2. BUILDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS 2.1 BRANCH CIRCUITS An electrical circuit may be defined as a complete conducting path carrying current from a source of electricity to and through some electrical device or load and back to the source. The two wire circuit, which is the most elementary of all wiring systems, consists of a live wire carrying the current to the various power consuming devices in the circuit and a neutral or grounded wire which is the return wire carrying the circuit back to the source of supply. v SERIES CIRCUIT ¥ PARALLEL CIRCUIT¥ SERIES CIRCUIT — is one in which the components are connected in tandem. All SOURCE separate loads of the circuit carry the ANS ANS same equal current and the total tap hs. 1; Se resistance, R, is the sum of the ccRCUrT IN sears resistances around the circuit. Ri + R2 + R3 + RA + RS YPARALLEL CIRCUIT (or Multiple 3amp Circuit) - is one in which the iamp | iamp [tame components or loads are so arranged _— that the current divides between them. aecjusce = = ne = we Each outlet has a live wire connected to - the current carrying wire of the circuit and also a neutral wire or grounded wire ‘GRCUTT av PARATLEL 7 connected to the return wire of the ————— circuit. With this system, the total current AJR1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 flowing through the circuit is the sum of the current flowing through each outlet.ee CLASSIFICATIONS OF BRANCH CIRCUITS aa General Purpose Branch Circuit - one «Lee ] a] 9 supplies outlets for lighting and = appliances, including convenience receptacles. mal’ Appliance Branch Circuit - supplies "or 50K A 4 Q outlets intended for feeding appliances. Fixed lighting is not supplied. Individual Branch Circuit - is ane =a] ain designed to supply a single specific item, such as a motor load or a unit air- conditioner,peat seer serena ares ses cnr General Purpose Circuit _——{} i —f —-§ I-A branch circuit that supplies. current in a number of outlets for lighting and appliances Appliance Circuit ‘Abranch circuit that supplies current in one or more outlets specifically intended for appliances Individual Circuit ‘Abranch circuit that supplies current only to a single piece of electrical equipment Distribution Panel A panel for distributing power to other panels or to ‘motors and other heavy power-consuming loads, Controls, distributes and protects a number of simitar branch circuits in an Low-voltage b= parcel aaern Of or pertaining to. circu in which altemating ‘current below 50 volts is supplied by a step-down transformer form the normal line voltage used in ‘esidential systems to control doorbells, Intercoms, heating and cooling systems and — saa aacaeig GENERAL CIRCUITING GUIDELINES 1 General; Branch circuits shall be sufficient to supply a load of 30 watts per square meter (3 watts per square foot) in buildings excluding porches, garages and basements. In all but the smallest installations, connect lighting, convenience receptacles, and appliances in separate circuits. The Code requires a minimum of 2 - 20 amperes appliance branch circuit to feed all small appliance outlets in the kitchen, pantry, dining and family room.L 3. Convenience receptacles in an area shall be wired to at least two different circuits so that in case of failure in any one of the circuits, the entire area will not be deprived of power. 4. General purpose branch circuits shall be rated at 20 amperes wired with No. 12 AWG minimum. Switch legs may be No, 14 AWG if the lighting load permits. 5. Limit the circuit load for lighting and small appliances on 15 amp and 20 amp circuit loads and on 15 and 20 amp overcurrent devices respectively.2.2 SINGLE PHASE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS For homes and small commercial buildings Asingle phase electrical system can either be 2-wire or 3-wire and composes two hot legs and a neutral wire. 4. aS x AN ¥Two-Wire Single Phase DC or AC qhey vThree-Wire Single Phase DC / —| i (EDISON SYSTEM) — $ $ Foy vThree-Wire Single Phase AC2.2 THREE PHASE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS For industries and large commercial buildings The Three Phase AC electricity is a Triple Circuit. The lighting and outlet loads are connected between any phase leg and a neutral line. While machineries and other bigger loads are connected to the phase leg only. 220v e220 ¥Three-Wire Three Phase AC la-c220v2.3 COMPONENTS OF THE BUILDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEMService ‘The supplying of utes required ‘or demanded by the public Substation { Ananlisry power station where elociea! cuter is wx Sean Line Drop “The decrease in vitago betwoon {wo points on a power ina, sully caused by resistance or leakage ang the tne Service Entrance Conductor Service Drop The parton ofa service conductr exlonding ‘The overhesd portion of service froma service drop or service Ileal othe * conductors extencing from the service equpment of bulking nearest uly pole to bulking Watt-Hour Meter = ‘Armetet for measuring and recording the ‘quant o electric power consumed with respect o ima ‘Service Lateral ‘The underground potion of service conductors exlonding fom a main power ine or ansfomer toa aa tates Feeder Ttranstormer Vault ‘Switchgear Room ‘Any ofthe conductors Atworalodroomhsing | | |] Coninsthesorice | ox ene on he 1 Qtanstormer end saupmentforatge | Servee espe to | ait eauprentiors bel} Buln | ‘ati eat auton {lrg pots a bung a service Equipment | Equpment necessay fo eSeomy rant | 1 protecting the eect ower supply fo a buldng Standby Generator Fer providing amergeney power ‘uring 2 power outage. Uninterruptible Power Supply ‘An emergency eysiom designed. to provice pwer automatcally and instantanoousiy transformer and swilchgoarLightning Rod 7 Any of several conducting rods installed at the top of a structure and grounded to civert lightning away from the structure. Also called air terminal Lightning Arrester ‘A.evice for protecting electric equipment from ‘damage by lightning or other high-voltage currents, using spark gaps to carry the current to the ground without passing through the device ‘Spark Gap Asspace between two terminals or electrodes ‘across which a discharge of electricity may pass at a prescribed voltageDirect burial cable may be used for rsdn seen connections ‘Altansfornar is used by madhun-sized and large buildings to slop ‘down from ahigh supply valage to the service voltage. To reduce costs, maintenance and noise and heat problems, a \Wansformer tay be placed on an outdoor pad. located within @ balding cilfild ranstormers require a wot-ventated e-aled ‘vault wih te ets and oeated onan axariar wall adjacent to th Swichgear room. Ortypo transforms usodin smal and mecturvaized buildings may be replaced together with a ‘sconnect switch and switchgear na unit aubstaton “The sarvoa sth ithe main Ssconneet fr the entire cletical Syctom ofa building, exeoot or any ‘emergency power systems. ‘The service equipment includes 2 main ‘disconnect swich and secondary ‘swtches, fuses and crcl breakers for Contoling and pretecting the slectic power supp oa buidng. itis localed Iva sultenoaar room neat the artrance ofthe series conductors ‘The main switehboard isa pana on which are mounted seizes, ‘overcuttont devices, meting instuments and busbars fr controling, distibutng and protocing a numberof elect outs ssescsessssosy a aif Service Conductors extend from a main power line or anstrmer tothe service equipment of uling| ‘Servcie Drop ‘The overhead portion of sorvce conductors extending ‘rom te nearest uty ple 8 bullng Servcie Lateral ‘Tho underground porton of service conductors extending {roma main powerline or transformer toa building ‘Servcie Entrance Conductor The porton ofa service conductor extending rom a service ‘top oF service laa be service esupment of @ bug __Watt-Hour Meter Measures ad records the quantity of elec power ‘consumed wth reepecto ime. Supplied byte pusic uy, its always placed ahead of te main disconnect swith so thatit cannot be disconnected For mutipl-occupancy buildings, barks of meters are installed so that each Unt ean be metered independetiy Grounding Rod or Electrode | femly omibecided inthe earth o establish a ground connection To panetooards¥ SERVICE ENTRANCE- the point of delivery of electricity to a building by a public utility company. MAIN SWITCHBOARD - The service entrance conductors in the form of bus bars terminates in the main switchboard and connects to the distribution panel boards by means of feeder circuits protected by circuit breakers. The main switchboard serves for the control, protection and metering of the main feeders.s0HP S-PHASE, 480 V MOTORS ‘SIZING FEEDER CONDUCTORS FOR TWO OR MORE MOTORS. ¥ FEEDER CIRCUITS — A feeder circuit is a set of conductors which extends from the main switchboard to a distributing center (panel board) with no other circuits connected to it between , the source and the distributing center. vSUB-FEEDER CIRCUITS — are line extensions of a feeder, fed through a panel board or cut-out, or from one distributing center to another and having no other circuit connected to it between the two distributing centers. A sub-feeder serves to distribute power from the main feeders to smaller local panel boards, called sub-panel boards.¥BRANCH CIRCUITS — These are small capacity conductors which deliver energy to lamps, motors and other loads within the circuit, v PANEL BOARDS AND SUB-PANEL BOARDS (also called CUT-OUTS) - These serve to control and protect the sub feeders and branch circuits. UTILIZATION EQUIPMENT — These are the lighting, power and motor loads and wiring devices which are directly handled and utilized by users.oa om ‘wire of fusible metal that melts Under the heat produced by ‘excess current thereby interrupting the circuit Service Switch ‘The main disconnect for the érti electical systom of a building ‘except for any emergency power systems 1 = | ‘Aboard on which are mounted | - ‘the owitches, fuses and circuit breakers for controlling and ah protecting a number of similar branch circuits installed in a cabinet and accessible from the front only, Also called a panelboard. ““Aswitch that automatically interrupts an electric circuit to prevent excess current from damaging apparatus in the circut or from causing a fire, A circuit breaker may be reciosed and reused withou replacement of any components. Also called a breaker. Bus ~ Anheavy conductor, usualy in the form of a solid copper bar, used for collecting. carrying and distnbuting large electric currents. Also called a busbar Grounded Conductor ~---—-~ ‘Any conductor of an electrical system Intentionally connected to-a ground connection Ground Wire © Sop Atconductor connecting 52 electric equipment or a circuit to a ground connection. Also called @ ‘grounding conductor Grounding Electrode al Aconductor, as 4 metal ground rod, 2? ‘ground plate or cold-water pipe, firmly ‘embedded in the earth to establish a