Replacing wire from meter to breaker box reddit Cases 1 and 2 require the power company to come and pull the meter. GFCI breakers require the neutral for the circuit be attached to a neutral screw on the breaker. The wire up to the panel is technically owned by the electric company in some areas, you may want to contact them to see if that is the case and if there is any free wire upgrade available since you are upsizing your panel. Shouldn't one of those white/black pair be the load lines? Every house in NA has 2 phase coming into the breaker panel, called 120/240V 2-phase 4 wire (120VRMS phase voltage, 240VRMS line voltage, 2 hot, 1 N, 1 GND). Why replace a 150 with a 150 just to replace it with a 200 later. We have a two-breaker service panel with just the 100 and the 30 disconnect. Its purpose is to connect the electric meter on the exterior of the building to the main distribution panel or breaker box located In my local jurisdiction, my understanding is replacing the breaker box required bringing all the downstream wiring up to current code, which essentially demands rewiring everything. Then to the panel where the main breaker is located. Hello all - TLDR - I don't have $6k to pay the power company to do a service upgrade that requires burying lines, a new pedestal, etc. You would probably need to go with a bigger wire from the meter to breaker panel though. He will listen to me sometimes but many times he won’t. I ran lines across my yard two years ago for all sorts of things and my one regret is not running conduit to the garage for an EV outlet. My issue is the main breaker is outside next to the service meter and my panel inside my home is as shown. He counted that I was using about 300 amps that went to a 125 amp breaker than then went to the meter loop with a 100 amp breaker. If that is only for a panel replacement then yes, that number is way too high. Jul 19, 2024 · The cost to replace wire from a meter to a breaker box is about $225 to $500, including the cost of new wires and professional installation. This man literally dropped dead that evening of a heart attack so nothing got done. Resealed with BlackJack. Take caution, even when the power is off the top of the panel (wires coming from outside from the grid) are still live. Is the meter attached to this panel? What type of panel do you have? I have seen a Zinsco/Sylvania panel that did not have a main breaker. Generally, three types of wires are connected from the meter to the breaker box – live, neutral, and ground. But, you may also use aluminum or copper-clad if you can’t afford copper. Trace the hot wires from the old breaker to where the cable comes into the panel to find the correct neutral, disconnect it from the neutral bar, and connect to the GFCI breaker. The black wire of the black/white pair is the one you should be testing. I plan on replacing the panel myself and having an electrician come replace the meter socket and wires between it and the panel. I just updated a home thermostat and ran an extension cord over to measure voltage from wire to cord ground for each wire. The circuit is shared from the washer circuit which is a code violation. Any reputable company would replace that as part of the panel upgrade. Since that’s what the interior panel has. The ultimate plan is to get rid of that entirely. You can add a 200 amp box at the meter and split 100 amps to your old box if it’s within code, and 100 amps split to your new box. The 30 feeds direct to HVAC while the 100 feeds into a separate breaker panel for the rest of the house in a physically different location. Add your plug. Taking it out and placing a 15 amp breaker in each section should be easy. Also with 24VAC, you don't know which wire is "hot" and which is neutral when you measure them together and some older mechanical switches probably worked find either way, so don't assume. I was planing on using a 100amp breaker to feed the mobile home. Straight to meter would be as follows: remove meter, topside first, take out black wire going to breaker, place red wire to the meter connection, replace meter bottom side first with a quick snap in of the top. I didn’t feel comfortable doing this work myself so hired an electrician to look and inspect the wiring in the house. Qualified persons should be doing this, and it would cost them their time. Using #6-8 AWG copper wire is recommended for wiring the meter with the breaker box. The 2nd option was all of the first plus “install AFCI breakers” and that was $4200. Turn off main power to panel, staying clear of wires feeding the panel from the meter Remove test wire from known good breaker Reattach wire that was from known good breaker back to that breaker Remove suspect breaker, take it to electrical supply house for an exact replacement Install replacement breaker Energize the service panel Use Klien no Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now 200a wire, new meter box, new breaker panel and breakers, moving wiring. If the meter is 100 or 150 then the utility will have to upgrade the meter which will require permits. All bids list that the cable between the new meter base panel and house panel will need to be upgraded from 3 to 4 wire. With that said…. Also caulked / sealed the wiring into the fitting / conduit leading to the breaker panel so if any more water should happen to make it into the meter box it will just run out the front. If it does it’s the power wire side. In this c Idiots that keep tripping a 15A fuse sometimes replace it with a 20A (or even larger), and that's where things get hairy, if the wiring is supposed to be protected for 15A. A 30 amp breaker, as far as I know, usually takes up two spaces on the electrical panel. Worst case scenario to upgrade from 100 amp to 200 amp requires an entirely new utility service cable drop to the service entry, new service meter, new utility service entry cable, conduit and mast (where required), and finally new load panel. By way of definition, a "circuit" is a single circuit breaker, some wire, and any switches or receptacles connected to it. The existing setup is a main panel directly opposite the meter, on the inside wall of the garage. Ask for an estimate to do a load/ ampere test on the main conductors. What I intend to do is replace the old breaker box with a 150-200 amp service box. It has a surge rating of 18KA. Long story, short, I need to replace a 50 amp with a 60 amp for a new AC unit. No the breaker tripping and the bonding screw are two separate issues. If there really is no main breaker, that service must have been done with no permit or inspection. Theres no main breaker in my panel, will… If it’s smaller, it should be upsized. Even with 100 service OP could replace the panel and wires on his side of the meter with a 200A capable panel, but the main breaker cannot exceed what the meter is rated for. Take out the interior breaker box, and make all the wires that run into it go into the pantry. There is no ground wire in the receptacle, instead there are just 4 total wires. Houses built after 2000 normally have main disconnects oitside Single main combination panel containing meter, main, and branch breakers. This circuit supplies several outl I have a 30amp generator inlet panel that I’d like to wire to my service panel. Cost difference between a 20 breaker and a 30 breaker panel was $30. I am NO fan of the local inspectors, but they were a big help here. I know my GFIL was an electrician back when copper was cheap. Re-terminate all connections in all device boxes. You will first need to break the lock on the meter. If they are replacing the whole breaker panel, then that is a lot of wiring to reattach and a bunch of places where something could go wrong. What is the wire from the meter to the breaker box? Also known as the “service entrance cable” or “service entrance wire,” the wire from the meter to the breaker box is usually made of copper or aluminum. He made recommendations that the landlord was not happy about. It appears that the wire going to the 50 amp is the same gauge size as a 60 amp already installed. Is it possible to leave the current meter panel and bypass the meter section and add an isolated neutral bar and be code complaint. We were new homeowners and had no idea what happened when we hooked up the new thermostat and it didn't have power. You can disconnect the meter. There's a lot you can do to check the quality and integrity of the wiring job before you just replace the panel especially one that is practically brand new. Oct 18, 2006 · Can we run the wiring from five lights to a common metal electrical box and gang them together, then run one wire to an existing switch controlled outlet and plug it in? I hope this makes sense but I would appreciate any suggestions. When I flip it off, then on, it makes a humming sound at panel for 1-2 seconds, then trips again. I told him the ground is necessary to clear a fault from the main panel breaker feeding the sub. Install a GFCI breaker in the panel box or switch out the first receptacle on that circuit with a GFCI receptacle. Only 1 of the bids claim that I will have to upgrade all my 220v circuits (clothes dryer, stove, water heater) on my house panel. Good luck! Perhaps a friend with some experience can help, as this is not a difficult task for a DYI-er to master, but your hesitation is a good clue that you need an in-person tutorial, rather than a YouTube that may not match your panel. But assuming that’s the meter socket to the left of the panel, you’re only talking a few feet of new wire + a power company disconnect/reconnect. If you do replace the panel, go for the larger one. I'm upgrading to 320A service in this process of rewiring. The only reason I'd replace the Panel is if I needed all the breaker spots or; The plastic insulation separating the bus bars from the back of the panel were severely damaged. I plan to replace as much wiring as I can with romex, or equivalent, because the majority of the house is old wiring, most of it is cloth and rubber wrapped but there is still a little knob and tube. There can be quite a few variables that are unknown from your post. $5500 is good. Welcome to /r/Electricians Reddit's International Electrical Worker Community aka The Great Reddit… Get a panel with copper bus, being a Zinsco panel & the amount corrosion it is surprising it lasted this long. Have a new connection to the gas installed near the meter and poke a generator inlet box behind the electrical panel. Not encouraging. The last time I tried to locate parts for a 100 amp meter base I was told 4 to 6 months because of supply chain problems. Sometime over the winter the pole that has the meter box/ disconnect breaker had rotted off and fallen over. The meter reads "Form 2S 200CL 340V 3W 60Hz TA30" and something else that is illegible -- the cover is stained. He said inspectors don't look inside a breaker panel and just care about the line going to the meter (doesn't sound right to me). Is that correct? It turns out that the main breaker box is a Federal Pacific, and that they should be replaced. The current panel doesn't have a main breaker and the current service wiring is undersized. ) The May 11, 2019 · Just connect the lines to the installed 200A main breaker. Install a new 20 amp GFCI-protected feed from the panel. The only time it was turned off was when I had remodel job where I had an electrician replace the entire breaker panel which meant pulling out the meter from the base. 6k is way too much unless your old box is not to code. Hi folks, I just received a quote that seems very high and wanted to ask /e/electricians if this is as outrageous as it seems. Actually, looking closer at the picture, it seems like there are only 2 hots and a bare copper wire coming into the panel, so the main breaker should really be in that panel. One is the size/condition of the service entry. Running outside to flip breakers is inconvenient and unprofessional. That is really dangerous even for an experienced electrician. I'm pretty excited about it. existing panel age/configuration cost to disconnect/reconnect the service via the utility current meter base/panel style (siding work?) new panel size, brand number of new circuits/breakers And more! My guess would be $1,500-$2,500 Set up all the breakers and wires in that box, but run them into the pantry. New to us house. The quote was to replace our existing exterior breaker box (GE TM1615R) and run a conduit line into the basement directly below the breaker box with two 20A outlets. He would run oversized 3 conductor wire and put the top outlets on one breaker and the bottom outlets on another breaker. Meter can with main breaker, feeder cable to panel with branch breakers. I don’t see any burn marks on the lug or conductor so I don’t think a loose connection is causing arcing or excessive heat. The relevant information on the breaker panel reads "125 Amps 120/240 Volts A. Call around to multiple electricians, I had a federal Pacific stab-lok panel that I found out was a fire hazard, I got multiple quotes to replace the entire panel with a square D QO 200 amp panel, the electrician contacted the power company and city which was required in my area, they pulled the meter, electrician replaced the panel and the I'm sure there's some variable cost, but in the scheme of things it'll be small. The 1st was “replacement of main FPE panel, labeling main grounding system, replacing jumper wires from meter” and that was $2600. Depending on the integrity of your circuit breaker panel that may need to be replaced too if not and its adequate then just replacing SER cable from the load side of the meter base to breaker panel is necessary. Demo outside sub panel. The FPL equipment is new and the FPL breaker is 150 amps on the outside. Replace inside sub panel with new sub panel AND re-feed with properly sized conductors and properly sized equipment ground. Take the existing K&T/really old wiring and replace it out to a junction box away from the panel and splice in the old wiring to THAT so I can replace the K&T on my own in the future Install a sub panel in the 2nd floor (we have a 2-story bungalow) to make running circuits/drops through the attic a LOT easier and also consolidate/free up space Is your attic accessible? The thing to do is to start replacing your wiring, one circuit at a time. 230. Say you had 2 15 amp circuits on the second story with your panel in the basement, in the past an electrician may have combined both circuits into a single 14-3 wire to only have to make the long run to the 2nd floor one time. That’s about it for options. That sounds like they're replacing everything, which would make more sense. Are they putting in multiple panels and redoing wiring? I know with the old zensco stuff the wires were usually aluminum and they need to be bonded at each end with copper wire. And then to pull meter to kill power and check for oxidation on all aluminum conductors. Jun 17, 2023 · So, I think I need to switch that breaker to a 15 amp because you can't have 14 gauge wire as part of a 20 amp circuit. Repair the wire, replace breaker, meter amp draw to confirm that the the dryer is pulling the expected amount of current. All of the aluminum connections should be tighten. If you plug a lamp, fan, or similar device into another outlet, that will pull down the hot wire to almost nothing. This GFCI will protect all the other receptacles on that circuit, just like the circuit breaker. Unprotected wire attached to the house, run through the attic, and down the wall to the meter. The garage has Romex-type wiring exposed and surface mounted. Does the 30amp breaker go to one outlet or two? Move breakers from the outside sub panel to the new meter main combo. That panel is still rated only for 100. Yes this is exactly why it's no longer accepted to use 3 conductor wire to power 2 circuits with a single homerun to the breaker panel. If you look closely, that does not. I recently acquired a trailer next to my property (3 days ago). Based on their description, which again, was posted after my last response, I would assume a loose breaker lug. Get a couple detailed quotes and choose the best one. As with any job, get multiple bids. The jacket between the panel and meter box appeases unremarkable. How often do you expect to use it? The simplest way would be to use a long cord and a 20’ flexible gas hose to connect to generator in the backyard. (If the wire is too short, add some white wire with a wirenut. Then connect the negative hot wire using the same process. With the bonding screw situation you probably won’t outwardly notice problems but getting into electrical theory you want them separate because the neutral and ground go back to the same place in the service (main panel/ disconnect) and it will create a parallel path Do you have 200 amp service but only a 100 amp panel, or 100 amp service? If you need a service upgrade on top of the new panel then that price might not be so crazy. Clearly, visible damage like a melted wire changes the troubleshooting method juuuust a bit. Done. I think you mean 100 amp to 200 amp, and the box you are the to sounds like the meter panel. If it never goes over 100A, it is still unsafe, as the breaker won’t trip until 200A. Best option is to spend the money to upgrade to a modern panel and make sure those feeders are properly rated for the size of the main breaker. The average cost is $250. If you really want to DIY a meter-main replacement, you can build the new stuff Why would a main panel not come with a main disconnect? And you're correct about needing a 200 amp panel, I just returned the 100 amp for the 200 amp. Change the service entrance wiring to 0000 AL or 00 Cu, change meter pan if necessary (probably not), ask the power company for 200A and change the breaker. You have to have power disconnect from transformer or a meter pull and run new That's nuts. Just wondering about the expense of the electrician replacing ac unit breaker only. As they are probably 8 gage at best It ran me right around $2k, however, only because it was 200 amp upgrade and I relocated the breaker box and not just straight replacement. He found a host of dangerous issues. He basically said that "20amp breaker in a panel is weak and trips every time, sometimes tripping the main breaker for the whole houseit is an r22 system", and quotes me $1700 to fix the ac but only after an electrician deal with the circuit breaker. With your current 150A panel, it's possible that lighter gauge wire was installed and/or, that building codes have changed since it was installed, and you cannot meet code to increase the service above 150A without replacing the wire and upgrading your breaker panel. 2 White and 2 Black. Your cable is rotting yes but also the meter base looks dated so Im sure that’ll need upgrading. There will be almost no current on that circuit, though, but this meter doesn't put a load on the circuit, so even a small amount of induced current can cause the meter to read a non-zero value. Typically we don't do anything under 200 amp meters anymore. It is perfectly acceptable though to join two conductors together in the breaker box with a 3rd "pigtail" coming off and going to the breaker terminal. Knowing panel replacement and service wire replacement can be separate things invites new questions … If trenching is needed to upgrade service wires and the expense too high for us, is there any benefit to replacing the panel to 200A but the keep the main breaker at 125? I would like to upgrade to a 200 AMP. All 3 prong outlets without a ground on a GFCI breaker still need to have the NO EQUIPMENT GROUND sticker on them. (A policy that's wildly counterproductive as it makes breaker box replacement rather expensive. I would assume that the picture is the side with the power wire. This would be the outside service disconnect. If the wiring's Based on your description of the panel being 30-feet from the meter, this would be an installation that is typically configured with a disconnecting means on the exterior, such as a main panel outdoors, with either a feed-through configuration, or a breaker for the feeder to the interior subpanel. Example: previous homeowner installed 200amp panel to replace 100amp panel. This is definitely a job for an electrician and they’ll need to coordinate with the utility to get it done. *Not an The meter is on the wall directly opposite and the breaker -- the distance from the meter to the breaker is less than 3ft. May 20, 2020 · Therefore, we want to know/confirm whether we need a particular electrical part to safely create a new service directly off meter box, coming into rear of garage, to then create a small sub-panel to service some new/additional electrical needs directly above garage in finished studio. 50 to $15 per foot for just the wiring, not including labor PG&E: Submit a project plan including five photos of the panel; wait between two weeks and nine months for them to process it; $3500 upfront payment sometimes required for engineering; schedule a disconnect appointment at least a week in advance, and pray to God the city can get the meter release inspection done same-day, otherwise your This usually translates to a panel replacement, possible service replacement depending on the source of water intrusion, and condition of the rest, especially the meter base. 1 Phase 3 Wire". Theoretically yea but when we did this and I thought the breaker was off (new house, foolishly trusted the labeling on the box) I touched two wires and blew a fuse. The FPL meter and breaker is only about 10 ft away from the panel so the two are extremely close. The bus bar in the middle is for neutral and ground. Hello all, Apologies for any incorrect terminology. That breaker is not temporary and should work fine. It might already be rated for 200 amps. Aug 11, 2009 · You cannot splice it, you will have to replace the cable from the main meter socket to your panel if the existing cable will not reach. You can watch Youtubes and learn how to do basic electrical. Use your hot stick and see if it beeps. Connect each wire that used to run to a breaker inside the house to a new wire that runs to a breaker outside. I feel the box is not safe. He said it’s redundant because neutral and ground land on same bus in main panel. I plan on replacing everything from the weatherhead through to the panel. To do that, unscrew the nuts of the breaker hotwire terminals, insert the positive hotwire, make sure that it is attached firmly by the nut. Thanks for the reply. Is the breaker panel considered an indoor panel since it's in the garage or is the garage considered outdoor? The garage is attached to the house. ) So I told him to run a 4 wire out to a detached structure sub panel. Discard any bid that isn't putting in at least a 40-space panel. This is in Florida (NEC 2017) with Duke Energy. It’s got to be getting in here where the service enters the meter box. Replace Romex wiring subject damage with MC-type cable. In our case the customer owns everything past the connection at the box in the front yard (except the meter of course). To start with, call your power company, they should be able to tell you what your service, up to the meter, is rated for. ) Total replacement of that panel is dumb, unless you are extremely confined for possible space for a panel. But yeah, turn off the main breaker, and the panel is safe, except for the fat wires that connect to that same main The breaker protects the wire. Old square D tandem breaker id like to replace, but I don't know how to remove the wires from this breaker. If the meter socket -> panel wires are undersized, the service drop wires (from the meter socket to the mast if it’s overhead) are likely undersized too. That was scary! I think getting a small amount of water in my breaker box and I believe I have finally found the source. Dec 13, 2020 · If you can pull the permit in your area, then you could install a new meter main, run conduit or Cable to where the old box is ready for installation and setup the riser from the meter main to the roof or wherever your power is fed. I need some advice! About 3 months ago, I was replacing some lights in the house and I went to the breaker box to cut the power and noticed small amounts of water between the switches. I just noticed that in the picture and gave a heads up. The water is entering the house from inside the jacket. Buy a Time-Life (or similar) book. 70 General. Update - Got on the roof and found the caulking at the mast-to-roof penetration was deteriorated with some cracks over an 1/8". Reply reply If you ever might install solar panels, get a "solar ready" panel (busbar is rated higher than the main breaker) or a 200A busbar panel with a 150A main breaker (or just go straight 200A as r/Fine-Community-4535 suggests), due to the 120% solar rule. Options: upgrade all (meter, wire, panel) to 200A; upgrade to bigger 100A panel (more slots). If OP replaced that panel with a 200 and kept the interior panel intact the way It is he will only need an electrician to replace the outdoor panel and possibly the feeds. The incoming wire from the outside panel to the inside breaker box is 1 AWG size. A 200A breaker will burn wires rated for 100A, if more than 100A flows. If you weren’t sure how to rework that conduit you shouldn’t change the panel. (But lose 4 spaces. Do they replace the electric meter outside of the garage too? How many spaces should I get? I see 20, 30, 42 etc Full disclosure, I'm not an electrician, but I have my meter panel that feeds a panel in my shop/garage, a panel in my house, and an exterior panel that does my water pump, a/c, etc. Im not an electrician either , im a remodeling contractor , i just recently moved a panle box on a basement renovation, electrician had to insfall a new wire from the meter to the new panel box location , inspector would now allow a junction on that wire , because basement was unfinished it was not a huge deal,i dont know rhe specifics of ypur situation but i would assume the electrician would There are the blades on the panel that slide into the back of the fuse right, those were fine but on the wire side of the breaker there were two clips or hooks or whatever you want to call them that you insert into a groove on the breaker first then push it onto the blades to energize the breaker. I don't think it's code to drop in a 200 amp 40 slot panel to replace my 60 amp main + 60 amp sub while not upgrading to 200 amp service to match the panel. Really nothing SHOULD except presumably a bigger wire run from the outside box through the crawlspace to the interior panel and replacing the 150A breaker in that panel to 200A (the box is already 200A rated, just with a 150A main shut off in it). As far as the outlets he charged $60 per outlet for those replaced. That might scotch your warranty claim, but there's a chance that panel was bought as 200A and down-breakered to 150A, and the 200 is lying around somewhere or in the bottom of it. I'd much rather pay someone a little more to do this particular install correctly, since incorrect installation could result in anything from frying everything on a particular circuit to burning down your But the cable from to meter to the panel was usually sized for the panel. If those breakers are on different phases of the incoming 240VAC then shorting then together would absolutely trip a breaker. Stage 2 Upgrade service to 200A (electric co feeder, meter, wire to panel, 200A main breaker) Keeps the initial cost roughly the same, only waste is eventually replacing/upgrading the main breaker. Also told him to put 2 ground rods. No connectors are installed in the device boxes. I am using 4/0 4/0 2/0 aluminum URD (hey, that's what they stock). Worst This will likely be a few grand, depending on difficulty and length, and will involve replacing this entire panel, the run to the house and probably the breaker box in the house. Your feeder wire from your meter is not long enough to extend and you can’t splice it to make them longer. 5 days ago · Hotwires should be connected to designated terminals from the meter to the breaker. The electric meter is directly above the gas meter. Built in 1960's but generally well-cared for. You need a larger panel in stalled as a part of this project. And backfeed the panel through 100A breaker as specified in the wiring diagram. It looks like they updated the service in and out with the new black and white wires and added a box ground but left the old cotton wrapped wires attached to the bus. He came and took a look, checked the metal pole above the meter outside It's running 3k because of the replacement of the meter box, addition of an external breaker box for the new 100 amp sub-panel that will be running to the back garage and a couple of extra slots for a landscape circuit and future AC, and the relocation of the panel with the new service entrance. I currently have a 150 amp breaker panel and I know I’m good for 200 amps up to the meter. If it’s Diy, the materials are less than 500. Note that you may still get shocked but the circuit will be shut off if this happens. I paid 2k for a 250 amp square d home line to replace my zensco. It is a standard 150A panel with main breaker. My other option was install a new panel and feed it off old box temporarily and have sparky install new wires from meter to box and claim new box was there when I bought house I just want to eliminate old box and replace the meter feed lines. After that, secure all open-end wires with electrical tape and The other option is to replace the breaker in your panel with a GFCI breaker. Get a second opinion. I'm worried about how much modification and time PG&E will require if we need to go through them. The wires from the trailer to the panel are new 2 AWG. Repaste them, tighten every connected wire from meter base load side to main breaker, etc. Do not change it live. The meter main will have your new main breaker for exterior disconnect. Replace them. A GFCI tester shorts the hot wire to the ground, however you don't have a ground wire with a 2 prong ungrounded electrical system. Chances are the wire is undersized for the that main breaker. The cost of replacement wires varies from $1. All 4 wires are attached to the LINE on the old GFCI (2 white wires are together and the 2 black wires are together). My electrician opened the meter box and the cable insulation was well cooked and burned off a few inches. They inspected all my wiring and told me what wasn't done right, and wisely insisted I organize my messy breaker box. A mobile home panel has a main, 8 spaces, & subfeed lugs at the bottom, might consider replacing the wiring & upgrading to 200A, going to be easier to find then 175A. A main breaker failure or damaged main feed shouldn't require panel replacement. Now you don't need to replace this panel at all. Can I install a redundant main breaker in my panel? Is that ok? Just hire an electrician. I also overdid things like replacing bunch of old cloth wire in the house with proper 12/2 w/ ground even though I didn't necessarily need to, wiring hardwired smoke detectors around the house, installing full compliment of AFCI breakers despite not being The label on the breaker must SPECIFICALLY state that you can use 2 wires per terminal. It looks like Eaton is the recommended replacement for Cutler-Hammer breakers and Eaton offers a surge protector BRNSURGE that should plug in and work. Sub panel to be fed from meter main using 100a breaker. Breaker at the panel tripped and won't reset. There is no "before" in my picture. 417K subscribers in the electricians community. Then, all of the outlets on the circuit will be safer. Turns out they were not ground and some wires had deteriorated having to replace the box. Pge will run the 200 amp wires and connect to the service, and add the meter. I’m assuming for it to be up to code i need an interlock plate. If the installer passed the connection through each receptacle, it might be worth pigtailing them. This was a total electric house. I need to move the meter to a location 20’ away. The house was built in the 40s or 50s. Means shall be provided to If the installer did pigtails, it might be worth replacing the wire nuts with lever nuts. I recently got 4 bids on having the meter base upgraded. When I got quoted, one quote had 2 options. Remove the breaker and convert panel to main lug and connect directly (as the old one is now). The first location (probably closest to the panel box) will have a set of three wires (black/white/yellow) and a set of two wires (black/white). I’m going to agree with some of the comments on here. C. I've got an electrician buddy coming by this weekend to take a look. This is your home run location and is where the power starts with your smoke alarm circuit. Case 1, pull meter, transfer switch goes between meter and existing main panel. As long as you’re not in there willy-nilly with your screwdriver… Right, this is a combination meter-main, so the wires from the utility go directly to the meter socket, and the other side of the meter socket goes directly to the main breaker with no actual wires, using a solid metal bus, which is labeled on the panel as 200A rated. The electric meter is outside the garage and the breaker panel is inside the garage. ) Honestly, I'm strongly leaning towards #1. (however with split-bus there's no point upgrading; any upgrade would also require the meter pan to be changed to a meter-main, and once you have a meter-main, split-bus panels no longer need upgrading. The electrician did everything from changing the breaker panel to the box outside (including trenching), but the power company supplied the underground line and performed the final connection at the box outside. Either way that definitely needs to get delt with. the cost of material is a fraction of the cost when upgrading to new larger amperage panel as the service has to be upgraded, as well as all the conduits and wiring from mast to meter box to new panel and that cost is labor and electrician billable rates are $90-$200/hr per man. Feed the interior panel from the meter-main. Just something to be cautious of. You may just need a new breaker. Plus you can’t replace Replacement of the Jaws may be possible if parts are available for that small of the meter days. Remove the installed breaker. It might be a great time to but a bigger breaker box in. Second the 220 box/disconnect. Called our electrician right away. You’ll also want to make sure you have appropriately sized service and meter. Replacing with a single main breaker and moving the panel as a sub to the other side of the wall would be beneficial for longevity. The cables coming into the panel looked like they had been overheated. Our cost to do a heavy up in March - replacing a 100 amp fuse box with a 30 breaker slot, 200 amp panel - was about $2600. The $65 fee for the permits and inspection was well worth it. (Unless they decided to run 2 switch leg wires to the box) If you turn the breaker off and separate the black wires (taped red wire but). Note: Obviously if it's a water heater or other larger appliance, you will probably legitimately run into larger sizes. I find the outside panel requirement in certain parts of the country to be unnecessary burden to the home owner. I contacted the electric company (NIPSCO) about it and they removed the power line going to the main line and took the meter. Heck, you might even step up to a "trailer panel" or an "all-in-one", creating a bunch of breaker spaces outside, then feed the existing panel with a 125A breaker there. This meter looks like a 200 model so best case the service feeds are ok and it’s just changing wire and the outdoor panel. This is how a lot of older homes in Atlanta are built. 3 pole wall outlets each have 1 of the two hot wires, 1 neutral and 1 ground, but the wall outlets throughout the house are balanced between the two phases, and appliances are connected to There's room in the panel and I can move a breaker to put the surge unit directly below and adjacent to the main breaker. And always get the biggest panel you can fit in the space. ftds wfgm ozkyame imcixgm pwkav zvdnvv iuwnod xrsxt vwyyxt tlju awx wqckkrf qbem bdzd wlihfw