How do you determine total amps on a multi-pole breaker?

Question

If I have a 3 pole breaker...do I add up each of the amp readings (on each leg) to get total amp load on the breaker? Or is there some sort of average reading that determines the total load on the breaker. My load is not balanced right now across the lines. I am wondering if a high load on one leg will cause more problems than trying to balance it out.

Answer 1

First, is this in a house?If so one leg is going to be higher because a 3 pole breaker is set up for 460 volts,which is not supplied to homes.Total amps is the highest of the three.A three pole breaker is basicly three breakers tied together.If this is a comercial application you can try to move some of your circuits

around in your panel box to get a more balanced load.

Ok Gotcha now, Try a couple of circiuts over to side of the panel tha is drawing the least amount of curent.

Answer 2

The rating of a circuit breaker is the value of current on any of the poles which will trip it (there are time-current curves which apply).  It is very odd that there is no current on one of the phases.  Balancing the current is usually a good idea, since it allows more load to be served.