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eeeeuuuuuuu.....thank youAmerican wire gauge - Wikipedia
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Home electrical problem
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No problem.
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ok I went toLowes and bot the lowest breaker box they had, its a 100 amp Now I pulled the main fuses in the rear panel and they are 2 60 amp cylinder fuses, the main power in box out side actually says 60 amp 3 pole
Now, if I change the front one to a 100 amp will that overload anything?
if it would how do I bypass the 100 amp breaker and use a 60 amp?
Now, if I change the front one to a 100 amp will that overload anything?
if it would how do I bypass the 100 amp breaker and use a 60 amp?
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THat is going to require a licensed contractor and the power company, I wish I could but I cant afford a mortgage so I might as well take back the breaker box and just concede to the fact that I'm gonna blow a hell of a lot of 20 amp fuses
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No idea what gage it is, but it looks about the same size as when I lived in Va Beach with a 200 amp service
on the front porch theres the main from the main from the pole, and the stove ( 220) and three screw in fuses , the hot water heater is on a separate fuse box ( yea) on the back porch theres the main from the front, the dryer and 6 screw in fuses
the box on the front porch says 60 amp in it and the long fuses in the back porch main are both 60 amp fuses
Both front and rear have two 60 amp fuses in the holders that you plug in
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Yes its 60 amp, the front porch box has the amperage in it, I DID get a 100 amp box from Lowes because that's the lowest amp box they had, am I stuck with a box? Can I upgrade the incoming from the pole, I know the power co doesn't change the wires, but that thing where they come int the power meter needs to be changed but most of the wiring is 10/2 already theres one light switch I need to changed, the not water, stove and the main from front to back are all the old cloth covered wire, so I know I have to change that of can I find a 60 amp main breaker that will fit in that box, I need the 12 spaces on the panel in that box
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The wires from the electric company to your masthead and on into their meter need to be large enough to handle 100 AMP service.
Then from their meter to your panel also have to be large enough to handle 100 AMPs.
From what I've gathered so far, I seriously doubt the current wire sizes are large enough.
Then from their meter to your panel also have to be large enough to handle 100 AMPs.
From what I've gathered so far, I seriously doubt the current wire sizes are large enough.
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As long as you can find a 60 amp breaker for the main you can use the 100 box.
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Hwy Wolfen, this thread might prove helpful: 60 amp main breaker panel
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Everything depends on the size of the incoming wire. You cannot exceed it's rating.
The fact that breaker panels are rated 200 or100 amp only means there are more spaces and heavier main lugs. It does not mean you will be using 100 or 200 amps, just that they are built for it.
What comes to the house from the pole, aluminum or copper? Where is the transformer?
The fact that breaker panels are rated 200 or100 amp only means there are more spaces and heavier main lugs. It does not mean you will be using 100 or 200 amps, just that they are built for it.
What comes to the house from the pole, aluminum or copper? Where is the transformer?
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Wait until finances are good. Then call in an electrician and get an estimate for 200 amp service as that's what if not currently needed, will be. If you really intend to do something yourself now, remember you'll need battery operated tools as the power will be shut down.
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About 15 years ago I went to a 100A box from a 60 A 4 fuse set up. The electric Co was responsible for up to the meter so I put the meter on the side of the house and the box on the other side of the wall.
But if a 60A is big enough now without blowing fuses then the 100A will be cherry. Just be sure the wire going to the new box is rated at what ever the box is rated at. Then use a main breaker sized for your load.
You can have a 100 breakers as long as you aren't using them all at once.
But if a 60A is big enough now without blowing fuses then the 100A will be cherry. Just be sure the wire going to the new box is rated at what ever the box is rated at. Then use a main breaker sized for your load.
You can have a 100 breakers as long as you aren't using them all at once.
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That's a pretty low quote considering what MAY have to be done in some cases. Our home has aluminum wire carrying 220 to the house and aluminum wire in all the 220v circuits in the house (stove, unused in our case, we have gas), clothes dryer are most common. All of our 120v wiring is copper. I would not be concerned about installing 1 breaker per "room" but having 3 AC units on a single 20 Amp breaker is crazy. Each AC unit should have a 15 or 20 amp circuit breaker (if these are "room" AC units, then installing a 20 Amp breaker per room would make sense). If any of your existing wiring is aluminum, you need specific devices that will allow aluminum connections and copper connections within the same panel (I do not know if that means different than an "all copper" box or not). Also, if the wiring from the pole or underground to your home is aluminum, it may be sized to not be able to safely deliver more than 100 amps. If that is the case, you may need to replace that main feed line to your house with copper or with larger aluminum. Aluminum produces more heat than copper at "friction" connections like those in breaker boxes and electrical outlets. That heat, over time, causes more expansion and contraction than copper. That constant expansion and contraction of the aluminum at the friction connection causes aluminum connections to get looser over the years. As it loosens, connections get even hotter. At some point, the connection can become burned and very high resistance to the point that a fire starts in a wall or in the breaker box. So you NEVER want to use connections specified for copper-only if you have to connect aluminum wire. If that main wire bringing electricity to your house has to be changed and it is buried, it will have to be dug up. Ours was under our cement driveway and was luckily large enough to support about 180 Amps and with 100% new high-efficiency appliances, 180 Amps was plenty even with a pool pump, electric car, and central air conditioning and gas stove. So we used a new 200 amp breaker box and a new outdoor breaker where the feed enters the house.
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