Does a 200 amp main panel ever have more than 100 amps in each leg of a balanced feed?
How about 105A on each leg which should not trip the main
Yes could have over 200 amps per leg for a short period .
Constant load I think 160 amps . been out of the trade too many years but I think it is 80% . I expect some one might add to this thanks … Roy
Robert your response does not even make sense!
How about 105A on each leg which main not trip the main
I am not an electrician but I remember 75% but I am not sure. I hope that someone can clarify this, it would be nice to know if it has changed.
Roy I think you meant to say over 100/leg.
He said 200 amp panel and they are 200 Amps on each leg of a 200 amp panel
( " Panel board capacity
Does a 200 amp main panel ever have more than 100 amps in each leg of a balanced feed? ")
OK we went from 100/leg to 200/leg so your last comment says 160 constant load. So I need more clarification if you can Roy.
The question was (" Panel board capacity
Does a 200 amp main panel ever have more than 100 amps in each leg of a balanced feed? ")
And the answer a 200 amp panel is 200 amps on each leg the Constant load is 80% , I was wrong at 70% .
You can over load a breaker for a short period like motor starting so yes it can exceed 200 amps per leg but a breaker should eventually dump at over 80% of rated load .
At 240 volts a 200 amp panel will have a capacity of 200 amps of load. At 120 volts the same panel will have a capacity of 400 amps. A full 200 amp, 240 volt load might take a long time to trip the 200 amp OCPD if at all. A continuous load is one that will continue for 3 hours or more at maximum ampacity. Continuously loaded circuits and feeders must be sized at 125% of the connected load.
Thanks Robert M and Roy. I think that has now been cleared up.
Sized at 125% for motors
80% over rated 200 Amps/leg and it will trip the main.
Not sure what you mean by this? Are you saying >160 amps will trip the 200 amp OCPD?
I made no comment about 160 amps that is Roys.
He asked if there can be more than 100A per leg, and the simple answer is yes. An example is 105A per leg. Each leg of a typical 200A 120/240V panel should have a 200A capacity.
Circuits and feeders should only be loaded to about 80% of the rating (wire sized for 125% of the load), but that load would likely never trip a breaker. Loads need to be in the range of about 100% to 130% of breaker rating to trip a breaker.
Unless of course if you are dealing with Federal Pacific but that is a whole new topic. LOL
I see nothing wrong with the Canadian FP panels .
Do you have any evidence to show that I am wrong .
I do have a FP in my home and see these in many homes .
They are still being installed in Canada. Thanks … Roy
The home I live in (Aurora, CO) also has an FPE panel. The entire neighborhood has them. In fact I personally installed hundreds of them in the late 70’s and early 80’s. To my knowledge none have burned down. Imagine that?:roll:
The Canadian Federal Pioneer (FP) panels have had some reported failures, just not as widespread as those reported for US FPE panels, and there have been FP breaker recalls.
This site has a lot of good info on FP panels … http://inspectapedia.com/fpe/FPE_Panel_ID11.htm
And keep in mind that just because something hasn’t failed yet doesn’t make it safe, and the breakers may not have been subject to an overload … 
Thanks for posting this Robert! It was bothering me that no one commented. I have seen the problems with these panels and did not want to open the can of worms first.
I think all panels can have concerns .
If FP where any different then others I expect Insurance companies would have a higher cost like they do for electric Base board heaters and Electric Ceiling radiant heating .
Would love to see a discusion on all three in Canada.
(1) Base boards heaters.
(2) Ceiling radient heating
(3) FP panels
What has been you experience …
Correct Roy! Most panels you can open without tripping the breaker and since you don’t know if the FP breaker has reset after, this is where the problem comes in.