New build with recycled parts on a ridiculous budget 120cm*60cm work area

[Clive S]

2. Run a dedicated 32amp 5 wire 3 phase socket from the board (This is what I will do) and then tap 1 of the phases with a junction box to power the machine.

Is this then in a commercial environment if so.
You have to be careful with running a second 13A socket from the board and make sure it is on the same phase as the other.
I think there are rules to avoid have rings on different phases close together. Reason being is that although each socket would provide 230V there would be around 415V between the two lives from each socket.

[Desertboy]

Is this then in a commercial environment if so.
You have to be careful with running a second 13A socket from the board and make sure it is on the same phase as the other.
I think there are rules to avoid have rings on different phases close together. Reason being is that although each socket would provide 230V there would be around 415V between the two lives from each socket.

It's a commercial environment I have plenty of free space on the fuse board to run a new line in I was going to fit a 3 phase 5 wire 32amp socket then tap one of the phases to a junction box and from there to the machine and to 2 plug sockets. I have an electrician on site so he will do it lol although I have actually done it before and he checked it out and said I did it correct ;) Since everything else on site is 3 phase it makes sense to fit a 3 phase socket and of course future proofing as I see 3 phase in my CNC future lol.

I was told if you tap 1 phase of 3 to get 230v mains you mustn't have a load on the other 2 phases and the load should be balanced over all 3 phases.

The fuse box for the unit is unusually large (Hence loads of empty space) because before my dad bought the place it was Kraft foods and they filled it with industrial refrigerators. He had so much fun ripping out the stainless and weighing it in good old days of cash ;)

I have 10+ 3 phase sockets and at least 4 single phase 16 amp sockets if anyone wants one for free, I always cut them off the machines we scrap if they're still mint and 99% of the machines we scrap were plugged into the wall once when installed and unplugged once when removed for scrapping lol.

I have more issues with recovering the SY cable as my Brother is always stealing that for his fridges but I managed to squirrel away 20m's when no one was looking.

[Clive S]

I was told if you tap 1 phase of 3 to get 230v mains you mustn't have a load on the other 2 phases and the load should be balanced over all 3 phases.

This is not true you seem to be contradicting yourself in domestic wiring they only take one phase into the house and the next house would get another phase etc this is so the 3 phases are balanced. The same in a factory the phases need to be balanced as far as possible.

The danger can come in domestic use if a guy runs an extension lead to his neighbours house its possible to get the high voltage in fault conditions

[Desertboy]

This is not true you seem to be contradicting yourself in domestic wiring they only take one phase into the house and the next house would get another phase etc this is so the 3 phases are balanced. The same in a factory the phases need to be balanced as far as possible.

The danger can come in domestic use if a guy runs an extension lead to his neighbours house its possible to get the high voltage in fault conditions

Thanks for the reply, I actually meant to write
"1 phase of 3 to get 230v mains you mustn't have a load on the other 2 phases otherwise the load will be unbalanced over all 3 phases." What they were stressing to me was that it was ok for the load not be balanced if I used only 1 phase but if I used all 3 phases (Say 3 different single phase circuits) then it should be balanced. But I have no idea if I was fed bollocks lol.

I think I am misunderstanding balanced but I'm also repeating what I was told by an electrician. I was only talking from the POV that I have a 3 phase input to a 5 wire socket and I take 1 live, the ground and the earth. Not a home situation if I was doing this at home I'd run 32amp Twin and earth from spare slot on the board and add the correct breaker. I've done this before and it cost me ~£45 last time for the wire and breaker, my house hasn't burnt down yet lol.

I'm not sure I understand how my neighbour balances me because one side house has been empty for a year and the other side they work nights so I would think the 3 phases are not balanced unless balance isn't load which is what I assumed it to be. Also what happens when it doesn't divide by 3? When I was thinking of balance I was thinking it needed to be equal draw on all 3 phases a once which is how 3 phase motors work of course.

I'm not an electrician lol but interested and would like to improve my leccy skills especially as the last electrician I had at home I ended up having to fix his dodgy wiring lol. (Patched my Electric oven cable in the wall with 13amp!) Trust a trader my fucking arse.

I just realised reading your post that I need to check which phase is which in the fuse box before I wire this up I think a volt meter should be the right tool for the job. I'm assuming they put the different phases on different rows.

[Clive S]

Thanks for the reply, I actually meant to write
"1 phase of 3 to get 230v mains you mustn't have a load on the other 2 phases otherwise the load will be unbalanced over all 3 phases."

You have to remember that it is not just one house but many so there are many on each phase and they will average out.

For three phase to run correctly they must all balance out. (I am not having go)

Regarding the oven I believe there are some that run from a 13A socket these days.

[Desertboy]

You have to remember that it is not just one house but many so there are many on each phase and they will average out.

For three phase to run correctly they must all balance out. (I am not having go)

Regarding the oven I believe there are some that run from a 13A socket these days.

Not mine lol I have the manual for it recommends a minimum 30amp also the cable I only discovered the wiring because the smell of plastic burning coming from behind my tiles and when I got the melted charded mess out I was glad it was under tiles and not plasterboard lol.

I want to learn Clive so tell me where I'm wrong I need to be educated lol as my teacher said you don't learn anything by being right it's only by being wrong that you learn ;)

I assume that if I only use 1 phase out of 3 then I need not worry about balancing at all? I want to wire the 3 phase socket as it's easier to convince my dad to let me fit the socket if it's 3 phase.

Also I have the 3 phase stuff and I want to buy a 3 phase plasma cutter so it all makes good sense to me if it's safe of course.

[Desertboy]

This will set me back another week but after extensive talk to someone in the know I've decided to pour epoxy resin inside my aluminium extrusion (Gantry only for now).

Probably this stuff
http://www.mbfg.co.uk/epoxy-resins/p...ble-resin.html

Mixed at this sort of ratio
50% aluminium filler powder
35% Epoxy
15% Carbon fibre powder

Fill these cavities


I've found out that epoxy resin generates heat in curing which would cause problems but I will bolt the gantry mount on one end fill the extrusion up leaving another space to bolt the top plate on tight. Then I will put the whole thing in a water bath for overnight to cure evenly.

From discussions with the fibreglass guy it'll be stronger than aluminium but weaker than steel for ~4kg's of weight added to the gantry should make it much more rigid.

Will make the gantry mounts with 25mm ecocast to reflect this, I'm going to have a rectangle milled the size of the extrusion so it's embedded 5mm into the mounting plate when bolted in.

Also getting the aluminium drilled next week so it will bolt together with 10mm A2's and will add in the centre struts.

[Neale]

In a domestic environment, each house in the row is connected to one phase in turn. Over a street-full of houses, it probably balances out. Where I live, in a little group of 5 houses, I've no idea how it works! But I guess that averaged across the village, it's OK.

What you should avoid (I'm pretty sure that there are regulations about this) is having two or more different phases available within reach of each other. Not quite sure what the minimum spacing is, but the idea is to avoid anyone connecting themselves across these two phases which will be even more likely to kill than just phase and earth/neutral. Obviously, that doesn't apply when all three phases are being used together, but in that case they all go to the same appliance/tool/whatever.

Kettle sounds like a useful find - I have to walk all the way indoors from the garage to make my coffee!