Power Pole Transformer is too small

What is coming into that transformer is typically 2,300V, and the rating is on the primary side. Meaning that if it is converting from 2,300V to 240V, for round figures and with losses thrown in, you are getting about 8 x the amps at the low end.

If watts is watts, again to be crude, 1 A @ 2,300 V = 10 A @ 230V v, each giving 2,300 watts. Now as there are two legs in the single-phase service, *EACH ONE* carries the nameplate rating. If that service is 3-phase, then you are getting even more.

Not to worry, those transformers are fused always on the primary, side, oft en on the secondary side. You may not see the secondary fuses, but you will see the primaries. No utility wants a fire on a pole, and certainly not at a remote location.

One more thing - we have a 200A service at our main house and at our summer house - the service was sized for electric heat, which we have never insta lled. At our main house, in the hottest part of the summer, we have never p ulled even 150 A, (with 2 x 200 A available). That is with AC, a hot-tub, t wo refrigerators, freezer and a car charger. Our summer house - not even 60 A. No AC, but a hot tub, refrigerator, and car charger.

Does that help?

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Yes, that makes sense. I was thinking the output was the amp rating.

Since you mentioned the fuses, I am aware of them on the input. In fact years ago, I had one of them blow during a storm. A shower of sparks was seen. The power company replaced it and all was fine again.

I do question how much they are fused to match the loads though. Some years ago, I was at a yearly community meal at the small town's reception center. I think every woman in town brought their electric roasters, which use about 12 amps each. I counted 26 roasters, plus a few large elec coffee pots. The building this was in, was fairly new, with adaquate wiring. However, it was a very hot day. There is a trailer park across the road, and I bet half them trailers had their air conditioners on. That trailer park is to the same pole transformer. So, add it up. 26 roasters = 312A. 3 coffee pots at around 10A each, plus lighting, and that meal was drawing around 350A.

Who knows what the trailer park was drawing, and the meal center's AC may have been on too.

Then the power went out. We had to eat cool food by candle light, until the town's fire dept came with some generators for lighting.

The power company came, and they went up on the pole. The guy burned his hand on that transformer. That thing was so hot they could not do anything with it till it cooled. It was rated at 25 KVA. Hours later they finally were able to replace it, and put in a 37.5 KVA. That transformer fried before the fuse blew !

If that transformer had been touching the wooden post, I bet there would have been a fire, but it was on brackets that held it away from the wood. Even a few hours later, when they brought in a crane with a steel cable to lower it to the ground, the guys said it was too hot to touch and they could not load it on their truck. One of the guys suggested hosing it with cold water, but I left before they did that.

AFAIK the fuses are to protect the tranny not the load.

Yep. The utility could care less about the load.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

The fuses did not protect the tranny in this case.....

There is this about fuses.

They are designed to handle the regular load + a certain level of brief heavy overloads, and then on a time/load lesser loads for a greater period.

There are rules of thumb, but consider that most fuses that could handle a 3x momentary surge can also handle a 10% overload pretty much indefinitely - at least as defined by the typical single-element fuse, even an oil-filled device.

At 2,300 V and 15KVA, that comes to 1.5A x 2,300 or about 3,500 watts... That transformer is gonna cook!! And that fuse is going to smile and suck it up.

Now, get me started on equipment fuses. I Will spare you the rant.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

pf

But the Wieck troll rarely does.

.... Phil

Fair warning: I have come to the conclusion that Mr. Allison suffers from e xposure to some sort of heavy metal - probably cadmium and lead - given his erratic behavior and the fact that it clearly does not respond to medicati on. And, if one wishes to understand the potential of these exposures, cons ider the case of Vincent Van Gogh.

Which would do nicely to explain the basic intelligence rendered toxic by t oxins.

Very sad. And, irreversible.

Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

last stop before our cell tower...a wrok in progress at that time ...we saw several lightning strikes and 2 transformer blowouts. I watched one go dir ectly...the top blew off straight up to ? with a BANG followed by a rocket trail off flame n debris...very entertaining.

WHAT SIZE TRANSFORMER DO YOU SUPPOSE SITRE MAGANA NEEDS IN ORDER TO PLAY WITH HIS OWN SHIT?

HOW MANY VOLT-AMPERES DOES ONE NEED TO FUCK A 72 YEAR OLD MAN AT A GAY ORGY?

HOW MANY AMP SERVICE DO YOU NEED TO CUT A HAMSTER TO PIECES WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS?

Little Timmee got hold of mommy's computer again.

If, of course, it even has a mommy.

The pole pigs around here have 2 fuses. Mine has a 10A and a 15A in series. I asked why two. Turns out the 10A is the rated one and cheap; the 15A is fast, $$$, and solely protects against lightning hits on the primary.

But I know the "rated" load of such a transformer is continuous, and they are routinely overloaded for a few hours.