Feeding three buildings from one

[jdz]

I want to feed three buildings with one 320 amp service. The meter panel will be moved to a well shed in between the house and the shop. The house uses less than 100 amps at any given time, the shop will be somewhere around 100-120 amps at most and the well shed should be under 80 amps. What is the best way to distribute power to all three buildings? I have seen meter bases with two 200 amp disconnects but I still need to have power in the well shed too. How do I get around that?

 

[Cacher_Chick]

You will be required to have a main service panel with breakers feeding a separate subpanel at each outbuilding. Each subpanel must be fed by a 4-wire feeder and have it's own grounding rods.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[jdz]

Wouldn’t I feed each building with 3 wire and each building have its own ground? That was how I had to feed the current well shed from the house.

Would I just put a breaker panel in off the meter, put whatever circuits in the well shed that I want off that panel, then run a 200 amp circuit to the house and one 200 amp circuit to the shop from the same panel?

 

[Cacher_Chick]

To meet the minimum requirements of the NEC, an outbuilding with more than one circuit must have its own subpanel in the outbuilding. The ground bonding screw in a subpanel must be removed and the panel must be wired to its own grounding rods.

 

[Stuff]

First find out from your electric company what types of meter bases they support. Note that a 320 amp service is usually the same as 400 as there is an 80% rule.

option 1) They make meter-main panels with support for a 200 amp to feed a second panel and a 200 amp panel section - you could put in a 100 amp breaker (or use 200 amp feed-through) and the rest for the shed. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Siemens-400-Amp-Ringless-Single-Phase-120-240-Meter-Socket/1000233341
option 2) Feed from meter to a 200 amp disconnect that feeds shop. Then use 2nd pair of lugs from meter to 200 amp panel for shed with 100 amp breaker feeding house. Also have option for feed-through lugs at 200amp.

 

[jdz]

With that panel that you linked, would I be able to feed the 200 amp breaker straight over to the house, then put in two more breakers off the other side, one 100 amp breaker for the shed and then put in a 200 amp for the shop? Even though I would have 300 amps of breaker on the one side, it would still be protected by the 200 amp main breaker so I wouldn’t have to worry about going over, right? Or am I wrong on that?

 

[Stuff]

I don't think that you can add a third 200 amp breaker to that panel. The top section breaker can be 150 or 200 amp all by itself feeding house like you want. Bottom section has 200 protecting the whole section so would need to use the bottom feed-through lugs for 200 to shop. Then shed could use other spaces or up to 125 amp breaker feeding another panel. Only issue is that the bottom section 200 breaker would disconnect both shed and shop.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Is it two or three hots lines. Not sure if you can get 320 amp service at 240 volts. Is this residential service or commercial? Is this service exsisting? Where did you get this amperage number from?

With that size service you’ll have a breaker to handle the full load. The main breaker of any panel is to protect the panel of its designed load. A 400 amp service split three ways does not require a maximum three 133 amp sub panels. You can have three 150 or 200 amp panels or even a 60 amp panel. If you ever exceeded your main breaker it would trip first. If your panel exceeds 200 amps it would trip, etc.

 

[jdz]

320 amp on 240v service is fairly common for both residential and commercial.

I was looking at the picture of that meter panel and it looks like it has 4 blades for breakers below the 200 amp breaker that is factory installed. I just noticed the feed through lugs. So it looks like I would be able to feed the house off the top and feed the shop and shed from the lower breaker. I would just have to install a sub panel for the shed.

I would prefer to have the shed and shop on different breakers but I could live with them being on the same on if I needed to.