Comments - 240v Outlet Install

[Pangea]

Disclaimer - I am hiring a licensed electrician to install this outlet in my garage. I just want to make sure I understand what I'm talking about when I speak to the electrician. Thanks in advance.

I am building a 240v, 10,000 watt electric brewhouse. I plan to use in my garage by plugging main power supply to a wall outlet to be installed. I believe I will need a 240v 50amp gfci 2-pole breaker installed in my main distribution box - suitable wiring to an outlet - then the actual outlet. Am I missing any major component? Cant I just use a combination gfci breaker in the breaker panel or do I need seperate breaker then external gfci? I've seen the gfci breakers at home depot for about 80 to 100 bucks and I'm thinking that's what I need installed.

From there, I plan on it being a 4-wire system so I can use 115v in the brewhouse panel for powering a pump. So there will have to be 4 wires from the breaker to a 4 prong outlet then a 4 prong plug and main power cord to the brewhouse panel. Does this all jive?

Just want to make sure I'm speaking the same language as the electrician. Am I missing something or is this enough info for a safe install?

Thanks!

Pangea

 

[wihophead]

Is this an attached or detached garage

 

[lazybean]

If you want 120v outlet for a pump, that has to be on a separate circuit, unless you have a load center that your are using in your "brew house".

The outlets have to have over-currant protection no more then their rated ampacity. So you could not put a 120v-15a outlet on the 50 amp circuit, since nothing would stop that outlet from supplying more then its rated for, causing a fire hazard.

 

[JKoravos]

What you've said sounds correct. It's certainly fine to put a GFI breaker in your box, you can also use a standard breaker + an external GFI (like a spa disconnect panel).

 

[JKoravos]

If you want 120v outlet for a pump, that has to be on a separate circuit, unless you have a load center that your are using in your "brew house".

The outlets have to have over-currant protection no more then their rated ampacity. So you could not put a 120v-15a outlet on the 50 amp circuit, since nothing would stop that outlet from supplying more then its rated for, causing a fire hazard.

fuses FTW.

 

[lazybean]

fuses FTW.

Exactly.

I got distracted here at work and forgot to finish saying you can Mount a 120v-15amp fuse inside a J-Box and use that to supply your pump and other 120v needs.

I haven't seen most builds on here put a fuse on their 120v taps.

 

[OLDBREW]

what you could do is bring the four wire over to your brewery using 4 wire sjo cord and install a small 60amp weathertite subpanel. 4 or 6 space would do. Two spaces go for a 2 pole breaker (240vac) and one or two spaces can be used for single pole breaker(120vac). you can also use the breakers for switches if you'd like. You need an extra buss bar for the bonding ground (green), and you would float the neutral buss (white) in that panel so it would go directly back to the gfci breaker in the main panel.

 

[Pangea]

Thanks all.

Yes, a fuse could be installed in the panel for the 115v circuit. It would need to be less than 10 amp because max power on the heater elements would draw about 41 amps. Otherwise I risk popping the main 50 amp breaker if there's a short or something in the pump circuit. Under normal conditions, I think the amp load to a march 809 pump is very low, less than 1/10 amp if I'm not mistaken. It's only 1/100 hp.

This is an attached garage, and my main house panel, w/ 200 amp main is in the garage - so the outlet is going to be very close to the breaker, minimizing the 50 amp wire run. I'm assuming the electrician can run the 50 amp circuit to the outlet in the wall too.

 

[brrman]

what you could do is bring the four wire over to your brewery using 4 wire sjo cord and install a small 60amp weathertite subpanel. 4 or 6 space would do. Two spaces go for a 2 pole breaker (240vac) and one or two spaces can be used for single pole breaker(120vac). you can also use the breakers for switches if you'd like. You need an extra buss bar for the bonding ground (green), and you would float the neutral buss (white) in that panel so it would go directly back to the gfci breaker in the main panel.

This is exactly what I did with my 60amp line to my garage. Works like a charm. I run a switched pump and stir motor of my 120v tap.