Now That I think about it, by the time I bought the cord and plugs for the spa panel it would have been cheaper back then too. And My dryer would be on a GFI that with the spa panel isnt.....
I think they are required for a SPA or a pool.
Your new so you'll have to believe me...EVERYONE recommends a spa panel over a breaker around here...since forever...I'm starting wonder why
Not an electrician but I think the reason for that is its easier to expand later off the panel than having to do another run to the breaker. More upfront cost/lower down the road if adding more stuff. But definately do GFCI and make sure its in writing if having an electrician install. I didnt and had to have them come back and fix it. No GFCI around water/30-50 amp brewing controllers is not a good idea.
Theres a few reasons the spa panel is generally preferred. First getting a GFCI breaker alone is typically 2x3 times more expensive than the spa panel. Second is a GFCI breaker isn't available for all the different panels out there. Third it can be alot more difficult to install said breaker for people without experience working in the panel. Fourthly a spa panel is not a permanent modification if your renting etc. There's a few more but I imagine you get the point. Cheers
I would have to argue with all those points.
If you want to disconnect everything at the brewery....unplug the one plug going to the washer outlet LOL...its pretty simple stuff. A live outlet with nothing in it isnt dangerous...note every other outlet in your house
I have a Murray panel. $70...less then a spa panel and no wiring...Coulda shoulda woulda.
But your arguing a point assuming yours and or anothers specific situation is the same for everyone. Yes if you have a general electric panel in your house with a spare spot to install the specific ge breaker that was referenced that would be a good option. If you don't have that specific panel, don't have a spare spot in you panel, aren't allowed to modify your panel, can't get a gfci breaker or breaker is way more expensive then using a spa panel is a great option. As with everything brewing everyone's situation is different. Cheers
I guess...I'm going to say thats a further stretch than not using a spa panel. You need a real outdated panel for your scenario...like from the 50's
This works, but please note that if you are using a spa panel to convert a 3 wire dryer outlet into a 4 wire power feed, this is not code compliant, and should only be done if you understand and accept the risks.
Good point. I use a 4 wire. Also to that point correct me if I'm wrong at least in Canada I believe technically having a breaker inline with another breaker isn't code compliant either. CheersThis works, but please note that if you are using a spa panel to convert a 3 wire dryer outlet into a 4 wire power feed, this is not code compliant, and should only be done if you understand and accept the risks.
Brew on
Again the portatable aspect is irrelevant for many...Yet its ALWAYS recommended..It works for you and thats great...I have a Spa panel also....I just dont think its the right choice for MANY when a breaker is a better option...this thread has opened my eyes to that
Don't know anything about Canadian code, but don't most (all) breaker panels have a main breaker (100, 200, 400A, etc.) in front of all the individual circuit breakers? And what about sub-panels? You could end up with four breakers in series for most circuits on the sub-panel. And then you have breakers inside of equipment as well. Seems like you would have to write too many exceptions into the code for all of the many cases that use breakers in series.
Don't know anything about Canadian code, but don't most (all) breaker panels have a main breaker (100, 200, 400A, etc.) in front of all the individual circuit breakers? And what about sub-panels? You could end up with four breakers in series for most circuits on the sub-panel. And then you have breakers inside of equipment as well. Seems like you would have to write too many exceptions into the code for all of the many cases that use breakers in series.
Brew on
I just gave a electrician friend of mine a call and he said too many breakers in line is pure BS. He said if you ever build a separate garage with power you will already have 4 in series by the time you get to an outlet. You will have 2 in your main panel and 2 in the garage panel.
You lost me at "phase angle firing".......An SSVR also does PWM of a type known as phase angle firing. In this case the pulse period is 1 / 2X line frequency, or 8.33 msec for 60Hz power. At 25% power the triac in the SSR is gated "on" for 2.08 msec, at 50% triac is on for 4.16 msec, and at 75% triac is on for 6.25 msec. Now because the voltage varies as a sine wave, the power delivered at a 25% setting is less than 25%, at 50% setting power is 50%, and at a 75% setting power is more than 75%. (I'm too lazy to figure out the actual power at 25% and 75% as the math involves integrating a sin^2 function.)
In the case of a PID driving an SSR, the PWM pulse period is usually 1 or 2 seconds. For a 1 second period at 25% power, the triac in the SSR will be gated "on" for 0.25 sec, and will pass 30 half cycles of the 60 Hz waveform. At 50% the triac will be on for 0.5 sec, and pass 60 half cycles, etc. With this form of PWM, the power delivered is linear with the power setting (i.e. you actually get 25% power at at 25% setting, unlike with an SSVR.)
The SSVR provides a little smoother power, but with more electrical noise (because of the non-zero crossing switching.) With SSR's and cycle times of 2 sec or greater, folks have noticed "pulsing" variations in boil intensity, but this is not known to cause any actual problems.
There is a third form of power modulation used by Auber EZBoil controllers (driving SSR's) that can be described as Pulse Count Modulation. I won''t go into detail on it here, but like PWM it provides linear setting vs. power delivery, and like SSVR's provides shorter effective cycle times for smoother power delivery.
Brew on
Close, but the triac in the SSVR gets triggered "on" at a non-zero point in the voltage cycle (except at 100%) and then shuts itself "off" when the voltage (or is it current? For a resistive load it's the same time as voltage & current are in phase) goes thru zero. The potentiometer controls a timing circuit that send a trigger pulse to the triac at the appropriate phase angle.
Close, but the triac in the SSVR gets triggered "on" at a non-zero point in the voltage cycle (except at 100%) and then shuts itself "off" when the voltage (or is it current? For a resistive load it's the same time as voltage & current are in phase) goes thru zero. The potentiometer controls a timing circuit that send a trigger pulse to the triac at the appropriate phase angle.
Brew on
Wouldn't this be considered off topicClose, but the triac in the SSVR gets triggered "on" at a non-zero point in the voltage cycle (except at 100%) and then shuts itself "off" when the voltage (or is it current? For a resistive load it's the same time as voltage & current are in phase) goes thru zero. The potentiometer controls a timing circuit that send a trigger pulse to the triac at the appropriate phase angle.
Brew on
One of the primary participants in the thread asked about the differences in modulation modes, which set off a tangent discussion explaining how the modulation modes differ. Selecting the switching mode is part of selecting a controller. But, I agree that the side discussion has gone as far as it should in this thread.
Well that explains it thenOne of the primary participants in the thread asked about the differences in modulation modes, which set of a tangent discussion explaining how the modulation modes differ. Selecting the switching mode is part of selecting a controller. But, I agree that the side discussion has gone as far as it should in this thread.
Brew on
Does this graph mean that when you turn a SSVR down past 50% it turns off? What about PWM controllers? I don't think I want a boil controller I can't turn down more than 50% without turning it off.
this is pretty easy to answer, you need a main breaker to match the wiring and load so 30 a or 50 amp depends on if you are the type that brews once a day or the type thats aspiring to be on the next episode of moonshiners..
electricians are in the business of spending peoples money , not saving it... lol if you seen some of the machinery I work on and the layers of different breakers inside as voltage and load changes.... seriously if the breakers are all doing a different job what the problem? it can only be safer.
Hes running off his existing dryer outlet,like me. In the years I've been using my setup I've never once flipped the breaker on the spa panel. Not once.
You have five - the GFCI recepticle is just another type of breaker - and it still meets code.
