Posted on 11/09/2009 7:58:39 AM PST by raybbr
Every CIRCUIT in my house must be wired for 15 or 20 amps (except my 220 outlets). The wiring on my 15 amp circuits can handle 20 amps, but my circuit breaker is for 15 amps, the sole 60 watt lightbulb uses about 1/2 amp.
If I counted all my outlets, the wiring to each outlet would probably allow me to run 1000 amps. All the circuit breakers in the box allow me 200 amps. The wiring to the house could probably handle 300 amps.
Potential has nothing to do with usage. A single 60 watt bulb on an outlet able to carry 20 amps doesn't mean the bulb is using 20 amps.
Everything in my house and garage that are plugged in and ready to use would probably draw 400 amps, if they were all on at the same time (except the 200 amp main would pop). And yet occassionally I run over 100 amps.
The only reasons a 5200 sq/ft house uses more power than a 1600 sq/ft house is heating/cooling requirements and appliances lights being used.
A single person in a 5200 sq/ft house, living the same as if he/she were in a 1600 sq/ft house, would use no more electricity for lights/appliances, except if they left lights on in other rooms. If they have a washer or freezer or dishwasher, those appliances use the same electricty whether they are in a 1600 or 5200 sq/ft home.
Built correctly, a 5200 sq/ft home could have the same heating cooling requirement of a typical 1600 sq/ft home built 40 or 50 years ago. Negating extra energy usage.
15Kw usage for this house would mean he's got extra freezers in the house, leaves multiple tv's and lights on throughout the house, and works in the shop in his garage, all at the same time. (while washing and drying laundry).
I'm just imagining this guy has a LARGE diesel generator with a 500 gallon tank siting outside, but you didn't see that mentioned in the "green" article.
I’ve been investigating this - really hard since the “smart grid” speech - and it’s the “kwHours per day” that you need to look at. Batteries store up when you’re at less than peak load, and make up for the generation when demand is high.
I’m interested in this because we all know where they’re headed with this “smart grid” technology -
controlling individuals’ usage. And they will CUT YOU OFF if you are doing something they don’t approve of.
That’s part of the “self sustainable” aspect of windmills -
tenderized bird meat as a bonus!
My house was built in 1950. I just found out it is not grounded. I'm a little scared about that, especially when I see my wife with a hairdryer in her hand.
By ungrounded I mean that most outlets only have 2 holes, and there is no ground going into the, well, ground. The electrician said "see those outlets with three holes? Those 3rd holes aren't connected to anything".
Not correct, because high demand times aren’t usually times when his production will be at it’s peak. His overall consumption is what’s calculated, not peak. There will likely be time he has to draw from the grid, and time he will feed the grid.
If he was attampting “off the grid” total independence, he’d probably need more generating capacity or a good battery system.
Only if you are running grow lights 24/7
“How many more subsidies is this guy getting for his little project?”
Actually, the most profound gain in energy efficiency is probably in the house design. If you start with that in mind and properly position windows and heat sinks, you can lop of 75% of the heating bill for a house.
Were America’s housing stock redesigned overnight to use passive solar, Natural Gas prices would plummet. It’s a huge difference and, if you are building from scratch, it’s cost efficient. Not like inefficient solar panels or windmills.
OTOH, I thought for a while how nice it would be to be off the grid. But in reality, you aren’t off the grid until you are sufficiently self sufficient that you don’t have to buy stuff to stay warm. If, for example, you are heating with wood, what happens when the last chainsaw blade breaks? Do you have (or want to use) a two handed saw?
If you are heating with passive solar, how do you replace the windows that collect the heat when they break. We’re pretty much tied into a high-tech economy one way or the other.
Good post. Passive solar can do a lot of the work. I’d like to get as close as possible to being off the grid. Good for this guy for trying.
You have a black hot wire and a neutral ground as the white wire. If you measure the potential from the white wire to ground it should be zero. I ran a short jumper from the white wire to the neutral tab on the outlets and now you have ground to the ground tab of the outlet. The key to this trick is outside at the meter loop the white and neutral should be bonded together. If you check your circuit, the white and neutral should be bonded in several places, even on the light company pole. They should never be separated.
If the white wire ever goes open, of course the outlet would quit working, but you would be in danger because electricity is always looking for a path to ground and the white wire was it until it became open. Then the 3rd wire would serve as protection to keep the juice from flowing through you. If you don't have a 3rd wire to ground, you are in danger. In real life, however, the white wire will work. Adding a 3rd wire would be prohibitive just for this slight chance you need it. The bond outside is the key. It MUST be ZERO ohms.
I worked as a phone installer/repairman for 30 years and we bonded to the light company neutral for our ground. I disagreed with this practice, but was forced to by the company. I have seen the light company neutral become hot and smoke our stuff. The protection is outside with a ground rod bonded to the company neutral. That gives a path to ground BEFORE entering the house.
The 3rd wire is just another path to ground, but if things go wrong, ( corrosion, ants, damage to the wire, etc), the 3rd wire is still useless. It is just a redundant safety requirement that helps, but isn't fool proof.
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