3, is it normal for buildings to have 3-phase in split into different single-phase sections? That feels like you could get some iffy stuff from wildly different loads on the different phases.
we were recording the magnetic fields generated by a high-energy short circuit. we hung a mouse trap from one of the lines, with a lead going to one of the others, so that they fused together when it sprung.
it is normal here, yes. larger appliances get three phases, and single-phase outlets are split between them as evenly as possible.
First off, instead of using bullets and then manually enumerating then, try putting "1. " at the the start of every item in the list. Don’t increment the “1”.
Around me the only homes without 3phases are older small apartments. Most houses have a 35A 3phase supply, although 63A may become the norm on account of EVs. It’s quite normal to have a 3 phased fuse where each phase is used for something different. Say a fuse box is used for lighting and outlets, but L1 is ground floor, L2 is upstairs and L3 is outdoors.
BTW if you ever move into a house where someone has put outdoors on the same rcd as the rest of the house, then do yourself a favor and get a separate combo rcd/fuse for outdoors. When the rcd trips, it’s always the outdoor usage, and it sucks when all the lights go out, because a gasket died in an outdoor lamp.
From your comments it sounds like this is Europe? In the US, 3-phase residential is rare - usually limited to large apartment buildings.
Usually what we have is a “split phase” system, where it comes in at 240v and a local ground is used to divide it into two 120v legs.
BTW if you ever move into a house where someone has put outdoors on the same rcd as the rest of the house, then do yourself a favor and get a separate combo rcd/fuse for outdoors.
It varies by state, but some states have requiring outdoor outlets to be on a separate breaker or GFCI (RCD) outlet already, for just this reason.
Okay -
Sounds like an industrial setting, they typically get three phases. Probably also explains the desire.
we were recording the magnetic fields generated by a high-energy short circuit. we hung a mouse trap from one of the lines, with a lead going to one of the others, so that they fused together when it sprung.
it is normal here, yes. larger appliances get three phases, and single-phase outlets are split between them as evenly as possible.
First off, instead of using bullets and then manually enumerating then, try putting "1. " at the the start of every item in the list. Don’t increment the “1”.
Around me the only homes without 3phases are older small apartments. Most houses have a 35A 3phase supply, although 63A may become the norm on account of EVs. It’s quite normal to have a 3 phased fuse where each phase is used for something different. Say a fuse box is used for lighting and outlets, but L1 is ground floor, L2 is upstairs and L3 is outdoors.
BTW if you ever move into a house where someone has put outdoors on the same rcd as the rest of the house, then do yourself a favor and get a separate combo rcd/fuse for outdoors. When the rcd trips, it’s always the outdoor usage, and it sucks when all the lights go out, because a gasket died in an outdoor lamp.
From your comments it sounds like this is Europe? In the US, 3-phase residential is rare - usually limited to large apartment buildings.
Usually what we have is a “split phase” system, where it comes in at 240v and a local ground is used to divide it into two 120v legs.
It varies by state, but some states have requiring outdoor outlets to be on a separate breaker or GFCI (RCD) outlet already, for just this reason.