Balboa three-phase load

[matt_s]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it is possible to control what equipment is running on each phase in a Balboa Gs504DZ? I have three pumps, where 1 and 2 are the biggest ones. Right now, the heater and pump 3 are on separate phases and pump 1 and 2 are running on one. This creates an uneven load, one phase has over 20A when I'm running pump 1 and 2.

This seems wrong since it is stated to run 3x16A.  I also found some Balboa documentation saying that pump 1 and 2 should run on separate phases. I will also check with the service guy, after vacations, that has installed the tub.

[Waterbug]

I think that you are being confused by the termonology.  If you live in a typical residential area, you have single phase 240 volt service.  The transformer on the local pole is center tapped, so that your home is supplied with two 120 volt legs.  Only heavy industrial areas have true three phase service.  The 3X16 service that you refer to is most probably 3ea. 16 amp loads ,probably on 3ea  20 amp breakers.  (Could be either single leg 120 volts or dual leg 240 volts.) If they are 120 volt breakers and you have 3 ea. 16 amp loads on two legs, there is going to be unequal loading, wether you have 2 loads on leg A and 1 load on leg B, or 1 load on leg A and 2 loads on leg B.   If they are all 240 breakers, then the loading of both legs is equal.  Hope that my explanation helps and doesn't further confuse you.

EDIT:  Tubs come with either 120 volt or 240 volt pumps and heaters, so without seeing the breakers, equiptment or a schematic of your tub, it is impossible to tell what you have going on.

[matt_s]

First of all I live in Europe so we are talking 240V. I have true three-phase coming in to my house, and I have three main breakers in my house at 3x25A. The tub is connected to 3x16 A breakers.

So, everything is fine given that the tub equally distributes load on the three lines connected to it. Right now, it doesn't. It has pump 1 and 2 (20A) on one line causing problems. This means that one of my main breakers only have 5A left before it goes. This may be ok during summer but not during winter time :-)

[Chas]

Wow - I didn't realize that you could have three-phase to a residence. Interesting! Do you have appliances with three-phase motors? I know the tub doesn't, but I'm thinking of cooling units and the like?

I am not familiar with your control unit - obviously not something that we see here in the 'States - but it would seem to me that you should be able to switch the pumps from phase to phase. The reason I say that is because the units I'm familiar with here have jumpers to connect pumps and blower 110 or 220. To do so, they simply plug one wire to a common neutral or to another leg of 110, which would seem to be a way you might be able to shift the load around if your unit has anything even close. Sorry, not much help, but I can see why you would want to even things out!

Here's the contact URL for Balboa - http://balboadirect.com/contact-us.aspx

 

[matt_s]

I will take a look at the unit. The tub is an Artesian, and the Balboa control unit is very common among US manufacturers I guess. I also looked on the Balboa site, but they have no direct tech support.