View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Breck09
Joined: 29 Mar 2018 Posts: 5
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 2:08 am Post subject: 3 Prog Outlet |
|
|
Just recently bought a house that has two 220v 3 prong outlets in the garage. From what I can understand I would actually need a 4 prong outlet for my electric brew setup. Is this something that is easy to change out? If I had to get an electrician any idea of a ballpark figure as to what it would cost? I know everyplace is different but are we taking a couple hundred or over a grand? Thanks.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hi and welcome to the forum!
I'm assuming you're located in North America in my response below - let me know if that's not correct...
Unless you plan on a custom 240V only build and can source 240V pumps, you are correct that you'd need a 4-prong outlet. Only a 4-prong outlet can supply both 240V and 120V: 240V to the high power heating elements, and 120V to the pumps.
As to how much to get someone to change this, it really depends on what you have now, the distances involved, what sort of work is required based on the location of the outlets vs. the electrical panel, and so forth. Best to get an electrician in to quote you. It should be free.
Good luck!
Kal
_________________ Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ozarks Mountain Brew
Joined: 22 May 2013 Posts: 737 Location: The Ozark Mountains of Missouri
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:14 pm Post subject: |
|
|
if your fuse box is in the garage its easy to add a ground rod and wire it to the fuse box, thats your fourth wire its called ground to earth, it should be easy for any electrification but don't be taken, I did it my self in an hour
_________________ "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Breck09
Joined: 29 Mar 2018 Posts: 5
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The fuse box is in the basement so I don’t think that is an option. Would it be easier since the box is in the basement to just run a new 220 in the basement right by the box? Brewing in the basement wouldn’t be bad.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:38 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ozarks Mountain Brew wrote: | if your fuse box is in the garage its easy to add a ground rod and wire it to the fuse box, thats your fourth wire its called ground to earth, it should be easy for any electrification but don't be taken, I did it my self in an hour |
You're assuming that the ground is what's missing but we don't know. They may be using 10/2 with ground like this to supply 240V and ground:
If that's the case you'd need to add an extra wire to make it equivalent to 10/3 with ground so that you have 3 covered wires with ground like this:
I think it best to talk to an electrician. Get a few quotes.
Kal
_________________ Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ozarks Mountain Brew
Joined: 22 May 2013 Posts: 737 Location: The Ozark Mountains of Missouri
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
yes sorry I didn't elaborate you would need to rewire to the outlet box, another question then is the fuse box above ground level and the meter is on the other side?
_________________ "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:53 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ozarks Mountain Brew wrote: | yes sorry I didn't elaborate you would need to rewire to the outlet box |
My point wasn't that you'd need to rewire the outlet box, but that you can't do as you suggest and simply add a ground rod as you don't know if the ground wire is the one that's missing. He may have 2 conductor with ground already because the 3-prong outlet is wired to provide 240V and ground. In fact, it would be very rare that he has 240V and 120V but no ground on his 3-prong outlet (ie: missing ground).
Kal
_________________ Our new shop with over 150 new products: shop.TheElectricBrewery.com
We ship worldwide and support our products and customers for life.
Purchasing through our affiliate links helps support our site at no extra cost to you. We thank you!
My basement/bar/brewery build 2.0
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ozarks Mountain Brew
Joined: 22 May 2013 Posts: 737 Location: The Ozark Mountains of Missouri
|
Link Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
gotcha, in the us most pre 1970 houses are wired with only 3 and there isn't a ground to earth so the ground and common are wired together in the box and the ground to the box is hooked to a water pipe in my area, my house was like that so I had to add a 4 foot ground rod, wire it to the fuse box then separate the ground and use the proper wire to my brewery outlet, also with that old set up my ground fault kept tripping, and the old way just is not a good system I was amusing his was the same my bad
_________________ "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Breck09
Joined: 29 Mar 2018 Posts: 5
|
Link Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 6:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks everyone for the replies and information. I think the route I am going to take is trying to build it in the basement fairly close to the box. I looked at the breakers i n the box and there appeared to be 3 240/120 breakers which sounds like is what I would need in order to be able to run the elements and the pumps all together. There are windows down there that I would be able to open for ventilation and look into a fan for help with that. Only other thing I would like to have down there would be a utility sink for cleanup help. So I guess my next steps would be to have an electrician come over and give me an estimate on how much that would cost. Probably should wait for our power to be restored though since we had a tornado come through our neighborhood last night and cause quite a bit of damage.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Breck09
Joined: 29 Mar 2018 Posts: 5
|
Link Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 7:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I’ll have to double check but I think they were labeled 30amp and 50amp (can’t rememeber the other one maybe 40amp.) I plan on doing 10 gallon batches max. Ass for what I’m building, basically a 3 vessel system with 2 pumps.
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Breck09
Joined: 29 Mar 2018 Posts: 5
|
Link Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 7:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
That’s the one I’ve been looking at. So that begs the question, not a lot of electrical wiring experience, how difficult are the DIY kits?
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|