Robert G. Brown wrote:
As I'm working up a server room and some UPS's, a question arises. The APC units we have have a different plug and current rating from the circuits in the wall. In particular, we have L6-30R receptacles and the APC requires only 20A. I had thought that it would be perfectly safe to replace an L5-20P with an L6-30P and plug a 2200 VA UPS into a 30 amp circuit, but the electrician who was doing some of the rewiring said "we can't do that" because "the 30A circuit breaker might not blow in time to protect" the 2200 VA device from damage in the event of an internal short.This argument seems quite senseless to me. If this argument were correct we could never plug a 15 A device into a 20 A circuit, etc. It would really simplify my life if I can just rehead the cable. Do any of the electricity-savvy people here have any comments regarding the safety or legality of doing so? I have always assumed that going up a size in circuit capacity is generally safe and legal... I'm planning to do the rewiring of cables today soon, so if you know something about his please respond "soon". rgb
Disclaimer: I come from the Right side of the Pond: the electricity here is different.
Your electrician is probably right: though possibly for the wrong reason. The UPS should have internal protective devices so it should be safe. The problem is the cable from the receptacle to the UPS. Consider reducto-ad-absurdam and imagine that the cable is really, really weedy, like zip cord, for instance. Now imagine a short circuit in the cable close to the UPS. The cable is small cross-section, and therefore highish resistance, which limits the current flowing. If the cable resistance limits the fault current to less than that needed to trip the breaker, then breaker won't trip and the cable will get hot and burn down your machine room. Paradoxically, a high fault current is safer than a low fault current.
It follows that there exists a cable size and length which is safe for a 20A breaker (because the fault current is >20A) but not safe for a 30A breaker (because it's resistance limits the fault current to <30A) That cable size happens to be the most economical one that your UPS manufacturer can fit. Oops.
So, probably not safe. Legal? I dunno, that's between you and your government.
As an aside, this is why 230V electricity over here, though more likely to kill you through electrocution, is less likley to burn down your house. For a given power, we can use a lower value breaker, and the extra voltage increases the fault current, so the breaker is doubly more likely to blow when there is a fault. For really extra special specialness, here in the UK we have fuses in the plugs themselves, so we can have weedy appliance cables, 32A (at 230V) breakers, and still not burn the house down (mostly, as long as the correct size fuse is fitted in the plug).
For the gory engineering details, Google "adiabatic equation" or "energy let-through".
Cheers, Simon. _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf@beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf
