MCA is 27 and the Breaker is a 50A - Short #219

HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

Bryan Orr

Training, Careers, Airconditioning, Self-improvement, Hvac, Business, Education, Refrigeration, Heating, Ac, Apprenticeship

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2024

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this short podcast episode, Bryan and Mike from DITEK talk about what to do in tricky electrical scenarios, such as when the MCA is 27 and you have a 50A breaker.

When you size an HVAC system for compatibility with voltage monitors, like the DITEK Kool Guard, you need to pay attention to the MCA (minimum circuit ampacity), which should not be confused with MOCP (maximum overcurrent protection or breaker size). As long as the MCA is 40 amps or lower, you can attach the HVAC condenser to the Kool Guard. The KG2 also accepts wire sizes up to 6 AWG.

The Kool Guard is NOT a source of overcurrent protection; it is a voltage monitor rated for carrying current, which means ratings will be in MCA, not MOCP. MOCP is designed to deal with high starting amps and lets users know the maximum allowable current for a circuit so that it can trip properly when that current is exceeded. According to Section 440 of the National Electrical Code (NEC), motors with internal overload protection allow for a difference between the MCA and MOCP. You may find higher MOCPs on inverter-driven systems.

Learn more about DITEK at https://www.diteksurgeprotection.com/.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, hey, this is a short episode.
0:05.7	In this short episode, we're going to be talking again to Mike Molinari,
0:09.2	but specifically about a common confusion surrounding MCA versus breaker
0:13.9	and where a lot of people will think, oh, hey, maybe this particular device won't work
0:18.3	because of the amper trading, and we want to clarify some of that. Maybe we clarify, maybe we don't, because of the ampergerating. And we want to clarify some of that.
0:21.3	Maybe we clarify, maybe we don't because it gets a little nerdy.
0:25.0	But it's a short episode about this common question that we get.
0:29.7	But first, who want to hear from are great sponsors?
0:32.8	Refrigeration Technologies at refrigetech.com.
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0:51.9	product advancements, best practices, and industry trends,
0:55.5	and I'll be there, of course.
0:57.2	Register now for free at aHR expo.com.
1:00.9	Navak at navakglobal.com.
1:03.6	The ESCO Institute, with over 200 HVACR training solutions, courses, webinars, and simulators,
1:10.5	find out more by going to escogroup.org.
1:15.5	So I have Mike on, again, to talk about this. So give me the reasons why, even if I've got a
1:21.4	five-ton condenser, I'm okay to go ahead and put the Cool Guard 2 on it. Oh, this is a common question
1:27.1	that we get. So yes, the Cool Guard 2 on it? Oh, this is a common question that we get.
1:27.8	So, yes, the Cool Guard 2 is rated for 40 amps continuously.
1:33.4	That is not to be confused with the breaker size of the system.
	...

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