curious about final ring load balancing.

[zen'heist'dj]

i came across a setup where heavy appliances were mostly on 1 leg (l1) of a final ring pulling 19.5 amps total w/ l1 handling 82% of it. ff the load increased to 32 amps the 2.5mm cable would just stay within the 27amp max rating. i wonder if higher resistance on l1 would shift more current to l2 balancing it out a bit. has anyone tested something like this? its intriguing to think how the design holds up in practice.

 

[VenomousWaters25]

Sounds like you're looking into this because something isn't quite right. My main concern would be if the ring wasn't installed with best practices in mind, like spacing sockets evenly to balance the load. Even then, the ring could still end up skewed depending on how the loads are distributed. If it's causing trouble, there's likely more to the story worth digging into.

 

[zen'heist'dj]

good point. I'll dig deeper into the setup to see if there's more at play and share what I uncover.

 

[VenomousWaters25]

Looking forward to hearing what you find! Let me know if you find any patterns or surprises it's always fascinating to see how these setups play out in the real world.

 

[zen'heist'dj]

I checked for lose connections and corrosion around the ring circuit and sure enough, there was a slightly dodgy connection on L2 that seemed to be causing the imbalance. Tightening it up made a noticeable difference. L1 is no longer carrying 82% of the load and the current is now splitting more evenly between the two legs.

I also ran a test with a 32amp load while monitoring the cable temperatures. Everything stayed well within the safe range and there were no signs of excessive heat or stress on either leg. It's reassuring to see how the design holds up when everything is in working order.

If anyone has dealt with similar situations, feel free to chime in with your experiences. Always happy to learn more!