Kevin Doe
03-26-2007, 09:58 AM
About a year ago I installed a 100A subpannel in my garage. I'm having some issues. Here is what I did.
I ran a #2 Al SE-R. It has three #2 and one #4. My home has a 250A service. In my main pannel, the neutral bus bar, and ground bus bar is the same physical bar.
I talked to the county inspector, and he told me how to hook it up. I also bought the 2005 NEC code book and read it cover to cover. I had a permit and had it inspected and it passed just fine. He hooks are like this.
The ground and neutral are on the same bus bar in the main pannel. In the subpannel, the ground and neutral are on seperated bus bars. The inspector said it must be installed that way. I was unsure what why, since they're basically the same thing because in the main they are on the same bar. Oh well, I did it how he said.
I installed 6 seperate circuits. Two 20A outlets, one 20A hardline for a compressor, a 240V 30A welder outlet, and a 240V 30A to an electric heater hardwired. I used the appropiate sized wire to meet code for each circuit.
Now for the problem.
Everytime I use a 15A tool (chop saw, compressor), it pops my breaker the first time I try and use the tool. So I go and switch it back on, then start the tool again and its fine.
If I plug the same 15A tool into the existing house garage wiring, it never breaks the 20A breaker.
I'm using SquareD 20A breakers. I'm assuming that the initial spike of current in the tool is what pops the breakers. Are new breakers just so fast acting that they pop on the spike, whereas the older house breakers are slower to react and don't pop? Is there anyway to get around this?
I'm really stumped. I've double checked everything to make sure its to code.
Thanks,
Kevin
I ran a #2 Al SE-R. It has three #2 and one #4. My home has a 250A service. In my main pannel, the neutral bus bar, and ground bus bar is the same physical bar.
I talked to the county inspector, and he told me how to hook it up. I also bought the 2005 NEC code book and read it cover to cover. I had a permit and had it inspected and it passed just fine. He hooks are like this.
The ground and neutral are on the same bus bar in the main pannel. In the subpannel, the ground and neutral are on seperated bus bars. The inspector said it must be installed that way. I was unsure what why, since they're basically the same thing because in the main they are on the same bar. Oh well, I did it how he said.
I installed 6 seperate circuits. Two 20A outlets, one 20A hardline for a compressor, a 240V 30A welder outlet, and a 240V 30A to an electric heater hardwired. I used the appropiate sized wire to meet code for each circuit.
Now for the problem.
Everytime I use a 15A tool (chop saw, compressor), it pops my breaker the first time I try and use the tool. So I go and switch it back on, then start the tool again and its fine.
If I plug the same 15A tool into the existing house garage wiring, it never breaks the 20A breaker.
I'm using SquareD 20A breakers. I'm assuming that the initial spike of current in the tool is what pops the breakers. Are new breakers just so fast acting that they pop on the spike, whereas the older house breakers are slower to react and don't pop? Is there anyway to get around this?
I'm really stumped. I've double checked everything to make sure its to code.
Thanks,
Kevin