[Opinion] Electrical Upgrade

[SavvyPower]

Good Afternoon
I need an advice from the Electrician's,we are in the process of converting an Old 4 x 3Bed Double Storey Flat building to a 16xMicro Bachelors 8 bachelor's per floor. The building is currently running on a 2 Phase 100A Main Circuit Breakers supply. the completed bachelors will each have a Prepaid Meter,,Sub DB consisting of 63AMainDB,,63A Eathleakage,30AGeyser Breaker,20A C/B for plugs,10A c/b for Lights...100L Geyser,3 Double plugs and 3X50W lights
My question is do we need to apply for the Electrical supply upgrade from the Council or Each phase carry the load of 8 bachelors.?

[GCE]

Hi
I very much doubt that you will get away with the present supply - If you looked at the possible load being drawn by the geysers alone it will not leave much power for the balance of the installation
Your problem will be the same as Eskom's problem - When everybody gets up in the morning and home in the evening your usage will exceed the supply , for the rest of the day you may get away with it.
Weekends could come close to tripping the main supply at any stage.

[AndyD]

Is the incoming supply definately 2 phases only? It's possible but unusual they only supply 2 phases and not 3, just checking it's not a typo.

As GCE says the peak load will be the issue but there are ways to stagger the load of items such as geysers and with bachelor pads you can install geysers with smaller heating elements (maybe 1.5 or 2kw). You don't mention stove points....is there going to be a gas installation in the building as well?

By limiting the plug-in load to 20Amps per flat, use LED only lighting, having no stove point, putting staggered timers on the geysers you might get away with it but it gonna be tight....

[markthespark]

Surely you would not fit a geyser at each flat? Maybe three for each floor! Even that may be over-kill, and the tenants will prob use two plate counter top cookers and microwaves. But even so I agree with Andy that single phase on a 100 amp supply is very unusual, there might another two phases in the oosterzee box not utilised.

[SavvyPower]

Surely you would not fit a geyser at each flat? Maybe three for each floor! Even that may be over-kill, and the tenants will prob use two plate counter top cookers and microwaves. But even so I agree with Andy that single phase on a 100 amp supply is very unusual, there might another two phases in the oosterzee box not utilised.

It is actually a 2 Phase incoming supply. Each Phase will supply own floor I thought of balancing it by using 30A Main Circuit Breaker per bachelor. Do you it's still will be an overkill?

[SavvyPower]

Yes the Incoming is 2 Phase ,the building is actually over 50years old.. we'll use 100L geyser 2-2,5kw ,I'm afraid there gonna be 2 plate stoves. I had thought of balancing the supply by putting 20/30A Main breakers.

[Tang]

I would say: Install timers on geysers,led bulbs and load control relays. Think that would be cheaper sulotion