So you think you know 220v wiring? Well i need your help.

[zgja2]

2 and 4 is a 50A circuit. All breakers are 50A upstream of that 4 prong outlet. I need 30A somewhere. and GFCI if i can help it.

I do not intend on pluging in a generator. Dont worry.

 

[zgja2]

Why restrict yourself to 30amps? You said the outlet isn't far from the main panel. The main drawback for 50 amp is the wire costs more, but if your run is short, the total cost will be less since the spa panel comes with a 50 amp GFCI breaker anyway. From the look of things, the existing subpanel is already wired for 50 amp, so you wouldn't even need to rewire anything - just buy a spa panel with a GFCI breaker that matches the existing subpanel style, replace the breaker with the GFCI one, and toss the rest.

50 amp is so much better than 30 amp - it allows you to run two large heating elements at once, which really speeds up heating times and thus a shorter brew day.

My brewery is already built. Its single element. 5500w. and a pump. Is it kosher to run that on a 50A breaker

 

[ancientmariner52]

My brewery is already built. Its single element. 5500w. and a pump. Is it kosher to run that on a 50A breaker

Certainly. It's like running a single 60 watt bulb on a 15 amp outlet. The breaker is sized to protect the wiring. Your 5500w element will pull about 25 amps, so no problem.

 

[shelly_belly]

A 50 amp siemens GFCI breaker should be around $75. Spa panels are up to $60 now. If it were me, I would move the panel and replace the breaker.

 

[itsnotrequired]

if i understand correctly, the generator receptacle is on the exterior and @zgia2 wants to move it indoors. my advice would be if the generator receptacle wiring is accessible, cut it short and relocate the generator receptacle. get a 50A spa panel and rig up a cord connection so you can plug it into the generator receptacle. then another plug on the load side of the spa panel to plug in your brew panel. if existing brew panel is configured for 30 amp, may need to get a different plug on your brew panel to mate up with the 30 amp plug. or swap out the 50 amp breaker in the main panel with a 'regular' 30 amp breaker but leave all the other wiring in place. a 30 amp regular breaker is cheap, like, $10. might be cheaper to do that than to get a new plug for your brew panel.

 

[zgja2]

My brew panel has a 4 prong plug that i thought would mate to this existing outlet making it a very easy change. I am looking at it now an it may be different. Will check when i get home. Thanks yall!

 

[augiedoggy]

I would definitely get GFCI Breakers.
They cost more but then you don't need to put a GFCI on the other end.

having the extra main power switch near the brewing area can be a nice feature... plus a gfci works best when its close to the load from some of what I read... This is one of the reasons spa gfci panels need to be located near the spa and why 15a gfci devices are located in the outlets and generally not in the main panel.

 

[augiedoggy]

if i understand correctly, the generator receptacle is on the exterior and @zgia2 wants to move it indoors. my advice would be if the generator receptacle wiring is accessible, cut it short and relocate the generator receptacle. get a 50A spa panel and rig up a cord connection so you can plug it into the generator receptacle. then another plug on the load side of the spa panel to plug in your brew panel. if existing brew panel is configured for 30 amp, may need to get a different plug on your brew panel to mate up with the 30 amp plug. or swap out the 50 amp breaker in the main panel with a 'regular' 30 amp breaker but leave all the other wiring in place. a 30 amp regular breaker is cheap, like, $10. might be cheaper to do that than to get a new plug for your brew panel.

Why cant he plug his 30a panel into a 50a circuit without swapping the main breaker? Surely the control panel has breakers or fuses to protect all the smaller circuits inside and come out anyway right? Its no different than plugging a lamp that draws 60w max into a 15 amp household outlet. Or is it?

 

[mredge73]

The plug on a generator panel will be gendered with a male plug; you don't want to source power from it.
The spa panel will have a female plug if it has a plug at all; this is what he should be using for his brewery.

If all your wiring is rated for 50A then you can run your brewery on a 50A breaker. Breakers protect the wiring, keeping you from burning your house down.
So use the 60w lamp plugged into a 15A circuit example brought up a few post up; the wiring on the lamp is going to be sized appropriately for 15A.

*I don't know if I am following the discussion correct or not.

 

[augiedoggy]

No you pretty much summed up what I was thinking too.

 

[itsnotrequired]

Why cant he plug his 30a panel into a 50a circuit without swapping the main breaker? Surely the control panel has breakers or fuses to protect all the smaller circuits inside and come out anyway right? Its no different than plugging a lamp that draws 60w max into a 15 amp household outlet. Or is it?

i don't know what is in his panel but in general you are correct, you wouldn't need to swap out the 50 amp breaker with a 30 amp. if it were me, i would do it just for that extra layer of protection, sizing the breaker closer to the load size. there are sections in the code that dictate maximum overcurrent protection size as related to load but it would depend on what type of equipment a brewery control panel is. is it an appliance? an industrial control panel? there are some interpretation issues, can be argued a couple different ways.