Hi,

Anyone can advice me on what is 3-phase wiring and what should I do to apply the 3-phase wiring? how much is the cost?

thanks in advance.

tnb will welcome you to take 3 phase..
got discount some more..
but then why you want to take 3 phase?

3phase are 415Vac supply (generally for industrial use). Typically there are 4 lines for 3 phase (R,Y,B) + N(neutral). For home user, the normal supply is 240Vac, so in order to get this supply from 3phase, u need to tap either 1 of the phase to neutral. Btw, why u need 3phase for home use??

i wish to have cheaper electrical bill...
Do you know how much I need to pay for the application?

Where do you get the idea that 3 phase would lead to lower electric bill?
It all depends on your consumptions. You still own the same electric and electronic devices that consumes the same amount of electricity while on 1 phase or 3 phase.

Btw, back to the topic. Look at your "fuse box".
If it's only 1 row of fuses than that's single phase. If it's 3 than it's 3 phase.

Nowadays, most house comes with 3 phases especially landed properties. However, for condos or apartments; a single phase is enough as you do not have many plug points. Ppl uses 3 phase because they have lots of plug points and do not want to overload one single phase of fuse.

My new house just changed to 3-phase wiring because we have 5 air-cons and 3 water heaters

Yeah for big house that uses alot of air-conds especially then u should make 3phase wiring.

For a normal teres house i dont think there's a need to do 3phase wiring.

Hi dEviLs ,

How much do you need to pay for the 3-phase application?

if the teres house got 3 rooms & 1 bathroom...they still could put 3 aircond or 4 aircond if includ the living hall and a water heater....isn't it better to put 3phase wiring

air-con more than 3 units... recommended to install 3-phase..

are u a home owner? how many air conds and water heater u have in the house ? to ransform from a single phase to three phase is quite hassle though. get an applications from TNB, increase ur electricity deposit, mine is rm 500.00. Then, get a certified electrician to install extra fuse above the meter.

where u get the information that 3 phase is more energy saving that single phase ?

i cant remember exactly because i did it together with the renovation but i think application plus wiring should be in the region of RM2k

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Added on May 8, 2008, 3:36 pmSaw this on TNB website

http://www.tnb.com.my/tnb/highlights.php?Id=165
http://www.tnb.com.my/cms/jscript/uploads/...n.%20cutout.pdf

This post has been edited by dEviLs: May 8 2008, 03:36 PM

Do you still remember how much you pay for the TNB application?

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Added on May 8, 2008, 9:22 pmGot 1 electrician quote me RM750 for the application and RM250 to top up the deposit. Total is RM1000. Is it reasonable?

This post has been edited by nj922: May 8 2008, 09:22 PM

just called Kedai Tenaga Bangi and Kajang
both mention the same thing
if ur normal electricity bill is below RM100....
no need to think of changing to 3-phase
so its like having max 2 air-con and used rarely....the rest use normal fan only....

single phase electric first 200 unit $0.218, >, then 0.289 per unit
3 phase, 1 unit 0.323

New TNB meter can support 100A. Should be enough

err.. how is that cheaper?

it's not cheaper.... only use it if your electricity consumption is very high so there'll be enough flow. my house got 4 aircond and 2 water heaters, hence needed it... otherwise tak payah.....

Where did you get this info from?

From a certified electrician, who currently submitting form to change my single phase to 3 phase at my new shop.

3 phase i dont think will be saving cost

but if u wanna run your heavy load electronics for long hours
3 phase is better then single phase

if u use a single phase or three phase in residential house, the rate is same. first 200 unit at 0.218 and form 201 thereafter will be 0.289. it is standatd.

my house with three phase is using the rate as above and my old man house with single phase also the same rate.

shop, or buisness rate is different as residential area.

One thing good about 3 phase wiring is that each phase draws power from different line. Most of the times when my neighbour hood has a blackout, my house will still have electricity.

single phase could cope your setup at no sweat ler... unless all your aircon is 12000btu & above, after all u dun on the water heaters all the time right? for me, 3-phase is just overkilled...

My old house has 4 air conds in bedrooms and 1 in living room. During night time, all 4 air conds in bedrooms will on together (all 1HP) and for the 10+ years we have not hit any problem.

How do we know if we should upgrade single phase to 3-phase? By counting the no. of airconds & water heater? don't think so right? is it troublesome to upgrade single phase to 3-phase later?

For those interested in finding out about 3 phase wiring, here is some info on the RenoKu.com website.

* Deciding on 3 phase or single phase wiring

* Photos of 3 Phase Wiring

In my opinion, it's troublesome to upgrade to 3 phase wiring later. This is because one needs to carry out internal rewiring for the house.

I think the most accurate way to determine if 3 phase wiring is needed is to count the max load at any one time of all the electrical appliances in the house. If say, 4 air-cons are turned on at the same time, then calculate the combined load. Not sure of the way to calculate this but your electrician will be able to give you a better answer.

i got a client also told me that his house stay normal with 4 air cons on together...
i think maybe have to depend the area's electricity support?

it depend on your total ampere draw....

it is okie when u open aircond one by one....it wont trip....go try open 4 together...at the same time.

How do we go about getting 3-phase wiring for a house still under renovation?

that is if only 1 phase are down (which are quite rare from my experience). If it's cause by substation breaker trip, then all phase down. The reason why TNB encourage domestic heavy user to switch to 3 phase is because of load imbalance (they wanna protect their main breaker from frequent trip and get screwed by domestic user)

Don't see any necessity to change to 3 phase unless they (TNB) pay or subsidies for it. They should pay for this since this is for their own good.

In a residential area, each house electricity are distributed with different phase eg. Yours Red-Neutral, your neighbour may be Yellow-Neutral and the next neighbor Blue-Neutral and so on. When a group of houses eg Red phase are heavy user, this cause the 3 phase load distribution become unbalance. eg Red phase = 200A, Yellow phase = 50A, Blue phase 60A. This may resulting in frequent trip (especially at nite when most ppl are at home).

This post has been edited by Singh_Kalan: Jan 12 2009, 11:07 PM

unless the developer offer an upgrade package to do for u, otherwise, u will have to wait till VP

Actually upgrading to 3 phase from single phase would require the following changes as well:

a) Your metering panel. If your original panel is the single phase one, you need to buy a new one. Fibre panel with metal base RM40-60.

b) New cut out fuse + holder 3 sets and 1 neutral link. RM50-80 can settle all.

c) A bigger DB box with 3phase ELCB and MCB/MCCB modules. Depending whether yours is 32A or 40A or 60A or 100A, the total cost would be around RM150-200-250-400 depends on brand.

d) No need to rewire your whole house. Just reassign your circuit wiring to each phase according as to balance the load will do. While you are at it, go buy some extra spare SP MCB module. Local less prominent brand woudl cost less than RM10 ea for 16A and below. Recommended brand is Hager, Clipsal, Moeller but more expensive about 40-60%.

e) Runner fees can save up. Go to kedai TNB take the upgrade form and pay the extra meter deposit. Jot down your NC number and ask for the estimator and meter installer's hp number. Normally TNB will give them to you if you ask them. If not call back again and quote ur NC number and ask the hp number again.

2-7 weeks later the TNB guy will come to your house and install the meter. Time frame can be varying wildly depending on how busy is the technician assigned to you.

If your incoming is not originally 3phase, be prepared to pay some RM1-2K for the contribution charges to TNB after the estimator submit their report back to TNB.

This post has been edited by TerTop: Aug 25 2008, 08:46 PM

I just want to relate my experience with 3-phase installation in my new house. Instead of applying for 1-phase and later found that I need to upgrade to 3-phase, I want to install 3-phase from the start since I'll probably install 7 airconds and 4 water heaters.

Call up developer and they said my house is 3-phase ready i.e., just need to apply 3-phase from TNB. No other changes required. I called up TNB last week and they said I need to get an electrical contractor to apply for me, can't do it myself. The deposit is rm800 for 3-phase vs rm600 for single phase. Contacted the original electrical contractor for the housing project and paid rm200 fee for the application. End of story, so I thought.

Yesterday the contractor called me up and said my application has been successfully submitted and I need to change the DB to 3-phase since they provided only 1-phase DB for the project. I told them the developer said it is 3-phase ready and I don't need to change anything else but the contractor confirmed that it is just 1-phase DB as they are the one who install it for the project. Apparently only the meter panel/cutout is 3-phase ready and not the DB. Called up the developer again about it and now they said the same as what the contractor have just told me, outside from TNB is 3-phase ready but inside the house is 1-phase only.

For the same contractor to replace it for me, they would charge rm850. DB brand is Doebke from Germany. My total cost in installing 3-phase is now rm200 (application fee) + rm850 (DB change) + rm200 (TNB deposit differences) = rm1250. I'll plan pay in next couple of days. Do you guys think rm850 is fair price or I can get it cheaper from other electrical contractor?

DB box is quite expensive.
My friend is changing the DB box for his single fare and it cost around RM600 IIRC.

Hi All,

My house is currently in a blackout now. I have asked the TNB to come and check and they told me that there's power going into the meter but non going into the house. So I have asked a electrician to come over to check but was told that my wiring from the meter to the DB having some problem and needed rewiring again.

The quoted me RM1800 for 3 phase wiring only, without the application with TNB and new 3 phase DB.

So can someone please advice me whether this is reasonable? I'm in desperate need now as my house is in a blackout now.. Some how I feel that the electrician is trying to con me cause I'm in urgent need to install the wiring..

Can some advice me please?

What does it involved to wire from meter to your DB? Any underground work required ie. digging and hacking required? The cost depends on the amount of work.

Well, the TNB electrician said that the power to the meter is ok. So their job is done and it's their problem. So I hire an electrician and they told me that there's no power coming in from the meter to the fuse box. So it's either the wire was broken or burned. This happened before a 5-6 years back but that time the house was still under warranty, so we could get the developer to changed the wiring which they did. So my electrician told me that they might used a low quality cable or they didn't use one single cable/ use cable that was joint together. So, it's possible that the water went inside the cable and that's why it was burned.

And yes, it involves digging and hacking to conceal the cable...

So it that worth it? RM1800 for this? Btw, mind to share where you staying and your electrician contact number? I'm staying in Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam.

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Added on December 23, 2008, 11:00 amJust got a called from another electrician. They told me that even though that TNB side is 3 phase ready, meaning to the power meter. If we plan to use 3 phase, the TNB will still charge us the cabling for the 3 phase meter once we start using it. Is that true?

This post has been edited by Sitting Duck: Dec 23 2008, 11:00 AM

That is quite a lot of work. Not sure it is worth rm1800 or not. Did the 2nd electrician gave you a quote as well?

When it is 3-phase ready, all wiring from TNB to the meter panel and cutout fuse would be 3-phase. If your meter panel is not for 3-phase, you have to change that as well. There should be no further charges except to increase your deposit. The additional cabling charge is for house that not 3-phase ready.

While the above is correct, the DB box are only able to take around 60A, so in order to benefit, you may need to upgrade your DB Box and add in additional capacitors for optimum performance.

FYI I got 8 Air-Conds in my house and tons of other shit and still on single phase. As overall 100A is still way adequate while certain 3 phase only gives you 30A per phase, making a total of 90A only

1st electrician quote me RM1800, including hacking and patching back after hacking, including some tiles. 2nd electrician quoted me RM1500 for the wiring + hacking but do not include patching as it will be done by third party which would cost up to RM500. Well, 2nd electrician quote seems to be better, since patching is done by third party which is suppose to be expert in patching up things. But I hate the 2nd electrician's boss attitude cause he was acting very "sombong" in front while talking to me. So I have made appointment with the 1st electrician and ask them to lay the wiring as soon as possible for RM1800.

I talked to both the electrician again and once again they confirm that TNB will still charge the 3 phase cabling from the TNB distribution point to your house power meter even though it's ready. Reason being that TNB has laid the cable and now since that you want to utilize it, so you need to pay for it. So they quote me this:

1) Cable from TNB distribution point to your house meter: Electrician #1: RM1250 Electrician #2: RM2250
2) 3 Phase DB box: Electrician #1: RM350 Electrician#2: RM500
3) Panel Electirician: Electrician #1: RM1000(rough estimation) Electrician #3: RM800
4) Deposit to TNB: Electrician #1: top up to RM1000 Electrician #2: top up to RM800


What I really wanted to know is #1, whether is true. Since most post here say that it's not necesary to pay for #1 since it's ready to your house.

Hi kimyee73, would you be kind enough to pass me your electrician contact so that I could apply through him once my wiring is ready?

Forgot to answer the above question. Unfortunately I'm in Penang.

I asked my contractor and TnB before, no further charges...unless they want to spring me another surprise

Aisks..that's too bad...a friend mine told me that there's still a promotion for 3 phase wiring.. need to check TNB directly.. I'll go there after work today..

for my laundry, i'm using a single phase but a whole new wiring set....even though my 1hp panasonic inverter, 1 dry cleaning machine, 1 normal washer, 1 dryer and 2 sets of iron are switched on from 8am-9pm, my electricity bill is only around RM350.....at 0.408 sen per unit

Wow, that's cheap..

Well, I have one 1.5 HP air con which is only turn on at night around 10:00PM till 6:00AM, 1 refrigerator, 1 water heater (24 hours), 1 PC and 1 washing machine which is used 3 times a week, a TV and that's it.

My monthly electricity bill is around RM200.. which is think is too expensive..

It depends, newer & more efficient fridge & air-cond can cut yr bill by over 50% and so does adding capacitor onto your DB. Cost more upfront but in the long run much cheaper

Sorry but can you please explain to me the "adding more capacitor part"? I'm very bad with electrics... I was told that the the plug or capacitor (not sure what is it called, the one that plug into the DB one) that was used by the developer in the DB are really cheap ones. So I was told by electricians to change them but I'm not sure whether it helps to reduce electricity bill if I change them to better ones...so whenever the capacitor burns out,I'll just changed it to something else which the electricians brought to my house and change it, not even sure whether quality of it..


Oh ya, I heard that the new air-cons and fridge, the one that can save bill, is really expensive to maintain as they require different chemical to maintain/service them.. btw, do we need to service our fridge if the fridge is not having any problem and it's cool enough? I have not done anything to my fridge for the past...err..7 years...

Any recommendation?...trying to cut down my electricity bill..

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Added on December 24, 2008, 12:38 pmI just noticed this:

http://www.tnb.com.my/cms/jscript/uploads/...n.%20cutout.pdf

Kadar Promosi adalah seperti jadual berikut:

Service Kabel Bawah Tanah:

60A - Kadar Biasa: RM1250, Promosi: RM400
100A - Kadar Biasa: RM2250, Promosi: RM 900

Looks like what my electrician told me it's true, we still have pay the cable from the distribution point to our house even though it's ready...

This post has been edited by Sitting Duck: Dec 24 2008, 12:38 PM

Not sure how to explain it proper but you are right about the stock DB installed by the developer as being the cheapest normally, which may be just able to pass ratings under normal usage. But there are no capacitors there, which are normally used at all highrise or big buildings to regulate and enchance usage efficiency. If you are a heavy user, then its recommended to install such but may set you back anything from RM2K onwards depending on component type.

I believe you are referring to the different type of gas or coolant used in fridge/air conds as other than the extra invertor added on, which do not require servicing normally, they are really no different from the older models. However, they are of course more expensive somewhat than the regular type. And no aquarium pump if you really want to save power as they are the worst culprits and nothing so far can help much in that respect

Sorry, mind to explain the "aquarium pump" part. I do have a fish tank and have 2 small pumps running. I thought it should eat that much of electricity, considering the device is so small.

Will update if I need to pay more once the connection is complete in next 1-2 weeks. The contractor will be changing my DB this weekend. After that I'll need to go and pay TNB deposit. My general contractor already told me that the developer is using cheap cable with single layer insulator instead of double insulator. Something I need to pay attention to when comparing quotations for my house renovation later.

Actually in terms of % consumptions, they are awful inefficient for their size. Further they run 24 hrs non-stop, right? Try tapping them from say a neighbour for a month immediately after your readings been taken and see how much your bill drop by next month

This post has been edited by tgeoklin: Dec 26 2008, 01:49 PM

My aquarium filter rated at 18W and cost me about rm4 per month in electricity. Those pumps for pond would cost much higher.

That's very expensive. I got 1HP air cond turn on from 8pm to 3am. 1 430liter fridge. 2 water heater
only turn on when take bath. 1 PC. 1 9kg washing machine. 34" CRT TV.

RM40 per month of electricity.

The problem is your 24 hour water heater. Please turn it off. Your electricity will drop to RM50 only
I believe.

what is the maximum wattage for three phase wiring?

Opps, what i mean by water heater is water boiler... those that boil the water and keep it warm for drinking... my bad for not explaining properly... and I have 2 small water pump running for my aquarium.. 1 water heater that is only turn on when taking bath..that's all.. that's why some times we don't know why our house is consuming so much electricity..

Here is my update thus far. The electrical contractor has replaced my ELCB and Main MCB with 3-phase version (EPS brand instead of Doepke), rewire for 3-phase and in fact removed 2 of my spare MCB to fit into the original box. They did not change the DB box. They also installed 2 additional cutout fuse at the meter panel. All that for rm850, I think it is a rip-off!! Call up the contractor again asking about the 2 missing MCB and missing Main MCB switch. The Main MCB is there but I could not locate the switch. I think it is hidden under the DB faceplate. She said she will ask another electrician to look into it.

I also asked her why the ELCB only shows 63A? She said she applied for 63A and not 100A. I told her if I just need 63A I would not change to 3-phase as it make no difference. Again she said she will check with TNB if still can change to 100A. Called up TNB again asking about diff between 1-phase 63A and 3-phase 63A and was told that 3-phase is better, more stable etc. Not the answer that I want. I think there is no difference as both provides same current. Anyone have different opinion on this?

Now back to waiting again.

well, agree it wont provide much benefit. it might be better as in better for you machinaries but if it still doesnt meet your energy requirement then it is useless.

Actually that's the thing that make ur house consuming high electricity. Can you
try switch that off for 1 month?

I can't switch off the water boiler.. my children need to drink milk....btw, any one can teach me how to calculate the energy consumption for a water boiler or other electrical appliances?

Use gas to heat the water lor. No need to heat 24 hours.

Calculating for something that not consuming constant current such as the thermo-pot is quite tricky as it boil the water once in a while and keep the water hot most of the time. Generally rule of thumb for calculating electrical consumption as below.

kWH = W/0.85/1000*H*D*R

where
W = appliance wattage eg. 150Watt
0.85 = typical power factor
1000 = convert to kiloWatt (kW)
H = Hours of operating
D = Days in a month eg. 30 days
R = TNB rate rm0.30/kWH (1st 500 units) & rm0.39/kWH subsequent unit

So if you turn on TV rated at 75W for 4 hours daily for a month, you need to pay

75/0.85/1000*4*30*0.30 = rm3.18

Power factor can vary depending on what is connected to the circuit etc., and there is a device in the market that will improve your power factor, hence lower your electrical consumption.

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Added on January 2, 2009, 6:45 pmHere is another update on my 3-phase. Finally able to talk to an electrician from the electrical contractor. He told me my main switch is flush with the MCB body, hence I cannot see it. Will check it out when I visit my new house the next time. As for the 63A, he said it is 63A per phase, hence total is 63A x 3 phase = 190A and that is plenty for me. Not sure if he is bluffing. Anyone here know better?

He also said I would not able to apply for 100A as the TNB fuse setting and underground cable rating is just 63A per phase. If I insist on 100A, TNB need to pull new cable and I have to pay $$$$ for it. They are the housing project electrical contractor, so I tend to believe this. I think I'll let the matter rest for now.

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Added on January 6, 2009, 4:13 pmHow was your 3-phase connection coming along? Mine already confirmed need to pay rm1250 contribution to TNB Stupid thing is they don't allow me to pay my deposit together with the contribution. I'll have to make another trip to TNB later.

This post has been edited by kimyee73: Jan 6 2009, 04:13 PM

Wow !! Did u do anything to ur meter ?

So which means we still need to pay $$$ to TNB for the wiring from the TNB power distribution point to our house , regardless whether it's already ready or not..

I paid RM 1800 for the 3 phase wiring from the meter outside the house into the DB inside the home. It's done now and so far there isn't any problem.. (touch wood)..

And thanks for showing me the calculation..some day i really need to sit down and calculate what's the consuming so much electricity...

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Added on January 12, 2009, 7:51 pmI just remembered this, I was told me someone (cannot remember who, a friend, electrcian, TNB, newspaper??) that which one fridge and some basic electronics in the house (tv, lights,etc), the minimum would be around RM40~/month, without air-con that is... so with 1HP air-con that is on about 7 hours a day, can the electricity bill still be at RM40/month??



This post has been edited by Sitting Duck: Jan 12 2009, 07:51 PM

Hm eps brand is almost the cheapest mcb available in the market, changing a few mcb and elcb and charge rm800, thats uber rip-off.

anyone know how much is the wiring cost if i want to move the electric meter from inside house to outside? old house the meter is inside and tnb can't take reading if nobody at home.

I plan to install 6 air-con to my new house, i wonder single phase electricity can be support or not? Thanks for your kind advice....

6 unit of how many HP A/C? are they to be used simultaneously?

pickytan,

this will depend on what kind of a/c and what temp-range. i am running 6 a/c (total load 8 HP), 3 fridges, PC, laptops, TV, dishwasher, oven and some other stuff on sgl phase - no problem. but all electric is inverter/AAA energy rating. all used at the same time. temp range for a/c is 29,28,27 degrees only

Actually there is a big different in term of power availability between 1 phase and 3 phase. A 63A 3 phase has about 45kW capacity while 63A 1 phase has only 15kW. 3 times the capacity, that's the different. Btw please check the incoming cable size or current carrying capacity b4 changing to a larger size ELCB.

This post has been edited by Singh_Kalan: Dec 2 2009, 12:04 AM

Hi All,

TNB currently has the 3-phase promotion. Has anyone done it before? I have few questions:

1) It stated there 'overhead line service' and 'underground cable' service. Anyone know what does that mean?
2) My guess is if I don't see 3-phase wires (those 3-colour wires) running across it, then it means only single phase right? Then I will need to do the 'underground cable' service, which only cost rm400 for 60A 3-phase wires. Kinda cheap if it is fixed at rm400 regardless of distance.
3) Does TNB actually has to dig the ground from their main switch over to our house. Does it include digging my car porch?
4) Does the new 3-phase meter come free from TNB with this promotion?
5) I am currently renovating my house, and it has 5 bedrooms. I expect to have my worst case usage of running 5x1hp aircon at night. Do I need 3 phase? How much current does modern air conds consume anyway?
6) If all I need is just rm400, might as well install the 3-phase wire and make my house 3-phase ready even though I might not be changing the DB yet. Is this a correct thinking?

Thanks!

Regards,
Lim

thanks for the info. i will check this out for my house

i cant answer any of your questions besides 4) though. 5 a/c should not be a problem if you dont use full power setting and inverters. i am running 7 HP inverter A/C 24/7 (but on 28° only) and the normal remaining items (all AAA and above) on single phase wiring and dont have any problems at all.

Hi PJusa,

Thanks for the sharing. Based on your experience, seems like I don't need 3 phase though. I checked most aircon branded specs online and they only consume 4-6A (average, not peak), while peak currents can exceed 10A. Peak currents happen when the compressor is starting to run. So using inverter will reduce those peaks and make your current consumption stable like a straight line. If all 7 non-inverter aircons turn on at the same time, the worst case peak current could be 10Ax7 = 70A, which will certainl make the ELCB trip. However, if each aircon is turned on one at a time, then it won't trip.

By the way, what does AAA mean?

Regards,
Lim

AAA is the energy rating. we make sure any appliance we buy is at least AAA or higher (lowest consumption). saves a lot in the long run.

I am staying in an apartment and my power supply is single phase.

1) Lately, the fuse inside my unit burned. The electrician who came to do the repair told me the fuse was too small. It was 32A. He changed it to a bigger one, 63A. Is it the right move? (I am not sure is it called a fuse or ELCB or whatever.)

2) Again, I check the fuse beside the TNB meter outside the unit. The rating is only 32A. Is this rating for the fuse correct?

I called up the electrician, he told me both should be 63A. (but he forgot that the outside one was also changed by him some two years ago!)

3) When I touch the outside fuse beside the TNB meter, it was kind of hot, like touching the body of a car under a hot sun. Is it normal?

Appreciate some advices from you all.

Thanks.

Mudtrekker

how to differentiate AAA and non AAA ratings?

Hi Mudtrekker,

I am not an electrician but here's my opinion.

The weakest link of the entire path is the determining factor. Here, your external fuse is 32A, while internal one is 63A, that means your maximum current is still 32A. No point changing just one fuse.

Check your neighbour, what fuse is he using? If your apartment is built with 32A wires, then using 63A fuse has the risk of overloading the wires (might burn).

Fuses are meant to cut your electric supply in the event of overloading. For example, when your heater has short-circuited, huge amount of currents will flow and this will cause the ELCB to trip or the fuse to cut off.

As for #3, no idea about temperature, but as long as the fuse is not cut off, it is ok. Electric current definitely generate heat, and fuses are built to withstand currents up to their maximum.

Having said that, how many electrical appliances are you turning at the same time? 32A is quite a lot for an apartment. Normally air con these days come with just 3-5A rating. So even with 32A, you can run 6 aircons at the same time.

Maybe the fuse is too old and so it burnt and not because of hitting the max 32A? I dunno, maybe you can ask a second opinion from another electrician.

Regards,
Lim

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Added on February 22, 2010, 8:39 pmThanks, Lim,

You mentioned that 32A is already too big, now the guy have changed it to 63A. Don't you think it is too much? Will it cause fire to my apartment? I am actually very worried about this.

I need to clarify a bit. Actually my earlier fuse, or shall I call it ELCB, literally burned. It was not just that the fuse broken, but the whole casing like overheated, became black brown and melted. We smelled some burning smell for two days and finally we noticed that the ELCB was having problem.

My next question is, the ELCB was supposed to cut off current when it is overloaded. Why it didn't cut off but it itself melted?
(of caused not exactly melted. The material won't melt but is sort of became black brown, bulged and distorted, giving out burning smell. Normally there is one small capsule inside which we can take out to change, but that capsule cannot even be taken out now. The whole thing now become one single piece fused together).

My unit is having 3 air-cond, 1hp in the small room, 1.5hp in the big room and another 2hp in the hall. Normally we switch on the 2hp daytime, 2 or 3pm till say 9 or 10pm, at 25C, and not continuously. We will switch off for 1hr or so when it becomes too cold and on it back when it is hot.

As for the two small air-con, we normally switch it on 11 or 12 midnight till say 6 or 7am.

At one any time, we never or seldom have all the 3 air-cond switch on together.

We have two heaters too and only switch on when someone is bathing.

The ELCB burned when we have the 2hp & 1hp on and both heaters were running on that day.

Was it a bad move for the electrician to change the ELCB from 32A to 63A ?

Best Regards
Mudtrekker


This post has been edited by Mudtrekker: Feb 22 2010, 08:39 PM

Need some advice...
Recently I brought a 2nd house (terrace corner). The previous owner said the house is connect with 3 phase wiring for the electricity. But I notice that there are only 3 lines were connected to the house (3 phase suppose to have 4 lines). I checked at SESCO (Sarawak Eleciticity Board), they said that the meter number (stated on the electricity bill) is for 3 phase wiring , so I had paid the 3 phase wiring deposit amounting to RM 1,500.00. Did anyone encounter such situation ? I had checked the surrounding of the house or even the row of the terrace, but i didn't notice any additional line connect in. Can single phase electicity being run on 3 phase meter ?? Hope anyone can provide the answer for that . Thank in advance.

I live in a condo with 5 aircons, 1 fridge, washing machine, drier and 2 instant water heater.

1 x 1.5hp
2 x 2.0hp
2 x 1.0hp

Total = 7.5hp aircon

Do you think I need to upgrade from single to 3 phase wiring?

Unless you turn on everything at the same time then you might need to change. Other than that it should be fine.

you mean all at once?

How about I turn it on one at a time and at the end all the aircons is switched on?

Will there be any problem?

It's actually very hard to judge based on number of aircond alone. Things like your temperature setting also affects it.

What I mean is all the airconds are on even you turn on one at a time. At the end when all the airconds are on that might be a problem.
Then again it depend on the usage of the electric current. As long as the amount of power is within the range of 63A as per standard 1 phase
electricity.

My house is with 4 airconds and sometimes all 4 are on at the same time.
Single story house with 3 rooms and 1 living to give an idea why 4 airconds.
Lots of laptops hanging around, at least 4 and 1 PCs. So far with everything on at once including the washing machine; the single phase set up didn't give any problems.

if house got 2 airconds (2hp n 1.5hp) with 2 heaters and inverter fridge, do i need to upgrade to 3 phase if want to add 2 more airconds?

My parents Semi-D also come with 3-phase as standard. We have 10 aircons, 3 fridges, 4 water heaters and 1 water pump. Average monthly electricity bill is around RM 900 with 4 aircons and 3 water heaters running at night. The rest are running 24x7.

I heard the contractor said that 3 phase will save more electricity.. is it true?

Nope. 3 phase will lessen the chance of tripping and brownouts only. Contractors will say anything to earn more money.

I installed 3 phase because:

1) i have 3 heaters and 8 aircon points (now only install 7).
2) 3-phase installation cost difference is only rm1K+ only (including TNB charges), so just do it and save the headache later.

But generally u don't need 3 phase if only 4-5 aircons+3 heaters, since nowadays aircons use less electricity already. Go for inverter aircons which reduce current spikes and thus will not exceed the 60A maximum rating for 1 phase.

wahh.. rm900 per month just for electric bill.. u must be very lich.. but i guess most of the electric consumption comes from water pump and air-con is it?

the other advantage i heard is that if your area is blackout your house will still be lighted up as the current will be drawn from another 'line'...

numbertwo,

that totally depends on what phases are hit. my area : rarely one phase or two only hit. most of the times all phases are off. but yes, if only one phase hit (and i have no power) my neighbours are with 3phase are lucky still can do whatever cause they have power. but then again TNB is very quick in fixing issues. hardly ever have outages that exceed 30 minutes and outages are really quite rare these days it seems. maybe 1 tops two per year.

one of the contractor said because 3 phase can load more in one circuit, like a bus, can bring more people at one round compare to the car, so save electricity.......

pening @@

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Added on January 6, 2011, 12:41 pmMy total cost of changing 3-phase..(Not include TNB deposit and contribution) is RM2980, is it expensive?





This post has been edited by edwardsiow: Jan 6 2011, 12:41 PM

true enuf...TNB has surprisingly implemented a few KPIs for their services.. including cutting off my condo's electricity supply within 7 days after the notice! But if I paid the next day at Kedai Tenaga I'm getting back the elec supply by 7PM the same day..lol..super efficient..And I'm talking about similar incidence (means my supply got cutoff twice) happened within 2 mths period.. ...

Not true
If said 3 phase motor is more efficient than single phase motor, then yes, but this is different scope.

It just depended which phase you are on.
Like you living room is on Phase 1,
Room is on phase 2,
Then if TNB supply phase 1 is blackout
Your room still light up.
But definitely your living room will be blackout as well.

Btw, your house electric appliance only can use 1 phase. You cannot use 3 phase electricity with single phase motor for your electrical appliances.
You only tap one of the phase to it only.

Yes, load more, because got 3 wires coming in.

but your total amount of W usage also more.
And TNB charge you based on W.

No one can defy the basic science of electricity law, Watt = Amp x voltage.

Most important understanding about 3 phase even your house is equiped with 3 phase, you only tap one of the phase to your socket, to your light.
You cannot light up with 3 phase.

3 phase is used because 1 phase is not enough for your house total load. As standard voltage is 240v, and with the wire size capability, there is a limit how much the power delivered.
Remember Watt = Amp x voltage (240)
if you use too many electrical appliance, it just mean you need higher Amp, and there is a limit how much the amp can be carried in a wire size, before it overloaded.

whether 3 phase or 1 phase, all consideration is about how much your load is.

Btw, 3 phase comes with 3 wires.
It is just like single phase x 3, just angular issue is different.

This post has been edited by cherroy: Jan 7 2011, 05:37 PM

sorry because of my poor english.
some ppl they may have misunderstand something.
if u using a 2.5hp or more than that air-con, pls choose any 3-phase type air-con,more efficensy n save money.some ppl they though their house is 3-phase,than they go n buy a 2.5hp single-phase air-con will save money,thats wrong. u need to c the eer value, some product if even u install an 1hp + 1.5hp = 2.5hp , the electricity more saving than the 2.5hp 1phase, n if u can ,install an 2.5hp 3phases type u can get the more eer value.
y ppl say that 3 phase wiring is more saving form 1 phase?the waste of energy from wire heat
first ,u have to determine how is the maximum amp of ur house will use?..mostly electric appl will show at behind sticker. add up all.
if a max of 60A , and ur house is wiring with 65A wiring, n sometime u feel the wiring will get a bit warm or hot, that the part thats waste energy, so, use an 100A type wiring will save them.always remember, any part of wiring or switch or mcb,elcb,rcb ,fuse bla bla, that all are warm,hot are adnormal, n wasting energy, the cause was:
1.wrong amp rating,wire, mcb,elcb,fuse bla bla.
2. connector connection not tie enough.
3. short circuit bc of mice bit,moist.

so if a 100A of max how?(is that ur house is a factory?).. apply 3phase to dist them.

every house is 3phase ready(even 100years ago), unless the contractor using only a main wire pull from room1 to roon N. bc most of our nation resident using 3phase for dist current only, but not using 3 phase appliance..

This post has been edited by yi_min82: Jan 23 2011, 12:35 PM

sorry yi_min82, but that makes no sense at all.

Hi Friends, My house is using
1. 4 1hp york air con (6 yrs old)+ 1hp new panasonic + 1 1.5hp new panasonic... total 6 aircon(5 1hp + 1 1.5 hp)
2. 1 fridge
3. 1 Washing Mechine
4. 3 instant water heaters (5 yrs old)
5. 1 PC
6. 1 Laptop
7. 2 LCD tv with dvd
8. 8 ceiling fans + 1 wall fan
9. Kitchen exhausting fan

But my house still using 1 phase wiring. Should I change to 3 phase wiring? Experts please advise...