can't have a 30 amp sub-panel, true or false?

13 years ago

Hi! I live in Canada and have LOTS of Christmas lights (and no, I don't want to switch to LED's), so I built a panel that replaces my basement window onto which I mounted a 8-space panel with 4 15-amp breakers, controlled with a 2-pole Intermatic timer rated for 40 amps and then used 10-4 SOW cable which plugs into a L14-30p below the panel, with a 2-pole 30 amp breaker in the main panel.

During the holidays, my brother and her wife, who claims to be a retired electrical inspector from Barrie, Ont saw my contraption and she said it is illegal in Canada to have a 30-amp subpanel, without further explanations. I think she thought that I tapped into the dryer circuit, which I demonstrated it was not the case.

Is she right in saying that had I picked any other value than 30 amp to feed my subpanel, everything would meet code? Thanks.

Comments (7)

bigbird_1
13 years ago
You can't feed a subpanel with SOW cable. The feeder needs to be NM, NMWU, AC, TECK, etc.
There is no lower limit to how many amps a subpanel can distribute, but there is an upper limit based on many factors including the main panel feed, the subpanel size itself, the overcurrent protection rating, the feed cable size, etc.
wayne440
13 years ago
Here is a commercial product similar to your device, it claims to be CSA listed.

Don't call your device a subpanel, call it a "Portable Temporary Power Distribution Box".

Here is a link that might be useful: this is UL/CSA listed
ontariojer
13 years ago
Since it plugs in, it isn't really a subpanel. You need a "special
Inspection" on something like this (from ESA in Ontario)since it isn't CSA approved in th configuration you set up, but 30Amps doesn't come into it.
joed
13 years ago
I would agree. That is not a sub panel but temporary power distribution. Not sure if it meets code however because I don't know the code for temp power.
w0lley32
Original Author
13 years ago
"since it isn't CSA approved in th configuration you set up, but 30Amps doesn't come into it."

So, please tell me what makes it not CSA approved, and what should I change to make it CSA approved? Take note that the only SOW is between the Intermatic timer and the twist-lock plug. Everything else is wired with NM; 10-3 from the main panel to the twist-lock receptacle and from the timer to the breaker panel and 14-2 NMWU to the outlets on the other side of the plywood board, facing the outside, in PVC boxes with in-use covers.

Can you please explain what you mean by "30 amp doesn't come into it"?

Is my brother's wife right that you can't have a 30-amp subpanel in Canada, or is it just perhaps a local code in the city of Barrie? Thanks.
ontariojer
13 years ago
Putting together CSA approved components doesn't make your end product approved. If you build an electrical appliance(which is what you have done here- this isn't a "sub-panel" since it plugs in) you need to have it approved by an appropriate authority(CSA for example) which can be very expensive. Several companies do this, the ESA in Ontario is a good place to start if you are in Ontario.

When I Say 30A doesn't come into it, I mean that the electrical code doesn't even cover this sort of thing except to say that it needs approval. If she said you can't use it because it isn't approved-that is true. If she says you can't have a 30a sub- panel. She doesn't know what she is talking about.
bill_g_web
13 years ago
"..., without further explanations."

LOL. Still power tripping after retirement AND even during "the season to jolly".