topic Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing in Revit MEP Forum

Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

casquatch — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 17:35:31 GMT

Hello,

I've looked around quite a bit and couldn't find any information on this, so any help or direction would be appriciated.

We have a distribution panel that is defined as a switchboard. The panel schedule works as needed EXCEPT we are unable to move any 2-pole circuits to the B/C phases. Is this just a limitation (I'm thinking yes), or is there some fancy way to get the loads to move over?

We tried the Panelboard/1-column schedule idea, but in the end the circuits are listing as 1,2,3 and we would like them listed as they would with a switchboard panel (showing 1 number per circuit, regardless of poles).

Any thoughts? What have others been doing?

We are running in Revit 2015 currently.

Thanks!

Casey

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

fabiosato — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 00:01:24 GMT

Hello,

I have found out that switchboard fits to 3phase loads, 2 phase and 1 phase will use from phase A, so 2 phase (AB) and 1 phase (A).

You can try to make loads 3 phase unbalanced and place values to phases B and C. I didn´t tried it.

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 15:48:44 GMT

Sorry to comment on an old thread, but this is a problem that still exists on Revit 2017.

See my screenshot for an example.

Has anyone here found a fix? I think fabiosato's workaround should work, but it's a painful workaround to use on numerous circuits.

Thanks,

Ryan

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 19:45:23 GMT

Disconnect your 2-pole loads from the SB, place a 1 pole spare in the schedule, and reconnect the loads.

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 21:13:42 GMT

Fabiosato's idea sorta worked.

BSammis' idea didn't.

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 11:16:21 GMT

It works if you change your DB family part type from "switchboard" to "panelboard" and use a modified single column panel schedule. Which is also how we get around the disconnect between lines in the schedule and total number of 1 pole breaker spaces in the panel.

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 14:09:07 GMT

bsammis,

Thanks. That works pretty well, and I'm satisfied enough to use this method going forward. However, I don't love the numbering. As casquatch said in the OP, we want the circuit numbers to be 1 digit, like a switchboard. Do you have a fix for that?

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

scbunker — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 15:05:59 GMT

Anybody have an answer for this?

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

scbunker — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 17:08:48 GMT

I've created an Idea for this. It is important that we have this functionality in the software.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-ideas/allow-selection-of-phases-in-switchboards/idi-p/7381023

Please go vote for it and maybe we'll see it happen!

Re: Switchboard Phase/Load Balancing

Martin__Schmid — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 14:24:34 GMT

A solution to this was implemented in Revit 2021. See this help topic.