This section describes the options available in the Distribution Equipment group in the Design Master Electrical Options dialog box.
Default load calculation method: When a new distribution equipment is created, the calculation method for load types is set to this value. See the Feeder and Service Calculation Settings section for more information.
Default general lighting circuit value: When a new distribution equipment is created, the default general lighting setting for circuits on the equipment is set to this value. See the Feeder and Service Calculation Settings section for more information.
Default distribution equipment AIC: When a new distribution equipment is created, the AIC rating is set to this value. The value for each panel can be changed once it is created.
Fault Schedule: Highlight AIC ratings that are too low: Whether AIC ratings that are too low are highlighted in the fault schedule. See the Fault Schedule section for more information.
Voltage Drop Schedule: Highlight voltage drops: Whether voltage drops that are too high are highlighted in the voltage drop schedule. See the Voltage Drop Schedule section for more information.
Voltage Drop Schedule: Circuits to display: Which circuits are displayed in the voltage drop schedule. See the Voltage Drop Schedule section for more information.
Voltage Drop Schedule: Warn if branch circuit voltage drop cannot be calculated: Whether a warning is displayed if the branch circuit voltage drop cannot be calculated correctly due to circuiting errors. See the Voltage Drop Schedule section for more information.
Voltage drop and transformers: There are three options for addressing transformers when calculating voltage drop. See the Voltage Drop and Transformers Options article in the knowledge base for more information.
| • | Ignore transformers: The voltage drop through the transformer is ignored when the voltage drop for the system is calculated. The voltage drop through the upstream feeders is carried through the transformer. |
| • | Reset voltage drop at transformers: The voltage drop is reset to 0% at each transformer. The voltage drop through the transformer is ignored. The voltage drop through the upstream feeders is ignored. |
| • | Include transformers in voltage drop: The voltage drop through the transformer is calculated and added to the voltage drop on the feeder. The voltage drop through the upstream feeders is carried through the transformer. |
After changing the Voltage drop and transformers option, reinsert the voltage drop schedule on the drawing to display voltage drop numbers based upon the new setting. See the Voltage Drop Schedule section for more information about inserting the schedule.
Calculate voltage drop based upon 80% of panel capacity: Whether calculations for the voltage drop schedule are based upon 80% of panel capacity or actual panel loads. See the Voltage Drop Schedule section for more information.
Panel schedule load display units: This option controls the units used for displaying loads on panel schedules. Changing this value will change the numbers, but it will not change the column labels and headers. You will need to manually customize the distribution equipment schedule blocks. See the Distribution Equipment Schedule Blocks section for more information.
| • | kVA: The loads are displayed in kVA. |
| • | VA: The loads are displayed in VA. |
| • | Amps: The loads are displayed in amps. |
Show fixed number of decimals in panel schedules: This option controls how values are displayed in distribution equipment schedules.
| • | Yes: The full value for all numbers will be displayed. All numbers will include a specific number of digits after the decimal. |
| • | No: All numbers on the panel schedule will be rounded to 3 significant figures. |
Number of decimals to display in panel schedule: If the Show fixed number of decimals in panel schedules option is set to Yes, this option specifies the number of digits after the decimal to display.
If the Show fixed number of decimals in panel schedules option is set to No, this option is ignored and not used.
Feeder length calculation method: When a new distribution equipment is created, the calculation method for feeder length is set to this value. See the Feeder Length Settings section for more information.
Circuit length calculation method: When a new distribution equipment is created, the calculation method for circuit length is set to this value. See the Set Circuit Information section for more information.
Building angle: When a new distribution equipment is created, the building angle used for feeder and circuit length calculations is set to this value. See the Feeder Length Settings section and the How Building Angle Affects Calculations article in the knowledge base for more information.
Feeder make-up: This value is the extra length of wire included in feeder lengths to account for the wire used for distribution equipment connections. It is used in the fault calculation, voltage drop calculation, and takeoffs. See the Distance Input Format section for more information about specifying this length.
Ignore make-up on feeders shorter than this: If two pieces of distribution equipment are close to each other, additional feeder length is not needed to terminate the wires. If the distance between distribution equipment is shorter than this specified value, the value set for the Feeder make-up option is not added to the length of the feeder. See the Distance Input Format section for more information about specifying this length.
Elevation input: When distribution equipment is inserted on the drawing, the elevation input method is set to this value. See the Elevation section for more information.
Warn if distribution equipment is overloaded: Whether a warning is displayed if you have distribution equipment in the project that is overloaded. See the Overloaded Distribution Equipment section for more information.
This setting will affect the project for all users. To change this setting for a single user, see the Electrical User Options section.
Distribution equipment overloaded threshold (% of panel capacity): When the load on a distribution equipment exceeds this value as a percentage of the load capacity, the distribution equipment will be considered overloaded.