V Open Delta feed can be a pain if you want to run big motors - but it also allows them to feed your house and other houses 120/240V single-phase loads off the same transformer set.

If you want 277/480V Delta they leave the original 120/240V 1ph transformer and hang a new set of three above it for the 480V. And you get stuck with the demand charges - it costs money simply to energize the transformers even if they are not heavily loaded.

The Co-Op or Public Owned utilities price that work out simply to break even, but for some strange reason the "For Profit" utilities usually charge more...

(And don't sweat minor details that are "wrong" for your area - each utility does their thing just a little different.)

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

I live in the middle of no where, it took them almost 3 weeks before the powers that be could even tell me what my mailing address would be. Does that tell you how far it probably is to the main trunk line?

As it stands right now I can't afford to buy used equipment much less build a shop to put it in so the cost of getting 3 phase is way down on my list.

Reply to
no spam

For three phase you will only need two hot lines on the pole.. the ones at the top of the pole with the big insulators. They can give you open delta but thats still better than a phase converter. In phase realtion to groung the two hot wires are 120 degrees apart. The delta output from the two transformers consists of three wires, the paired connection of each winding and the other two ends of the two windings.

John

Reply to
John

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