Electrical Main Panel ??

[Joe D'Attilio]

ANyone have a rough estiamte as to what an electrician would charge to bring the electric just to the main panel

Looking to upgrade from 100 amp to 200 amp load center - adn possibly rewire the house...Obv with professional help and overview but would liek a rough idea as my father would be able to assist me running everything inside.

[Bob Glenn]

I had an electrician put in a new stand pipe outside, bring the wires down to a new 200 amp main box and unhook the old 100 amp service inside and wire the old circuits into the new box. He charged me 800 dollars.

[Rob Russell]

Are you looking to upgrade your service from 100 amps to 200 amps or just put in a larger panelboard?

If you want to upgrade the service, you need to call your local power company (LOPOCO) and see if the service conductors from the LOPOCO can handle the increased amperage. It is possible that the underground or overhead conductors would need to be upgraded.

[Joe D'Attilio]

Looking to upgrade. I need a larger panel and might as well upgrade. The board is all filled up - no empty breakers. However after tonight that may change. I found a few breakers in the basement that are only powering 1 light or 1 receptacle. But i def would like a larger panel

[Joe Chritz]

87 dollars. Which is the amount when there isn't any real way to tell.

What it would cost here will be considerably different in different areas. You could have as much as a hundred or more difference just in permits.

Get with the local power company and make sure their feed can handle it and make a few calls. Most contractors still give free estimates or at least they should if they don't have much time invested in doing so.

$500 to $1000 should be a ballpark if nothing unusual has to be done.

Joe

[Rob Russell]

A panelboard can have a max of 42 breakers in it (not counting the main breaker). A 2-pole breaker counts as 2 breakers. See 408.35.

If you're already at the max of 42, you could always add a subpanel to give yourself more breaker slots.

Rob
Addy protocol: unlicensed, homeowner electrician

[Joe D'Attilio]

Its just a small panel board I'm lucky if I have 15-20 breakers whether 2 pole or not, and like every else in the male mindset I want a BIGGER one

[Greg Cole]

Joe,
If the main breaker in your home is upgraded, the electrician in required to update everything in the house to current code. Why rewire the whole house? As in pull all new cable, plugs, switches etc??? If your house isn't new or a few years old, that can be a pricey proposition to bring it up to current code.
I was looking to go from 100A to 200A last year, but having to change the incoming line height to current code and a few other items brought the bid in @ $6K. :eek:
Bosses son in law is an electrician, I recruited him for some beer and with me helping in one day we had a sub-panel out in the garage. I hung & bent the conduit and ran all the circuits from the sub panel to my tools etc the next day. Total of about $200 & it's all done right.

Not an electrician & not versed in IEC speak... so take it for what it's worth.;)

Greg

[Scott Long]

Joe,

Just a suggestion, I would buy another panel and mount it right next to your existing panel just install a double pole breaker into the existing box and connect it to your new box. Run all of your new wires into the new box.

Basically you are installing a sub panel.

[Scott Long]

you can also but some duplex breakers breakers (2 breakers in 1 slot. That would free up some room.

I currently have a 200 amp 42 slot banel and I ran out of room. I am remodeling the house, eliminating the old knob and tube wiring. So I am installing the duplex breakers 15/20 15 amps for the lights and 20 for the recepticals.

[Rob Russell]

If the main breaker in your home is upgraded, the electrician in required to update everything in the house to current code.

Greg,

That's not necessarily true. I'd check with the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (the inspectors) to see if they require that in your area.

We upgraded our 100 amp service to 200 amp service with a larger panelboard and didn't have to touch any of the other wiring in the house.

Rob

[Rob Russell]

I currently have a 200 amp 42 slot banel and I ran out of room. I am remodeling the house, eliminating the old knob and tube wiring. So I am installing the duplex breakers 15/20 15 amps for the lights and 20 for the recepticals.

If your 42 slot panelboard is full, you shouldn't be putting 1/2-size breakers into it. It's at the max of what you're supposed to put in the panelboard.

You should add a subpanel and run new circuits from there.

Rob

[Greg Cole]

Greg,

That's not necessarily true. I'd check with the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (the inspectors) to see if they require that in your area.

We upgraded our 100 amp service to 200 amp service with a larger panelboard and didn't have to touch any of the other wiring in the house.

Rob

Rob, where were ya when I just about threw the electrician out of the house with his bid last year? LOL
That's a great point in all seriousness. It pays to ask the right people the right questions, or maybe it saves $? :rolleyes:

Greg

[Joe D'Attilio]

I think I solved the problem-o

After further invetigation I can free up 3 breakers

1 breaker = 1 light in garage
1 breaker = 1 receptacle in garage
1 breaker = 1 light in are between garage and basement/future shop on switch
1 breaker = 1 light in 4 X 4 cedar closet

I'm going to consolidate them into 1

I'm debating on tearing the old masonite panenling and drop ceiling down.

Is this is my best interest that I replace this with drywall or leave it open?

Drop ceiling is god awful looking anyway and filthy

[Chris Padilla]

Sounds good on the consolidation...nice find! Just don't use the breaker box as your junction box to tie those circuits together!

As far as replacing open bays with drywall, is there any fire code that insists you do it? In other words, is there living space on the other side? It might be nice to put a new surface on that you can paint a nice bright white for light reflection.

[Greg Cole]

If there's living space overhead, I'd take the extra time to add some insluation for noise abatement IF you opt to yank down the existing, also put in as many lights as ya can fit if you're going down that route.
Then follow Chris' advice to install something ya can paint nice n white.
Sounds like a simple solution to the juice problem too....

Cheers.
Greg

[Jim Becker]

My upgrade from 200amp main to 400 with a 200 amp setup in the shop a few years ago was right around 5 grand which included trenching and conduit.

[Joe D'Attilio]

Chris - I'm not going to use the breakers but simply re route the wiring for the lights and receptacle to the switch that controls the walkway light. That way I'll free the 3 breakers and thee will be no /minimal power to those items when not in use.

NO living space just basement. I have a neighbor but it is concrete or brick between the walls.

Jim - Good to know but a little out of my budget right now, ok alot out of my budget LOL.

[Joe D'Attilio]

I've appraoching the neander route so I don't beleive noise is a big problem. But thanks


If there's living space overhead, I'd take the extra time to add some insluation for noise abatement IF you opt to yank down the existing, also put in as many lights as ya can fit if you're going down that route.
Then follow Chris' advice to install something ya can paint nice n white.
Sounds like a simple solution to the juice problem too....

Cheers.
Greg

[Jerome Hanby]

Not sure if this helps, but I was quoted $500 to run a 100 amp sub panel from my main panel to the opposite side of the garage.

[Rob Russell]

Sounds good on the consolidation...nice find! Just don't use the breaker box as your junction box to tie those circuits together!


FYI,

It's NEC-compliant to use a panelboard as a junction box. There are rules that apply, but let's not get into that now.

Were I doing this, I'd still put in a separate junction box with a nipple to the main panelboard. That way it's a lot clearer in terms of how the circuit is wired and keeps the mess of the wire nuts out of the panelboard.

Tips:

Use one of the "offset nipples". They look like a really flat "S". The nice thing about them is they compensate for the potential different heights between the factory-punched cutouts in the panelboard and the box you use for a junction box.
Use a nice big 4 11/16" square box for the junction. You'll have 5 sets of wires running into it.
Make sure you use wire nuts that are rated for (5) conductors at whatever gauge you're using. Without running down to the basement to check, I don't think that a standard yellow wire nut is rated for (5) #12 or #14 conductors - you need larger.Rob
Addy protocol: unlicensed, homeowner electrician

[Rob Russell]

Update:

I looked at the spec on the big bags that I bought my wire nuts in.

If you're joining (5) #12 copper conductors, you need the "Big Blue" wire nuts.

I couldn't read the print on the bag, but I believe that (5) #14 copper conductors in a Red wire nut is OK.

Rob

Addy protocol: unlicensed, homeowner electrician