All our fuses are 250 V. (600 V. are longer and will not fit). Fuse clip sizes: Round ends: 0-30, 35-60. Blade ends: 65-100, -200, -400. Plan to keep extra fuses and links in basement.
In the "electric" basement room next to Del Mar Blvd. (with a door leading to a stairway up to the street) there are 3 electric meters. Only 2 of these are owned by the City of Pasadena. The other meter (on the far left) is privately owned by Throop Church and feeds part of Henry House. We pay no bills for the electricity passing thru it since electricity reaching this meter has already passed thru a city-owned meter.
Power is supplied from a city-owned transformer under the street (below a manhole). On the sidewalk just outside the basement can be seen vents for the transformer and metal covers for Throop's pull box (or transformer box?).
The 2 city meters are: The middle meter (in a switchboard) is single phase, 3 wire, 120/240 volts. The right meter is 3-phase, 240 volts (line-to-line), 3 wire (no neutral).
When reading the middle meter (the main one), don't forget to multiply both the reading and the kh factor (kh = watt-hrs/revolution) by the meter constant of 40 shown on the face of the meter. If you use the pkh factor, then no multiplication is required since pkh = 40 * kh.
Three phase is used only by the ceramic oven in the "electric" basement, the blowers in the basement (see "hvac_..."), and the pipe organ in the Sanctuary. 2 new cables (white, black) run to it under the chancel (are they 3-phase?). The feed to the organ has .3v AC on it with the supply disconnected (safety switch open). Why? A heater which was removed from the Womens room once used two wires (line-to-line) of the 3-phase.
The 3-phase is from a delta secondary with one leg grounded at a center tap resulting in voltages to ground of: 120, 120, 208. Everything else is single phase. Our single phase usage (rate schedule G01) is currently much higher than our 3-phase usage (rate schedule G03). We currently are billed separately for each meter.
The gray service switchboard is 7 1/2 ft. (90 in.) tall. It's made by Zinsco Switch Gear (Uni-Form D) and is an inverted unit (top feed) with hot sequence metering. It contains: 1. The single phase main meter (city owned). 2. A main switch: shuts off all power to both Throop and Henry House. 3. Current transformers (turns ratio 200:5) behind sealed panels: the meter only gets a 2.5% sample of the actual current fed to Throop. 4. 2 @ 400 amp main fuses (UH-15) behind a locked door below switch. Key hidden nearby with another in the office. Fuses: CLFCO, UH-15 Cable is TW 500 MCM (320 amps). Should have used TW 750 MCM (400 amps) or THHN. 5. Knife switches (for the meter) behind a sealed clear plastic cover. 6. "Pull section" on rt. Cables enters here from rear and run to top.
Henry House at 280 S. Los Robles gets electricity (single phase only) from this electric basement and is on the same main meter (single phase) as Throop Church. Henry House is fed by two underground conduits each containing a 3-wire branch circuit (2 hot wires plus neutral). One is protected by 2 @ 50 amp circuit breakers and the other newer circuit has 2@ 100 amp breakers. The 50 amp one feeds a circuit breaker sub-panel in the 2nd floor Men's room of Henry House. This subpanel in turn supplies outlets on both floors. The 100 amp circuit passes thru Throop's private meter in the basement, and feeds a subpanel in the large room of the 2nd floor of Henry House. This supplies only the 2nd floor but some of the 2nd floor supply comes from the other subpanel (no meter). Details will be given shortly.
Note that the 50 amp branch circuit can supply a total of 100 amps at 120 volts since it has 2 @ circuit breakers. Likewise, the 100 amp branch circuit can supply 200 amps. "Single phase" is actually 2-phase, 3 wire with a phase difference of 180 deg. in the two wires. The 3rd wire is the common neutral conductor.
The 100 amp branch circuit feeds only the upstairs and excludes the S. room. If this S. room is rented out separately, then the tenant of the rest of the 2nd floor may be billed by Throop Church for the electricity they use by reading the private meter (but see 2nd par. below)
If the upstairs is rented to just one tenant, then it is possible to do some re-wiring in Henry House so that the upstairs is all on our existing meter and the downstairs is all on another meter yet to be installed. Then both tenants of Henry House could be billed for the electricity they use.
See the sheet cb_henry (Henry House Circuit Breakers) to see what outlets in Henry House are fed by each circuit. From this sheet one can determine that the panel in the men's room feeds: 1. All of the first floor. 2. Everything in the S. room of the 2nd floor. 3. The 2nd floor restrooms. 4. 2 wall outlets in the large room of the 2nd floor (one of which is up high for connecting a window air conditioning unit which is no longer used. There is also a wire which has been run from the circuit breaker panel in the 2nd floor large room to the panel in the men's room. This may be from the lower right breaker in the 2nd floor large room.
Assuming the upstairs is to be rented to one tenant, the re-wiring could be something like: Connect this wire (from the large rm. panel) to the feeds to the 2nd floor S. room and the restrooms. Cover the high outlets which formerly fed air conditioners with cover plates so that they can't be used. Figure out how to connect the wall outlet in the large room (on the S. wall to the E.) to the large room panel. This is now on circuit breaker #13 in the men's room. This circuit breaker also feeds the outside lights. It appears that it was originally intended to connect up the 2nd floor S. room & the restrooms to the large room panel but this was never done. Connecting all of this to one circuit breaker in the large room may be too much load for one breaker. Is it feasible to add another breaker in the large room and then run another pair of wires to the men's room panel?
Each of these subpanels contain many circuit breakers each of which feeds a number of electrical outlets (wall sockets or jacks) or lights. In a couple of cases, a subpanel also contains a circuit which feeds another subpanel. Most every subpanel has posted inside it a list of the circuits it feeds. This information is from computer files starting with the letters "cb" for Circuit Breaker.
When built in 1923, Throop church used only fuses. The 3-phase system still uses only fuses. All of the subpanel fuses (single phase) have been replaced at later dates with circuit breakers. These subpanels are fed from either safety switches with fuses or from high-amp circuit breakers. All fuses remaining in use are of the cartridge type (cigar shaped) and are in the electric basement. An exception is a safety switch in the basement for various Exit lights which still uses screw-in fuses. Fuses are also used for electric motor protection in the furnace basement (see "hvac_..." documents).
Subpanels of circuit breakers are located in the:
1. Electric Basement on W. wall (2 @ panels)
2. foot of central (balcony) stairway
3. kitchen W. of range
4. Public Telephone Room S. wall (fed thru 1.)
5. stage in SW corner (fed thru 2.)
6. projection booth
Second floor lights and outlets are supplied by all of the above
except 3. Coverage of these subpanels is as follows:
1. Electric Basement on W. wall (2 @ panels) feeds all outlets on
the S. exterior wall of the upstairs offices. The panel on the
right also feeds: Public Telephone Room subpanel (4.), outside
signs, doorbells, and one nearby light and outlet.
2. Foot of central (balcony) stairway feeds the region W. of Throop
Hall (including the sanctuary except for organ blower) and the
Stage subpanel (3.).
It also feeds the upstairs rooms except for the S. office area.
Exception +: It feeds one outlet in the SW office.
Exception -: Outlet in Balcony Room (N. of Balcony) is fed from
the stage subpanel (3.)
Exception -: Light sockets over some doors are on the Exit safety
switch in the basement.
3. Kitchen (W. of range) feeds the kitchen.
Exception +: Feeds Throop Hall outlets at the sink and on floor.
4. Public Telephone Room S. wall (fed thru 1.) feeds this room, the
Fireside Room, the Ladies Restroom, outlets on the E wall of
Throop Hall, and A. & B. below:
A. upstairs S. offices (including stairway to them)
Exception -: One outlet in SW office fed from CB of subpanel 2 (at
foot of balcony stairway.
Exception -: Outlets along S. walls of S. offices are fed from
Electric Basement subpanel 1.
B. Utility (Furnace & Electric) Basements (except for blowers)
Exception -: Outlet and one light in Electric Basement fed from
Electric Basement W. wall right subpanel.
5. Stage in SW corner feeds the stage and Throop Hall (but not
Fireside. Room).
Exception +: It feeds an outlet in the Balcony Room (N. of Balcony)
Exception -: The outlets at the sink and floor nearby are fed from
the kitchen panel (4.).
Exception -: Outlets along E. wall fed from Public Telephone Rm.
Exception -: The Exit lights (including an unused lamp socket over
the patio door to the far S.) is fed from the Exit
safety switch in the Electric Basement.
6. Projection booth has only 2 @ 15 amp breakers which feed only outlets
in the projection booth.
The 3-phase system uses only fuses for protection. In the electric basement near the 3-phase meter, the 3-phase system has a number of fusible safety switches (a switch which has "safety" because it's enclosed in a metal box and which is "fusible" since it has cartridge fuses in the same box). There is a main fusible safety switch which in turn feeds fusible safety switches for: 1. heat-vent basement blowers 2. organ 3. ceramic oven (fed by only 2 wires). The feed for the furnace blowers goes to 4@ fusible safety switches on the N. wall of the furnace basement. One of these switches feeds a water pump for the air washer (not now in use). See "hvac_hardware" for electrical information regarding the 3-phase blower motors and their control circuits.
3-Phase Safety Switches (3 fuses): Fuse & Cable Sizes: Main: 70 amp LH-22. Cable OD over ins. .365 TW => ?#3 (80 amps). 1. blower motors: 60 amp. #6 TW (55 amp). Amps: 5.2 + 5.2 + 13.8 (Sanct.) +9.2 (air washer) = 33.4 amps + 75% => 58.8 amps. +25% => 41.8 amps (if slow blow TRN fuse) Might use 50 amp K5 fuse.
2. organ: 60 amp Buss 25060. Input #6 TW (55 amp). Output old #8 (40 amps)
SINGLE PHASE FEEDERS & FUSES:
The 400 amp main circuit feeds 4 branch panels to the left of the service switchboard: (load fuses & CB's total 440 amp) 1. One pair of 90 amp breakers (dark red) supplying the kitchen panel 2. One pair of 50 amp breakers for Henry House 3. One pair of 100 amp breakers for Henry House 4. A 200 amp fusible safety switch (3 conductor, 2 fuses) for feeding everything on the W wall of the electric basement. Cable 3/0 TW (165 amps). Short pieces marked 2/0 TW (145 amps) about same size as 3/0.
On the W wall are: 1 & 2: two circuit breaker subpanels (see "Subpanel Circuit Breakers) 3. An old 100 amp fusible safety switch (3 conductor, 2 fuses). Feeds the circuit breaker subpanel at the foot of the central (balcony) stairway. This subpanel has a sub-feed to the stage circuit breaker panel. One very old renewable fuse, one new class RK-5 (200K amps interrupt). Input cable TW .490" OD over insulation => #1 (110 amps). Output old looks like #1 or #2 (95 amps for TW). 4. An old 60 amp fusible safety switch feeding the projection booth. Only 1 of 2 fuses in use. Input cable 6 TW (55 amps). The white and yellow wires which feed thru switch box comes from the open (no door) circuit breaker panel on the right.
For the low voltage patio lights 3 @ 12 volt power supplies are in a basement room below the stage. A couple of cable feeds (12 v.) from one of these 12 v. supplies may be seen exiting a basement window just to the N. of the patio doors to Throop Hall. The turn-on switch is located in Throop Hall low on the wall to the E. of the stage. This turns on 120 v. power to the outlet to which the 12 v. power supplies are plugged into. The 4 @ feeder cables run underground to 5 @ distribution boxes seen in the patio gardens. A 6th distribution box seen to the left of the fountain has been disconnected.
To reset a circuit breaker which has tripped due to a short circuit (after correcting the shorting problem) turn the breaker all the way off and then on again. If it will not turn all the way off it is stuck and may need to be replaced. In some cases if you keep trying to turn it on and off, it will become unstuck (or you could try tapping it etc.) Even removing the breaker banging it on a table, etc. may help fix it.
Our breakers are Zinsco. Although they are no longer in business replacement breakers are still made at a high price. To remove a breaker turn off (and red-tag) the electricity to it. Remove the panel cover, loosen and slide to one side the circuit breaker retaining bar. Then pull out the break by rotating it by pulling on the side where the retaining bar was. Either unscrew the wires or push in the pull tab all the way in and push/pull/twist out the wire. To install a wire using pull tabs, pull the tab out and push in the wire (that has been stripped correctly of insulation).
For the parking lot lights on the N wall of the sanctuary (and the display case light) the timer is by the N entrance door to the Sanctuary (Timer motor Intermatic T101). These lights will not turn on in the daytime due to an electric eye in series located next to the light over the above door. This electric eye may be broken. Henry House outside lights (including outside hallway lights) controlled by timer in Men's Room. Motion activated lights on N. high on outside wall of Red Room (alias N. Room) can be switched off by switch in E. closet in Red Room.
On the Del Mar lawn are 3 @ electrical boxes mounted on cement blocks with 1/2 inch rigid conduit feeding them. These may have been used in the past (1960s ?) for mounting flood-lights which lit up the tower and building at night. They likely also supply power to the 2 @ illuminated signs. Some of the conduits to these boxes are feeds from other lawn boxes. There is also a box on the flat roof by the tower which may have been for another floodlight for the tower. The timer for the sign lights (and for the defunct floodlights ?) is on the W wall in the Electric Basement.
The lawn boxes are connected to the half-inch conduit using compression fittings for 1/2" pipe. The other end of the fitting is 1/2 inch pipe male and screws into the bottom of the box. The wires are white, black and green. In the E-most box with 3 conduits, all wires of the same color are connected together. So it appears to be all just one circuit with green ground wires.
The lights for the stained glass windows on the church exterior are controlled by 2 @ switches to the left of the Pulpit (3 lamps/switch). For the W. facade (Jesus) one must connect a special (4 conductor) extension cord (kept in janitors closed) between the movable light "elevator" and a locked box below. The keys are both in office file and in janitors closet. It takes several minutes to crank up the "elevator".
These window light bulbs are halogen quartz 500 watt: 500t3Q/CL, 120v. To replace them remove cover held on by two lever-clamps (use a putty knife etc. to pry off if still stuck after releasing clamps). Make sure that new bulb is seated exactly in its contacts at each end. To remove/install retract one contact using a lever prong. Don't touch the new bulb with fingers (use a paper towel etc.) A tall step-ladder may be used but put supports under ladder feet to level it.
Sept. 1993: Surveyed with "Real Goods" meter. Due to conduit wiring (apparently no knob and tube wiring) currents are balanced and fields are usually minimal. However the wiring added for the exterior stained glass window lighting creates a field of several milligauss in the S. aisle of the Sanctuary. These wires were run in flexible conduits (3/4" and 1 1/4") in the crawl space => hot current in one conduit returns in the neutral of a different conduit. Reconnecting at the large J box under the Sanctuary might fix it. Also heavy gauge cables (black & white) under the chancel for the organ are not in a conduit.
As expected, there are high fields near the circuit breaker panels, in the electric basement by the service switchboard, and next to the ventilation electric motors in the basement. Thus avoid standing within a foot or so of the circuit breaker panels. Also, survey electric basement before letting children work with the pottery equipment there. About half of this basement (nearest the switchgear) has fields over 2 milligauss.
The dimmer switches on the stage are only 600 watt and only one 500 watt theatrical lamps may be put on each one.
The covered outlet box in the Tower Room above the light switch formerly contained a duplex receptacle. The power was supplied from the switch. Since the switch had no neutral wire, the white neutral wire was connected to the switch box so that the original pipe conduit was used as a "conductor". Since this is improper, in Dec.'94 the duplex receptacle was removed and a cover plate installed.
Fuse blow-outs? The greatest risk seems to be the 2@ 100 amp fuses. Most of the church building is on them, including the 80 amps drawn by the 16@ stained glass window exterior lighting.
Rusted service switchboard bottom but top anchored to wall to prevent collapse.
The original building wiring is enclosed in black rigid conduit of various sizes. Such conduit is found in the crawl spaces under the building, in the attics, and inside the walls. The magnetic fields created are small since the current in a conduit is balanced. Newer wiring was placed in shiny metallic conduit (sometimes flexible). Some is not well attached to the joists etc. In some cases (such as the exterior sanctuary lighting) there is substantial magnetic fields (in the S sanctuary aisle). This is likely due to the power being supplied in 2 conduits (3/4" and 1 1/4") with the neutral returns in said conduits not balanced. Knob and tube wiring (as commonly found in older homes) was not used. The stage footlights use romex non-metallic wiring. Romex (ungrounded) was also used the mid-1990s for ceiling lights upstairs. It's highly visible from the upper tower room.
This is on the S wall of the sanctuary balcony and is fed from the covered box above the light switch on the N wall of the tower room. The pair of wires go up from this box but are not connected to anything inside this box. At one time there was an outlet in this box fed from the light switch below it (the wires are still there but disconnected). The outlet was removed in 1994 since the neutral (white wire) feed was from the conduit ground (illegal).
CB's for #6 and #10 were interchanged as directed by Alex Mott to avoid a loose connection to the bus. In Dec. 1998, David Lawyer put them back to their original positions and all seemingly worked OK but Alex Mott ordered them to be put back to the interchanged configuration.
Using the original configuration numbering, circuits 1-6 (Sanctuary Chandeliers) feed down into the 1 1/4" flex conduit. They are colored:R R R Blk R Blk Blu. Circuits 7-9 are for outside window floods (500 w each) and are colored 7a R, 7b Blk, 8a Blk, 8b Or, 9a Blu, 9b R. Circuit 7 (2 hot wires) go in the 1 1/4" conduit while circuits 8-9 (4 wires) plus 2 neutrals go in the 3/4" conduit.
See also Stained Glass Window Lighting Pulpit & Chancel
Wires to outlets along E Side of Throop Hall are fed from below via #12 gauge wires in a BX flexible cable of about 3/8" OD. This cable (easy to spot due to its smaller diameter) taps into a 14 gauge circuit in a junction box (full of connectons) on a rigid conduit line under the telephone room (access via electric basement). The CB for the 14 gauge circuit is in the public telephone room and this circuit also feeds stairway and balcony lights.
The 12 gauge circuit for the E side outlets should be connected to a spare 12 gauge circuit (no. 15 or 16) on the kitchen CB panel. It could either be connected to the the spare circuit running to the floor plug in Throop Hall or to the other spare running to the outlet in the pantry. Must use a new junction box as there's no room left in the 14 gauge box.
The kitchen wiring was extensively modified when the kitchen was remodeled in the 1950's. The new CB panel to the right of the range is fed from the electric basement below via a large rigid conduit visible in the basement ceiling. From this CB panel 6@ flexible conduits head downward (3 @ 1/2" and 3 @ 3/4"). One 1/2" conduit with only a pair of wires in it feeds the outlet directly below. 5@ flexible conduits come out into the crawl space under the kitchen.
Two spare circuits exist, each running to an outlet box but are not connected at the box: 1. the Throop Hall floor outlet. 2. the outlet in the lower right of the kitchen pantry.
The 5@ "down" flexible conduits under the KITCHEN run as follows. The colors are wire colors (based on the color at the CB panel). White wires are always neutral and are not mentioned below:
1. 3/4" turns W and feeds Throop Hall sink (2 black) and floor outlet (2 grey, one of which is a spare). A J box is just inside the crawl space opening of the furnace basement. 2. 1/2" turns W but goes up a thru thick wood sole plate near refrigerators and feeds a little used outlet inside pantry. (orange, black, One is a spare.) 3. 3/4" goes straight to J box under the garbage disposal (black) and exhaust fan (orange) where it splits to also feed the outlet to the W on the N wall (red). This red wire somehow also feeds 1/2 of the NE outlet near the exterior door. 4. 3/4" goes straight and then veers E to feed the dishwasher (4@ black). 5. 1/2" turns E to J box by E wall to feed outlets on each side of sink (right: blue; left: red) and 1/2 of the outlet (black) in the NE corner near the exterior door. The black wire also feed the outlet on the square post.
There are 2 up conduits: Left: Feed lights (red) and range hood exhaust (black). Right: Feeds lights (black) and refrigerator outlets and blowers (red).
The original wiring for the kitchen included an outlet over the sink which is no longer used (but the wall box is covered with a blank wall-plate). The dead wires in here run in a black rigid conduit to the electric basement ceiling from where they may run to the CB panel in the public telephone room. Two unconnected wires head down from this CB panel. The kitchen was perhaps originally fed from here.
The conduit from the E closet light runs to the N-most ceiling light box. This box is fed from the S-most ceiling light box which also feeds a diagonal conduit to the W closet.
The conduit from the basement to the projection booth is used by 3 newer wires which continue from the projection booth to the attic. They could be for some of outlets along the S wall of the offices used for air conditioning.
The feed to the stage subpanel is from 2@ 60 amp breakers in the subpanel at the bottom of the balcony stairway via #6 THW cable (65 amps). Most of the stage wiring is not original. To the left of the stage subpanel (behind a cover plate) are 2@ terminal blocks used mostly for neutral (white) wires.
The feed to this is from a pair of 30 amp CB's in the basement.
The switch is not 3-way, the only switch being at the bottom of the stairs. The conduit from this switch to the lights is visible in the Janitor`s closet attic (no J box) where it undergoes an S bend. It's also visible in the main attic. A 3-way switch (adding a switch at the top of the stairs) would be useful for turning on the light from the top of the stairway in cases where people went upstairs while it was still daylight (or via the other lighted stairway) and desire to descend at night. It might interrupt a meeting if they need to walk thru the large room to use the other stairway which does have 3-way switches. Also, its a much shorter walk to the parking lot if one descends the balcony stairway. Of course one may walk down this stairway in the dark by holding on to the railing and then turn on the lights for others. Another switch would also be convenient for someone patrolling the building at night so that they could go up one stairway and down the other.
The conduit for this starts at the main-stairway CB panel. There are 2-5 lights on each wire. Most wires run in a 3/4" flexible conduit but a couple are in a larger 1 1/4" conduit. In the 3/4" are 2@ white neutrals plus 4 hot wires: red, orange, blue, black, This conduit runs in the crawl space to a junction box just several ft. W of the CB panel. This box is just a feed-thru with no change in color of the wires. But the wires have been all cut at this point and reconnected (spliced) with wire nuts. From here they run in 3/4" conduit to an large junction box under the Chancel (about 10 ft SE of the trap door just behind the Chancel). A 1 1/4" conduit also goes to the this large box (the same one as mentioned above?) From this box are conduits that go to the Pulpit and ones that feed to the N, S, and W exterior lights. The feeds to the N and S exterior of the sanctuary may be only 1/2" conduit (check this). As there are a lot of sanctuary chandelier wires in the 1 1/4" conduit from the CB, this large box may be used for more than just exterior lighting lights (not verified) ??
There are the switches at the left side of the pulpit for all these lights. The output from these switches goes to to the large box (previously mentioned) under the stage where three feeder conduits branch off for the N, S and W (facade) lights. The feeder for the N lights has its conduit broken near the N crawl space opening. The wires inside are exposed but not broken. This needs to be fixed so as to ground the conduit.
Two 1 1/4" conduits run from the main-stairway CB panel to the Chancel. One is a black rigid conduit (original) and the other is flexible metallic (newer). Both are tied together for most of the E-W run under the S aisle to the Chancel. As they near the Chancel, the black rigid one veers S to the old fuse box in the Choir Room near the S door. The flexible one veers to the N and may go to the large junction box under the chancel.
Many of the wires in the flexible conduit are for the 3-way switches at the pulpit for the overhead sanctuary lights. For this purpose, the CB panel is just a feed-thru for these wires between the 3-way switches at the pulpit and the 3-way switches in the Narthex. They likely go thru the small attic just above the CB panel (accessed via the janitor's closet). In the attic to the N of the upper tower room is old conduit and old romex-like cable (black cloth) which may be for the overhead sanctuary lights.
Someone drilled vertically thru a 2x6 floor joist at a location about 4 ft. to N of the 1 1/4" sprinkler pipe tee and SE of the pulpit. They ran a 1/2" conduit thru it and greatly weakened the joist. It could have been done by drilling down thru the floor and hitting a joist and then continuing to drill.
Duplex Receptacles: Hospital grade resists corrosive gases & not needed at Throop. Use top of spec grade 8200 or 5262. "Pro grade" by Leviton is bottom of spec grade (but switches are marked spec grade). We should use industrial grade. Sierra (many Throop switches made by them) is now P & S. Hubbell is a top quality brand.
Most lighted switches have replaceable neon bulbs which last several years. Buy replacement bulbs at Marvac-Dow. Get lowest wattage bulb for a 47 K ohm resistor (in series). Bulbs have 2 wire leads and must be soldered in place. Trim leads to exact length or shorter. Stranded wire leads flex when the switch is operated and may eventually break if cut too short.
Local suppliers