Not an electrician, but am looking at some plans for a small restaurant with most cooking/reheating equipment being electrical. Code is 2017 NEC. Load calculations is below. the actual numbers don't matter as much as the total.
Lighting for restaurants xxx sq. ft. x 2 va per sq. ft. @ 100%
heating/cooling = higher of the two as they are non-coincidental @ 100%
kitchen equipment xxx va @ 65% demand factor as there are more than 6 appliances
receptacle load less than 5,000 va so at 100%
continuous loads xxx va @ 125%
after all that is added up, the number comes out to 190 AMPS. All the loads are pulled from a panel with a 200 AMP main breaker. Is this code compliant?
I am being told that the main breaker only has 80% capacity of the rated value (i.e. 160 amp load).
I would agree if all the loads were continuous - but in the calculations, continuous loads are already counted at 125% (so that 80% capacity is taken into account there) and all the other equipment has the appropriate demand factor applied. My opinion is that the existing 200 AMP main breaker is sufficient for this restaurant.
If i am wrong, can this situation be rectified by replacing the existing 80% rated 200 AMP main breaker with a 100% rated 200 amp main breaker, while keeping all the conductors from the transformer to the panel? or would something else have to be done.
Thanks,
Lighting for restaurants xxx sq. ft. x 2 va per sq. ft. @ 100%
heating/cooling = higher of the two as they are non-coincidental @ 100%
kitchen equipment xxx va @ 65% demand factor as there are more than 6 appliances
receptacle load less than 5,000 va so at 100%
continuous loads xxx va @ 125%
after all that is added up, the number comes out to 190 AMPS. All the loads are pulled from a panel with a 200 AMP main breaker. Is this code compliant?
I am being told that the main breaker only has 80% capacity of the rated value (i.e. 160 amp load).
I would agree if all the loads were continuous - but in the calculations, continuous loads are already counted at 125% (so that 80% capacity is taken into account there) and all the other equipment has the appropriate demand factor applied. My opinion is that the existing 200 AMP main breaker is sufficient for this restaurant.
If i am wrong, can this situation be rectified by replacing the existing 80% rated 200 AMP main breaker with a 100% rated 200 amp main breaker, while keeping all the conductors from the transformer to the panel? or would something else have to be done.
Thanks,