3 phase electricity?

Question

if a 3 phase piece of equipment is to be fitted to a building does the building need to have a 3 phase supply installed.
the building is a warehouse and the equipment comes in a cheaper 3 phase option and a more expensive single phase option.

Answer 1

Yes the building must have 3 phase power for you to use a 3 phase piece of equipment. The reason 3 phase equipment is cheaper than single phase is because the equipment is smaller and requires less internal insulation. A single phase device draws more than 3 times the electrical current of a single phase device for the same amount of work. This means thicker insulation between the windings of the motor. In addition for large applications, single phase motors are not very common so they become "special order" type devices.

If your warehouse is of any size at all, it should have 3 phase power available on the power pole. The building for sure has two of the phases already wired to the power panel. It might be time to consider upgrading the electrical to 3 phase.

Answer 2

You could work it off single phase by buying a converter for around £200 depending on the load of the machine but the 3 phase option would be much cheaper if you take the lifetime costs.

Answer 3

Check the difference in cost of attaching an external converter to the equipment (single to three phase) vs. the cost of simply installing three phase to your service panel.

If you have have or plan to install more three phase equipment, it would probably be wise to have it supplied. If you're only going to have a single piece of equipment, the converter will work just fine.

Over the long haul, you will be saving money with three phase powering your equipment - both when you purchase it and the actual operating costs.

Answer 4

Best is to get 3-phase wired in from electric company
It is also very expensive
Transformers aren't too great, either.
Go for the more expensive single-phase equipment.

Answer 5

Three phase equipment is made to run on a 3 phase supply. You either need it brought in or you need an MG set (motor-generator) that will use single phase to turn a motor which runs the generator to give you three phase.

Answer 6

yes you must have a 3 phase supply . It would be more expensive to have this installed than a single phase machine.

Answer 7

Yes, the building would need to have a 3-phase supply installed.

Answer 8

You would need a three phase supply to run three phase equipment. Single phase is one phase and a neutral, giving 230V.
Three phase supply is 415V. Good luck.

Answer 9

Yes - you will have to have it installed - if it isn't already (as its a warehouse - you may have it already).
In the UK three phase operates at 415V accross phases, so can draw less current than an equivalent single phase machine (operating at 240V). This makes manufacturing cheaper, hence the lower capital costs.