Electrical Main Panel

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When doing any work involving cutting the main power at the meter, I have always cut the clip carefully so it can be put back without notice. Then pulled meter and jumped the internal connections of the with shortened jumper cables. Done my work tested all circuits reinstalled meter. No permits, No utility company red tape. This is with an old school
meter the newer "smart" type meter multiples data over the neutral and the meter being pulled would be detected by the power company. When doing anything like this on the meter stand on a plastic milk crate or insulated barrier when making connections in case you slip and become a
Darwin theory of evolution statistic.
Holy crap......Are you trying to kill the OP?:wtf:
 
@CudaFish1968 are you referring to the panel, or the Stablok breakers?
OMG if you have federal pacific panel it may be in your best interest to replace it.
Do a search on federal pacific breakers not tripping. Zinsco are just as bad.I know it's probably been there 40 or 50 years and worked perfect.
But when the current rises over the breakers trip range and it does not trip... melting insulation, over heating of the conductor going thru bored holes in wood, will not end up good.
I change them out frequently with Siemens or Cutler hammer panel boxes.

The post above by @CudaFish1968 is referring to your panel.......And mine. Better get the chequebook out again.
 
I have been a IBEW electrician for 30 years. Federal Pacific is a fire waiting to happen! Push-o-matic's are about as bad. In Ohio, I cut the service and temp back until inspected. They contact the utility (Duke Energy) and they come and reattach with compression lugs. I always get the work inspected as it protects you.
 
I am a licensed electrical contractor in Tennessee. I do not know where "emerald city" is located.
If you break the power company seal here without their permission they will take you to court and prosecute you for theft of electricity. You cannot win.
....same here, in addition to getting into the **** big time for not being a Registered Electrician while carrying out prescribed electrical works. Homeowner or not.....if you're not qualified......don't play with it.

Rules may vary in different countries. :rolleyes:
 
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Hey Fellas,
Thank you for all the advice. A LOT of help here! I am going with the suggestions of using the space freed up by the breakers in the main panel moving to the sub to put in my 100 AMP breaker to feed sub. I think that its the safest way at this point although I am very interested in your MO there Heel bear toe @Treblig. This is the way I am going at this point to get things up and running. The feed line has to be run either way. I can always pull a permit later to change panel and make the feed line to sub "go away" if I dont want to draw attention to the remodel. I think the intention of the permitting process has its merits and intention is to keep things safe, although I have a few opinions (based in possibly not enough information) about other things like who wrote the code on AFCI? Where they greased by the breaker industry? And....What happens if the permitted/inspected FLOW GUARD CPVC pipes fail? I mean, they passed inspection so........well it wont be the city. So yes leave line voltage to the pros....for now. Or be ready and waiting with all the stuff ready to go and then when the power goes out I can pull the meter, swap the panel, and leave the seal on, but clipped. They dont come around much and when they do......must have been those darn kids next door.:rofl:

But sincerely,
Thank you, I knew I had asked the right people.
 
200 amp going in 100A is a Lil shady....imagine, for some reason, everything is running at the same time
Agree, This is a concern. Maybe a guru could weigh in on this. If you have a 200 AMP panel and you feed a 100 AMP sub, is your total load not to exeed 200? or....300? And there is a 60 AMP breaker that feeds the bottom half of the panel.....Why?

EDIT One of the pics is of the empty sub panel
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I'm not "up" on latest codes (I was never licensed but I repaired a LOT of AC and heating units, and have worked on 208/240 and 460 3 phase equipment)

What I'm finding on the internet seems to "agree" that a 100A panel off a 200A panel is no problem as long as it's fed from a 100A breaker

If that panel is in OK shape and if you can still get breakers to fit, it might be easier to add a second sub "if needed" right there beside the main, to allow more room for circuits
 
Regardless of the number and size of breakers in the main and sub panel, the main 200amp is the limit on the total electricity drawn. More than 200amps would trip the main. More than 100amps on sub panel,will trip it.
I have installed one 200amp main, and currently feed three 100amp subs, as I have a large square footage. I also prefer wiring minimal fixtures to each smaller breaker to keep current down on each. All work inspected and passed here.
 
....same here, in addition to getting into the **** big time for not being a Registered Electrician while carrying out prescribed electrical works. Homeowner or not.....if you're not qualified......don't play with it.

Rules may vary in different countries. :rolleyes:
Hey Fellas,
Thank you for all the advice. A LOT of help here! I am going with the suggestions of using the space freed up by the breakers in the main panel moving to the sub to put in my 100 AMP breaker to feed sub. I think that its the safest way at this point although I am very interested in your MO there Heel bear toe @Treblig. This is the way I am going at this point to get things up and running. The feed line has to be run either way. I can always pull a permit later to change panel and make the feed line to sub "go away" if I dont want to draw attention to the remodel. I think the intention of the permitting process has its merits and intention is to keep things safe, although I have a few opinions (based in possibly not enough information) about other things like who wrote the code on AFCI? Where they greased by the breaker industry? And....What happens if the permitted/inspected FLOW GUARD CPVC pipes fail? I mean, they passed inspection so........well it wont be the city. So yes leave line voltage to the pros....for now. Or be ready and waiting with all the stuff ready to go and then when the power goes out I can pull the meter, swap the panel, and leave the seal on, but clipped. They dont come around much and when they do......must have been those darn kids next door.:rofl:

But sincerely,
Thank you, I knew I had asked the right people.
The security clips that they usually use are basically a wire looped through the panel latch. The wire inserts into the plastic piece and is pretty much tamper proof. However, you can cut the wire as close as possible to the plastic piece (where it inserts into the plastic). After you're done with the panel/meter you simply reinstall the plastic clip and carefully shove the remaining wire up into the plastic piece right next to the original wire. It will basically get stuck up in there. If/when the electric company guy ever comes to replace the meter (happens every 10/15 years) he'll simply grasp the clip and cut the wire not realizing that it's already cut. Since the original wire is jammed up in there no one is the wiser, they always throw away the clip not giving it a second thought. I've done this more than once and the electric company contractor never thinks twice when he grabs the plastic clip and cuts the wire.

PS - I've only ever done this to temporarily work on my main panel.
 
Helloooooo FABO!
(Asking for a friend, but Ill tell the story in the 1st person format:rolleyes:)

I am remodeling my basement into a mother in law situation. New framing and re plumbed the house with expansion type A PEX. I am on to the electric and am running a sub panel. In that transition I am swapping out the main panel to a more updated version. The panel coming out is 200 AMP. The panel going in is 200 AMP. The new panel gives me room to put in the new 100 AMP breaker for the sub panel. In this process I am planning on pulling the meter to cut power. I am driving in two 10' grounding rods as the plumbing is now pex and the old system utilized the galvanized pipes for the ground. I am isolating the grounds on the sub panel and will probably not drive in another ground rod for it, but utilize the main water pipe (updated to 1" copper). After switch is complete I will try to not have a power draw by having all breakers off. I will re insert meter and turn on breakers one by one. Yes I have wired stuff before that had to be inspected (new construction), but I havent done this scenario before.

What am I missing besides the clip the city puts on the meter? and am I looking for trouble when they find it missing? Maybe I can get one on Ebay? The meter is the fancy digital ones. would the city get a signal that Im messing around?

Be gentle now. Just a guy over here standing in water holding a lightning rod in a thunderstorm.

Thanks FABO!!!
Be sure to check resistance of the groundings rods. I believe it should be 25ohms or less. Your 10’ may or may not get you there you may have to go deeper. In Florida sometimes you have to go as far as 60’ to get that low of resistance.
 
About 10 years ago, my POCO installed a box with a smart meter out on the pole about 75' from the house (buried service entrance). The upper panel (meter) has one of those plastic seals, and the lower (200 amp main disconnect) is accessible by me. Makes everyone happy that way ;)

The rural area I live in requires permits and inspections, but only in the city limits. Out in the county you can do anything you want from "your" side of the pole panel on down. It's a real double-edged sword, because very few people know as much about electricity, not to mention NEC, as they think they do... :realcrazy:

Anyhow I always spend the extra $ for Square D QO panels and breakers. That story about "homeowner"-grade breakers not tripping or making poor contact just further convinces me that it's worth it.
 
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