Love those Leviton panels, I think out of all the new smart panels their GEN2 is the best. Love that you land on the bussing not the breakers. Game changer! Thanks for the content!
Thanks, I thought so too ever since a guy I worked for showed me years ago. I usually do that in commercial/industrial work but it works good here too. Thanks for the input!
Great video. I really like your approach of putting a junction box above the panel for extending circuits, but also giving an easy way for future expansion. If you have some circuits that are long enough, would you run them through your JB, or run them along the side of the box. I assume the 12" box gives you 1.5" space in the stud-bay to run cables directly to the panel? It was great to see how you drilled the KO's in the junction box. I would have liked to see how you lined up those chases between the panel and the JB. This could even be a separate video.Did you install any of the Leviton Gen2 smart breakers? I'm intrigued by the possibility of getting firmware updates for AFCI's that nuisance trip.
Thank you! I will try and show how I line the chases up next time I do one of these setups. It is a little more labor intensive but I feel the pros far exceed the little extra time. I personally would run any cables/conductors long enough through the chases w/ the rest of the conductors so they come out in the corners of the panel and keep that clean open space. I haven't put any Smart breakers in yet as their price tag usually deters most people but the new load shedding capabilities of the Gen2 really open up some options. And it makes them the only competition currently for the SPAN panels.
@@AGEElectricIncwas this a 6” deep box that is sticking out 2” in front of the drywall? Great setup to bring surface mounted EMT from EV charger into the panel. Are the chases 2” PVC? Looking forward to more videos with details.
@@jckohler Yes this is a 6" deep box and the I put in 2-1 1/2" & 1- 2" in the middle. Which was definitely overkill. One side had an offset nipple so I could squeeze it down to the 12" width. Yeah this is a great setup for chargers, standby generators, solar/batteries or all of the above. We got some solar going in soon so we'll have some more videos on this one soon!
@@AGEElectricIncLooking at the drawings for the Leviton panel, it appears they only have 2 knock-outs of 1 1/2" or larger in the top/bottom of the panel. Did you use a hole saw and cut across all those 1/2" KO's?
@@DecarbonizeHomes No sir, I did not butcher the panel with a hole saw across the 1/2" ko's, lol. I know a lot of people do that kind of stuff, I try not to do those things. Sometimes it may take a few minutes more but I believe that shows professionalism. The 1" ko can be oversized to 1 1/2" with a ko punch and it's tight but you don't break out the surrounding ko's. I have a few pics but I can't figure out how to attach them.
Nice work. It would've been nice to see more of the installation of the new panel and box but that's ok. I'm curious to know the price tag of this installation? I'm getting set to start on my own as a contractor and I'm looking for advice and input. Thanks! Glad I found you on here.
Thank you,sir. I am still working on making videos. I will try to capture more of the installations moving forward and I will be getting some better equipment soon. I believe this install ran me around $500-600ish in material. I only installed 3-CAFCI breakers on this one, that's where a lot of cost comes from on new services vs. panel changes.
After installing a new 200A Leviton Load Center, I attempted to install the cover using the provided cover screws. However, the mounting holes in the load center where not threaded. And, the provided cover screws do not appear as self-tapping. Can you confirm is the cover screws are self-tapping? Thanks
@@dcovatech Yes, they are thread cutting screws. I usually thread them in before trying to install the cover, so they go in easier when I'm holding the cover in place. They are similar to the other major brands out there Sq. D, Eaton, etc.
Yes, I agree. I'm new to the whole making videos and am trying to figure out how to best make and edit good instructional videos. I appreciate the feedback!
Looks like you have one #6 ground running up to the junction box. My inspector was reminding me that there should be a ground in every conduit or raceway. It is OK to have one ground for multiple circuits in one conduit, but since you have 3 nipples, it seems like you have to run a ground wire through each of them. I guess the rigid offset nipple could be the ground for the right one. But if you used the center PVC one, you need to add a ground to it. Is this your understanding?
I believe grounding and bonding are very important and I don't believe in cutting corners when it comes to it. Although in this application there does not need to be a ground ran through every nipple. The #6 cu. takes care of all EGC's from branch ckts. that come into the 12x12 and as far as the raceways, 2 are PVC and the GRC is bonded through the locknuts. If these raceways were going to separate enclosures or if they were for paralleled sets then, yes there should be a ground in each one in my opinion. But even then you can use certain metal raceways as the EGC if they are rated, but I never like to rely on conduit solely for the ground because couplings may not have gotten tightened or have become loose over time, etc.
Need to ask yourself why we are a lot of times changing a panel... water, moisture, corrosion. Mice. What does that do to these smart panels that cost more and are more fragile.
@@yourelectricmansometimes you have to upgrade anyway because the current panel is undersized. Also, the Leviton panel and standard breakers are priced in line with existing dumb panels. but now you have a choice to upgrade individual breakers to smart breakers down the line (which are definitely more expensive)
How did you make up the PVC nipples? I can see a male adapter on the Leviton panel side, but can't quite figure out what is between the boxes and what is on the junction box side.
I used a male adapter, coupling and a box adapter for this set up. There's another video just titled 'Leviton panel change' and at 9:03 I have a good shot of the in between nipples. And on that one, for the offset nipple I just used a female adapter and box adapter instead of the GRC coupling and chase nipple. It works the same and you can save a couple bucks on material.
@@AGEElectricInc Thank you for being so helpful and responsive in the comments. I did get a good look at the nipples between the junction box and panel in your other video. I assume there are very short pieces of straight conduit between the male adapter and the coupling.
You're welcome, I try to help and pass on things as much as I can. That's what was done for me through the years. And yes, just short pieces of conduit to mate the fittings together. One more thing, the PVC box adapters are a little deeper than the couplings, so you need to trim it just a little so it will fit tight and not be sloppy. Only about a 3/8" or so, and that's with all sizes. Especially when working with metal boxes where the side walls are not as thick as a PVC box.
I never use an expensive unibits to drill more them two holes. Found carbide cutter hole cutters to be the fastest and produce 90% less hot chips then a unibit. NEVER purchase any carbide hole cutters from graingers. I spent over $110 for a garbage POS 7/8" & a 11/8" name brand carbide cutters from them. Both are at least 50% slower then my 10 year old Klein carbide hole cutter.
Love those Leviton panels, I think out of all the new smart panels their GEN2 is the best. Love that you land on the bussing not the breakers. Game changer! Thanks for the content!
Couldn't agree more! I believe the GEN2 are a far better option/price point than SPAN.
Okay, that Ground bar in the box is a great way to clean up the panel. Nice!
Thanks, I thought so too ever since a guy I worked for showed me years ago. I usually do that in commercial/industrial work but it works good here too. Thanks for the input!
Very good advice. I am installing this very panel and many of your comments are very helpful.
One electrician to another- Respect. Excellent work.
Thank you, stay safe!
You are an EXCELLENT teacher!!! I would give anything to be trained by you.
This was a great video and I really appreciated the idea of the large j box above the panel.
Great Job , so clean , organized, this is satisfactory 👏 😎👍🏼
Awesome installation. Love the attention to detail!!!
Super clean install. Nice job.
Great video. I really like your approach of putting a junction box above the panel for extending circuits, but also giving an easy way for future expansion. If you have some circuits that are long enough, would you run them through your JB, or run them along the side of the box. I assume the 12" box gives you 1.5" space in the stud-bay to run cables directly to the panel? It was great to see how you drilled the KO's in the junction box. I would have liked to see how you lined up those chases between the panel and the JB. This could even be a separate video.Did you install any of the Leviton Gen2 smart breakers? I'm intrigued by the possibility of getting firmware updates for AFCI's that nuisance trip.
Thank you! I will try and show how I line the chases up next time I do one of these setups. It is a little more labor intensive but I feel the pros far exceed the little extra time. I personally would run any cables/conductors long enough through the chases w/ the rest of the conductors so they come out in the corners of the panel and keep that clean open space. I haven't put any Smart breakers in yet as their price tag usually deters most people but the new load shedding capabilities of the Gen2 really open up some options. And it makes them the only competition currently for the SPAN panels.
@@AGEElectricIncwas this a 6” deep box that is sticking out 2” in front of the drywall? Great setup to bring surface mounted EMT from EV charger into the panel. Are the chases 2” PVC? Looking forward to more videos with details.
@@jckohler Yes this is a 6" deep box and the I put in 2-1 1/2" & 1- 2" in the middle. Which was definitely overkill. One side had an offset nipple so I could squeeze it down to the 12" width. Yeah this is a great setup for chargers, standby generators, solar/batteries or all of the above. We got some solar going in soon so we'll have some more videos on this one soon!
@@AGEElectricIncLooking at the drawings for the Leviton panel, it appears they only have 2 knock-outs of 1 1/2" or larger in the top/bottom of the panel. Did you use a hole saw and cut across all those 1/2" KO's?
@@DecarbonizeHomes No sir, I did not butcher the panel with a hole saw across the 1/2" ko's, lol. I know a lot of people do that kind of stuff, I try not to do those things. Sometimes it may take a few minutes more but I believe that shows professionalism. The 1" ko can be oversized to 1 1/2" with a ko punch and it's tight but you don't break out the surrounding ko's. I have a few pics but I can't figure out how to attach them.
Awesome video. Have been doing this for years and learned a ton from you. Thanks for making these videos.
Great work!
Nice work. It would've been nice to see more of the installation of the new panel and box but that's ok. I'm curious to know the price tag of this installation? I'm getting set to start on my own as a contractor and I'm looking for advice and input. Thanks! Glad I found you on here.
Thank you,sir. I am still working on making videos. I will try to capture more of the installations moving forward and I will be getting some better equipment soon. I believe this install ran me around $500-600ish in material. I only installed 3-CAFCI breakers on this one, that's where a lot of cost comes from on new services vs. panel changes.
Labor rates also vary pretty significantly depending on what part of the States you're in.
nice clean job
Nice job , how much would you charge for a Service upgrade 200 amps
After installing a new 200A Leviton Load Center, I attempted to install the cover using the provided cover screws. However, the mounting holes in the load center where not threaded. And, the provided cover screws do not appear as self-tapping. Can you confirm is the cover screws are self-tapping? Thanks
@@dcovatech Yes, they are thread cutting screws. I usually thread them in before trying to install the cover, so they go in easier when I'm holding the cover in place. They are similar to the other major brands out there Sq. D, Eaton, etc.
Excellent video, lots of detail. My quibble? You showed nothing of the actual box install, or actual running of cables and connections.
Yes, I agree. I'm new to the whole making videos and am trying to figure out how to best make and edit good instructional videos. I appreciate the feedback!
Looks like you have one #6 ground running up to the junction box. My inspector was reminding me that there should be a ground in every conduit or raceway. It is OK to have one ground for multiple circuits in one conduit, but since you have 3 nipples, it seems like you have to run a ground wire through each of them. I guess the rigid offset nipple could be the ground for the right one. But if you used the center PVC one, you need to add a ground to it. Is this your understanding?
I believe grounding and bonding are very important and I don't believe in cutting corners when it comes to it. Although in this application there does not need to be a ground ran through every nipple. The #6 cu. takes care of all EGC's from branch ckts. that come into the 12x12 and as far as the raceways, 2 are PVC and the GRC is bonded through the locknuts. If these raceways were going to separate enclosures or if they were for paralleled sets then, yes there should be a ground in each one in my opinion. But even then you can use certain metal raceways as the EGC if they are rated, but I never like to rely on conduit solely for the ground because couplings may not have gotten tightened or have become loose over time, etc.
Need to ask yourself why we are a lot of times changing a panel... water, moisture, corrosion. Mice. What does that do to these smart panels that cost more and are more fragile.
@@yourelectricmansometimes you have to upgrade anyway because the current panel is undersized. Also, the Leviton panel and standard breakers are priced in line with existing dumb panels. but now you have a choice to upgrade individual breakers to smart breakers down the line (which are definitely more expensive)
How did you make up the PVC nipples? I can see a male adapter on the Leviton panel side, but can't quite figure out what is between the boxes and what is on the junction box side.
I used a male adapter, coupling and a box adapter for this set up. There's another video just titled 'Leviton panel change' and at 9:03 I have a good shot of the in between nipples. And on that one, for the offset nipple I just used a female adapter and box adapter instead of the GRC coupling and chase nipple. It works the same and you can save a couple bucks on material.
@@AGEElectricInc Thank you for being so helpful and responsive in the comments. I did get a good look at the nipples between the junction box and panel in your other video. I assume there are very short pieces of straight conduit between the male adapter and the coupling.
You're welcome, I try to help and pass on things as much as I can. That's what was done for me through the years. And yes, just short pieces of conduit to mate the fittings together. One more thing, the PVC box adapters are a little deeper than the couplings, so you need to trim it just a little so it will fit tight and not be sloppy. Only about a 3/8" or so, and that's with all sizes. Especially when working with metal boxes where the side walls are not as thick as a PVC box.
Is that the 42 or 66 space panel?
That is the 42 space.
I never use an expensive unibits to drill more them two holes. Found carbide cutter hole cutters to be the fastest and produce 90% less hot chips then a unibit. NEVER purchase any carbide hole cutters from graingers. I spent over $110 for a garbage POS 7/8" & a 11/8" name brand carbide cutters from them. Both are at least 50% slower then my 10 year old Klein carbide hole cutter.
Great vid. Very clean work. I just can’t stand Chinese made breakers. I can’t trust them. Sorry Leviton.