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how to wire a ac unit sub panel correctly? need electrician help?

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Brazilianfire

i have posted a wire diagram of how i should install a sub panel for a ac unit? just need some things cleared up i have wired some electricity some sub panels and stuff. i feel safe doing it and confident just want to get the wire sizes right and make sure im on the right track? hope the diagram comes out big enough to be seen!
thanks
 

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randude101

I can't read your diagram.

What country are you in?

Have you ever wired anything before?

It is very simple, yet dangerous, depending on your experience. There are tons of online resourses that you can scour for the perfect answer to your question. Try this one http://www.mikeholt.com/

Read this stuff, all of the safety information and when you have a specific question that is not covered in these pages (which I highly doubt) then ask me.

Be safe. If you catch your house on fire you involve more lives than just your own.
 
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Brazilianfire

i have wired all my sub panels hooked them up ive done electrical stuff just never wired a ac ill look at that site if i got any questions ill ask you thanks mate. just making sure my shit is right did you try the link it comes up large for me?
 
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Brazilianfire

thats the last thing i want is a fire but im not that stupid if your wire is to long, longer than 75 feet with 240 you got a problem and eventually a fire. same if your breaker is to small and you keep snapping it over also if your wires are to thin and not thick enough causes tunneling resulting in a fire. also wiring stuff wrong hots on your ground and stuff lol but i know all of the basics of preventing a fire. maybe there is something im missing?
 
S

sparkjumper

I cant make heads nor tails of what that is or what you're trying to do.You shouldnt need a subpanel to wire an AC unit.Are you sure you dont mean a disconnect?I cant read any of that writing even enlarged.Maybe the penguin can make something out of it
 
madpenguin

madpenguin

Member
Yea, I can read it all... Looks like he has an outdoor pad mounted unit and needs to install a fused disconnect on the outside to feed it. Well, the entire run from the panel actually. It sounds as tho you might have existing wiring there.... Your drawing indicates that your not starting from scratch. That or you have already bought the wire?

You need to look at your AC unit and find a nameplate that states the full load amperage, volts and all that stuff before you know what wire to run. Most likely it will be fed with #8 AWG (40A) if it's a central air unit. If you bought a mini split or a smaller central air unit, then I've seen them fed with #10 AWG (30A).

Brazil seems to be a little haphazard with their wiring systems. Doesn't look like the entire country is standardized so I have no idea what voltage your running at. I'm also not sure what wire sizes are sold down there. Whether you use American Wire Gauge or metric... I was under the impression that a good portion of the western world used AWG...

127V found in states of Bahia, Paraná (including Curitiba), Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais (though 220 V may be found in some hotels). Other areas are 220 V only, with the exception of Fortaleza (240 V). Outlets (click for more) are often a combination of type A and C and can accept either type plug.
Click to expand...
Looks like your either on 110/220 or just 220 or just 240 depending on what state you live in. Does look to be 60hz tho, just like the US..

That would be the first thing to determine. You'd need to snap a detailed picture of your panel with the cover removed and measure all incoming wires with a multimeter. If your not comfortable doing this, or aren't sure what I'm talking about, then don't do it.




acwirediagram.jpg
 
B

Brazilianfire

so i dont have to install a fuse disconnect? i can just hard wire into the outdoor unit straight from the main electrical panel? I live in the U.S.
 
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sparkjumper

No you cant just hardwire into an AC unit,you have to have a means of disconnect.Whether it needs to be a fused disconnect or not I'm not sure.I would think an OC device feeding the unit from the panel would suffice without a fused disconnect.Its been awhile since I did this shit.The bird with the tuxedo is current
 
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Brazilianfire

the sloppy cubans taught me how to use water ac's that ran straight into the 240 volt panel to a 50 amp breaker since they use 5 tons. sub panel meaning a 30 amp with 1 30 amp breaker. didnt mean to offend you asher1er thanks for the link!
 
P

PharmaCan

Active member
Veteran
Is your unit made for use in the United States? On your other thread you said it is 208-230 volts. That doesn't sound like American voltage unless maybe from a 3-phase installation?????

PC
 
madpenguin

madpenguin

Member
Sparkjumper is correct. You need a disconnect outside by the AC unit. Usually you use Sealtight or LFMC to feed the unit from the disconnect. The disconnect is required for servicing personnel.

Again, you'll need to read the nameplate of your AC unit. Some of them require a fused disconnect. If it doesn't say that, then I'd just get the straight blade disconnect. Has 2 finger rings that you grab ahold of and pull straight out to kill both hot conductors. Doesnt provide OC protection, it's just a disconnect.

A lot of equipment will list 208-240v just so you can use them in residential and, say, a 120/208 wye office building type setup.

Again, to the OP, we can sit here and talk for weeks but without the nameplate information, not alot can be done beside just "talk".
 
A

asher1er

Active member
Veteran
Brazilianfire said:
the sloppy cubans taught me how to use water ac's that ran straight into the 240 volt panel to a 50 amp breaker since they use 5 tons. sub panel meaning a 30 amp with 1 30 amp breaker. didnt mean to offend you asher1er thanks for the link!
Click to expand...



no offense taken homie:joint:
 
madpenguin

madpenguin

Member
Don't know why 230... I tried to search for the term "230" on the first page and the only thing it came up with was a post count and what you said...

Is this another thread that he said 208-230v? Perhaps he just read the plate wrong. Should be 240 or maybe even 250 would be proper.

Edit - Just found the other post. I doubt the plate said 230v. If it did then I would be suprised as well. Maybe just a misread on his part.
 
madpenguin

madpenguin

Member
Ah... Read that thread more and followed the manufactures link. It does say 230v.

To the OP, I might call them and ask about that. If you buy one, I guarantee it'll see upwards to 250v. If your in a big city and off peak hours plus you size the wire that feeds the unit properly, then you'll get upwards to 125v on each hot leg.
 
madpenguin

madpenguin

Member
connection.jpg


Look at the pink "main power" line. If it's in anyway cord-and-plug connected then you don't need a disconnect for it. The cord-and-plug is allowed to be the means of disconnect as far as the NEC is concerned.

It just depends on how your supposed to wire this thing up. You shouldn't have an exposed cord feeding it tho. Would be against code so I'm not sure what's up with that.
 
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