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My drive-in came with a Bakers Pride model P-1 one deck oven. I don't think that old owners ever used it.

It got almost hot, then popoed it's 40 amp breaker. I think that breaker bad, & will replace it.

The oven is wired for single phase 230 volts, it says on the front panel that it draws 5.6 KW, and can be used for 3 phase operation.

Wil the oven run better, & use less electric if I switch to 3 phase 230? Thanks!

Hi, Bob. Long time, no hear from!

Your oven won't use less electricity, but it will spread it out more evenly amongst the 3 legs. In effect, it will use less power per leg because now there are 3, instead of 2.

I had Bakers Pride ovens here for almost 20 years. We finally got to the point where the machines couldn't recover fast enough... we had the doors open a lot. We replaced the ovens with Comstock-Castle propane models. We haven't been able to load them beyond their capacity. If/when you look for replacements, and if you can convert to gas, you'll find this brand a good candidate.

Hi, Jack! I remembering us discussing "french fries vs. carrot sticks" several years ago..LOL! I'm doing much better since then.

I now have my own drive-in just west of Williamsport, PA. I'm trying to get the place open by 4th of July. The theatre has sufferd from many years of neglect. Got get those "red readers" in here soon.

Thanks for the pizza oven info. We do have propane for our hot water, and I'll eventually get a propane oven.

I going to try to use the Bakers Pride for now, because it is here, & I'm on a tight budget. Is a 40 amp breaker large enough?

Thank you & god bless you & your family! crazybob.

It should be more than enough Bob. At 240 volts, a 5.6kW oven would draw 23 1/3 amps. Even a 30 amp breaker should work, though it might get a bit warm.

If you're blowing breakers, it could be either a worn breaker or something that's touching when the oven gets hot. Single phase breakers aren't all that expensive, though, depending on what kind of electrical box you have. We converted everything over to Square D, type "QO" breakers. Before that, we had a collection of different brands, going back to when they used cartridge fuses for everything!

Jack

[This message has been edited by rodeojack (edited June 16, 2008).]

Thanks, Jack. I think that the whole panel should be replaced. It's an old Federal Pacific with "Stab-Lok" breakers. I don't think that they're even in business anymore.

I really appreciate you letting me pick your brain. You have a wealth of knowlege & experience. This is a fantastic forum with lots of nice people!

Federal Pacific? Wasn't that brand found to have caused a bunch of electrical fires years ago?

Hi, Ken! Nice to meet you!

...Yes, I heard that Federal Pacific electrical panels were a fire hazzard. I have an electrician replacing the whole panel this weekend.

The drive-in needs a lot of work to get it open. We're putting a new rubber roof on it now. I'll be back with more questions..LOL.

My old drive-in, the Skyline had Federal Pacific main panels. The old owner replaced those with modern panels in 2001.

If I had the outdoor room I'd build a wood fired firebrick pizza oven and put on a show.

---

Michael Hurley
Impresario

Maybe we should mount the FPE panel under the pizza oven & make it a firebrick oven? ...LOL... Sorry, Mike...I'm an ex-postal worker..I aint right!

I had two panels with those breakers. One was my reader board... and the other was my house. In both cases, the breakers burned and pitted the buss bars, eventually causing those areas to be mostly useless.

My newer panels are Square-D, type "QO". They've given me very reliable service over the past 22 years. The indoor quad I used to have also used this type of breaker. So, when I had the screen and house panels replaced, I went with Square-D. My spares can now be used everywhere.

The panel replacements didn't cost all that much, either. I was surprised... should have done it sooner.

Oh... You can get replacement "QO" breakers from Home Depot, Lowes, even your local hardware store. 3-phase breakers will probably have to come from an electrical supply, as the home stores don't usually carry them. It's a popular line though, so any Square-D distributor should have them.

The breakers are also "switch rated"... meaning that they are designed to be used for daily on/off operations. I didn't know that some are not designed or intended for this purpose, but I guess it makes sense. There are a lot of breakers in our concession and booth panels that we use as nightly switches. Our panels are close by. If a theatre has its electrical distribution coming from the basement or an outbuilding somewhere, this might be less of an issue.

[This message has been edited by rodeojack (edited June 17, 2008).]

YEA! The pizza oven is now working perfectly!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Thanks to a great group of folks on this forum! -crazybob.

Glad to hear it, Bob. Make lots of money tonight...