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Thread: I have a spare 220v breaker.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Fairbanks AK
    Posts
    1,566

    I have a spare 220v breaker.

    Yippee!! But we are planning to sell the house. The wife and I, plus our cat, are sharing the five bedroom house we raised kids in, planning to downsize in the next little bit. My main breaker is 100 amps.

    I have finally sussed out the "water heater" breaker (220vac, 10amp) in my breaker box. Pic is the entire circuit. It is a piece of 10/2 Romex probably less than 12 inches long from buss bar to twist cap, and the jiffy box mount to the drywall does not meet NEC from before the great Chicago fire. It is coming out.

    I am planning to put in a 30amp 220 circuit in the same spot that does meet NEC. It could be used for a second electric dryer, or any 3 horse and some 5 horse dust collectors, or provide some modest EV charging.

    From a brief internet search it looks like 50a/220 is the better setup for EV charging. I don't know if I can even get a 50 amp breaker for my older breaker box anymore. It is a Square D product and my cookstove is on a 50 amp breaker, so maybe.

    Either way I am only going to need 12 inches of cable, but the location is not ideal for charging a vehicle out in the garage proper, and the cord to the vehicle would interfere with access to the laundry machines.

    **Should I try to put in a 50 amp circuit, or just go with a spare 30a?**

    Upgrading the house service from 100 amps to something higher is not economical. I am a little bit concerned about the next owners being in here with three or four kids (and all that laundry and cooking) overloading the main breaker.

    Thanks

    20220514_194714[1].jpg

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    NE OH
    Posts
    2,615
    Rather than guess what a future owner might want to do...I'd just remove the box and romex and leave the existing breaker connected to nothing. Patch the wall and call it good.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    You can get a plain cover for that box, and just leave it to be for something in the future.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,876
    Square D QO breakers came out in 1955, still being made. Match up a picture of one. Homeline breakers are not the same but the main lug breaker will interchange.
    Bill D

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,876
    Are you saying the power to that box comes off the buss bar not a breaker? I would leave it covered and disconnected. No need to buy an expensive AFCI/GFCI breaker that will not increase home value.
    Bill D

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    If you're planning on selling and moving, use the breaker you have, especially if you have an older, less-supported panel.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    If I'm understanding correctly, the cable in box in the pic is protected only by the 100 amp main breaker-?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Are you saying the power to that box comes off the buss bar not a breaker? I would leave it covered and disconnected.
    Since you're selling, I would go one step further and remove the existing cable from the buss bar, remove the junction box, patch the holes and call it a day. Any power supply issues should come up during what should be a routine inspection before you sell. If no issues arise, let the new owners figure out their needs...
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Fairbanks AK
    Posts
    1,566
    I haven't opened the breaker panel because I am on call this weekend.

    My plan (when I turn the pager off) is to
    1) Turn off the main breaker - it is outdoors with the electric meter.
    2) Put a locked padlock on the main breaker cover.
    3) Take the cover off the breaker box within the garage.
    4) Remove existing circuit.

    I expect to find the capped wires in the jiffy box are protected by both the main breaker and the "water heater" breaker on the panel. The jiffy box, the connector box, does not meet any rational electric code and is coming out. I have pretty well decided to put in a 30 amp circuit - if I can find a breaker - with a 'spare' dryer outlet that could be used for a 3-5 hp dust collector before we sell, and used by future owners to either run two clothes dryers or used to charge an EV.

    I was looking at EV chargers last night online. My plan is to mount a piece of 3/4 ply maybe 16 ish inches tall by 34 inches wide across three wall studs, keep the 30a/220 circuit in the wall except for the receptacle, but give a future homeowner an easy way to plug in an EV charger and mount the brain box to the wall on the plywood adjacent to the receptacle. If they want 50 amps they will need new wire, a new receptacle and a new breaker - but they should be able to take what I build apart, remove and replace those three components, and reassemble.

    I don't think I am comfortable putting in a 50amp circuit given the existing loads on the 100amp main breaker.

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