Very informative and well explained. I attended a trade school to learn electrical but had never found any electrician apprentice job opportunities. Now I just watch videos like yours.
Everyone has their own way of doing panel changes. I’ve been in the trade 25 years and I’ve found over the years when Romex wires are short I’ll take them back back to a 4-11/16 metal j box. Them I will take a piece of 3/4” greenfield to the panel and push multiple sets of stranded wire to the panel to extend circuits. That way you don’t have all the wire nuts in the panel and it dosent get packed on top of the panel with Romex wires.
@@BenjaminSahlstrom thanks. It ends up really looking clean. I’ve done a ton over the years this way. Plus the top of your panel is not packed with a ton Romex or different wire assemblies. .
I live in Minneapolis had my main panel replaced about 2 years ago. I called around, and had 2 bids. One guy quoted me something like $2500. Another quotes me $1000 + materials. Of course I paid the $1000, with the agreement that I'd buy the panel, the breakers, and the grounding rods which are required to bring things up to code and have everyhingl ready for them. So I'd say prices vary because electricians are just charging vastly different prices for the same work. They did a great job, everything passed inspection, they ran new grounds to my water main and drove in the newly required ground rods. It looks like you were putting in a sub-panel in the same structure, so this isn't required. But you might have mentioned if you're replacing a main panel like I had done, you have to bring the panel up to code. For me, that meant putting in a ground wire that hooks directly to the incoming water pipe. Mine was connected a few feet away, which is no longer legal. You also have to put two ground rods connected to the main panel.
Yes, they enforce shared neutrals be on handle-tied breakers where I am. Exception for sewer lift pumps with alarms. We use 2 hots and 1 neutral so if the pump trips you don’t lose the alarms power. Story time: Doing a partial remodel on an office building while they were still in operation, I fried 5 computers in 10 seconds. 3 phase sharing neutrals; I, unbeknownst to me, took apart a neutral joint that was going to an in-use office. A lady stepped into the construction space and said “are you working on my office electricity?” I said no and went on working. Shortly, a maintenance guy walked in, look at my work and said “yea, he did” over his walkie-talkie…my stomach turned over. He said”we aren’t going to charge you because we didn’t disclose it, but everything in this building uses shared neutrals. You just burned up 5 computers. Don’t disconnect neutral joints during business hours anymore. Now you have been warned.” I felt about an inch tall
@@FishFind3000 yea….we try to avoid “open store remodels” as long as “good work” allows. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do though, but yea! That was a lesson from the “slow down and think about the task at hand” category.
Amazing video! It was super informative and the layout/content of the video was well thought out. This video also makes me feel a lot better about the cost of my panel replacement around a year ago - the house I bought had a 100A service into an old, 10-circuit glass fuse panel that was rusted with water damage. We paid $3100 to upgrade the service to 150A (so new drop, new feed cables, new meter) and upgraded to a 30 space, 60 circuit panel, but no plug on neutral unfortunately :(. The 4 guys that came out had the new panel in within 4.5 hours, which was a relief since we had a lot of stuff in the fridge with no easy way to plug it into a generator. 10/10 will hire them again! Back in high school I got really into electrical work (my high school offered electrical wiring classes through our FFA and Ag program) and I spent some of my freshman/sophomore years in college taking some more electrical classes in case I didn't like engineering and wanted to become an electrician instead. Fast-forward 8 years and I really miss doing all of that electrical work (I still find time here and there to upgrade outlets or install a new bedroom light for a friend), and I have been trying to see how hard it would be to become an apprentice electrician even while working my full-time engineering job. Do you have any good estimates for how much time is required and what classes I would have to take to be a qualified apprentice electrician? I don't want to do this for extra money or anything, but mainly to feel more confident about some of the more complicated jobs I want to tackle in my own home, as well as do qualified work when an opportunity presents itself. Thanks again for all of the amazing videos!
Hey. Journeyman here. It'll take you anywhere from 3 to 5 yrs, depending which of the electrical paths you take. Idk if you'd have time to have a full time job and be an apprentice at the same time. The reason is that you'd have to keep 40 hrs a week doing electrical to gain the hrs needed to finish your apprenticeship. Also, you'd have class once a week and some years, twice a week. I'd suggest calling your nearest local and asking them if they'd take you and how it would work out. Good luck, brother. Be safe
I replaced mine couple of months ago, because old one started to spark where couple of breakers connect to lugs. Replaced with a new Square D QO. And guess what. It was recalled about a month ago due to fire hazard.... Thank you for your videos! They were very useful!
@@BenjaminSahlstrom their site says " Free inspection and repair for recalled product shall be provided". Contacted them, no reply yet. 1.4 million panels affected.
I ran in to a main panel recently installed by am "electrician" It was a Federal Pacific, and the guy had put in multiple double breakers and 12/3 & 14/3 wire. The trouble was in a Federal Pacific panel adjacent stabs could be on the same phase, I looked and every one of the doubles were on the same phase. I told the owner to call back the installer and have him fix it!
I wired a couple multiwire branch circuits in my shop in my backyard. I pulled permits and had inspections, and they didn't say anything about my breakers and didn't require me to tie them together. Now that I understand this a little more, I'm going to tie them together and if I had to do all over again, I would just spend the money and run the extra wire and not share the neutral. I thought I was going to make things simpler wiring that way, but I don't know now.
Another good reason to keep the neutrals and grounds on separate bus bars is the possibility of adding a standby generator. When you install the transfer switch your main-panel now becomes a sub-panel. Then all you have to do is remove the ground to neutral link.If you put the neutral and grounds on the same bus bar you have to rewire the panel.
Different colors were required on the hots in my jurisdiction so that the legs could be identified both at the panel as well as at the meter. I believe it’s to ensure load balance throughout all panels.
House I bought to setup as a rental had 240 circuits built using double-stabbed (one even triple stabbed) into breakers on opposite rows of the panel. The panel was circa 1980's, oldest part of the building was 1890's. Double stabbed breakers, unassociated 240 lines to garage, and best of all tube and button wiring in the original attic still in use.
Ben, in this video you answered a question I had and learned something new about "multi-wire branch circuits" and are they kosher. In the house we just bought last year, I found two separate 120v 15amp circuits wired up with a 14 gauge 3 conductor (with ground) cable that are sharing a common in the added subpanel. I believe the two circuits feed lights. Appears the inspector did not catch this or overlooked it. I believe this does not meet code, because the side by side breaker's handles are not coupled together. Now I know what to do about the situation, ether couple the two single breaker handles or install a double pole 15 amp. Your videos are very good and informative, keep up the excellent work.
that was allowed by code back then and up until somewhere in the early to mid 2000's (I forget exactly when code changed) I'm trying to say 2008 or 2010 offhand. refer to the NEC and your local state, county, city, township codes. they may be using old codes or have requirements beyond the NEC's level. any wiring/panels done prior to the code change would be grandfathered in, but may still be triggered for change upon sale or transfer of ownership and inspections.
Comment about multi-wire branch circuit. When I remodeled my kitchen/great room in 2019, I wanted a receptacle in the island that was capable of handling a number of appliances such as warming trays and waffle makers. So the electrician installed a NEMA 5-20 receptacle and wired 12/3 as a multi-wire circuit, with each leg to half of the duplex outlet. And since there is plumbing in the island, he installed a 20A/240V GFCI in the panel to make sure that the only thing we cook is food.
I hired an electrician to replace mine. My house was built in 1992 and had Federal Pacific breakers, thankfully none had failed in all the years they were installed. I went with GE . Only problem we had was the electrician pulled the permit and scheduled the power company to come pull the meter during the work but they never showed up. He ended up pulling the meter so he could work, the power company guys didn't show up until 4 in the afternoon when he was done so they just reinstalled the meter to connect the power.
This is the best description I've seen of pre-EGC to the first point of disconnect. Often bonding screws can't support neutral loads so putting neutrals on a ground bar isn't a good idea. Looks like the service lines come through that metal raceway. I wonder if that would suffice as a return path to the meter if it is continuous? I see old buildings with two prong outlets fed by BX/MC and metal boxes that are grounded.
Since the original panel was mounted fairly low I would have considered mounting the new panel upside down and put the breakers at opposite end from the main disconnect (top of the panel now) so the feeder could still come in at the same location but you would not have to extend very many if any of the wires if any to get them to the circuit breakers. As long as the highest breaker is no higher than 6'6" it would still me to code. Just a thought. Also I thought you did a great job on this video and did a great job explaining everything. Thanks
240.24 Overcurrent protection devices must be no higher than 6’7” above finished floor. That’s any breaker. If the main is on the bottom of the panel the top most breaker cannot be higher than 6’7”
Thanks for the advice on the panel, it's really useful all those requirements from the NEC, but I'm still dealing with short wires to reconnect evry single line from each room in the houses I've been working on; by the way, could be good if i make them a little longer those wires coming from any room or the kitchen in the main panel ?
Normal 15 -20 Amp breaker $5 a pce afci or gfci $35+ duel afci/gfci $55+. Piggy back breaker $10.50 but saves a space if your panel can have them. Northeast USA big box store prices from a year ago
Handle ties required or duel breaker for multi branch circuits in my area. And wire will not be acceptable unless you can keep it from sliding out/off breaker. Handle ties easier to just buy anyways.
An interesting video, thanks. One thing that stands out as a difference between your panel replacement and the equivalent here in England is testing. Here, testing (and recording) of all circuits for continuity (with a low ohm meter) as well as insulation resistance, and the performance of RCBOs (equivalent to your GFI breakers) is mandatory, to ensure the safety of the install. I’m surprised that’s not the case in the US.
I think its because in Europe they use Ring/Radial Circuits, which we dont, wires go straight from the panel to the outlets and never back again. so for a continuity test you would technically have to short live an neutral at the outlet or at the breaker and then you can test with a multimeter at the other end, otherwise to test continuity/resistance you would need a test lead that goes from the breaker to the last outlet in length. so for the most part i think we just make sure we follow the rules of wire size and length (to make sure that the wire can handle the current at the distance) and be dang sure our terminations are good to prevent arcing.
@@jjjacer thanks for your reply. You’re right. For non-ring circuits we use a long lead, as you describe, zeroing the meter first. We also use a long lead to check that metallic face plates on sockets and switches, which are popular here, are earthed properly. Interestingly, AFDDs are only just being installed in domestic properties here, as they are quite pricey, but we do tend to protect individual circuits in the board with combined GFI / breakers, called RCBOs here.
Another reason testing hasn't caught on here in the USA is that, as you can see, it would be next to impossible. Panels here have been designed with little to no consideration given to maintenance, testing, or replacement. This panel has just been replaced and it looks like a rat's nest. I can't blame the installer too much because panels aren't designed with enough features to help keep installation neat. In many panels it is quite a chore to find the matching hot, neutral, and ground wires that belong to a cable. And that makes replacing or testing a cable needlessly hard. We really need to start from scratch and come up with something better. I'd prefer a panel option where every cable comes in at the side right in line with each breaker slot - where hot, neutral, and ground connections could be easily made in the same spot and wire lengths could be kept down to a couple inches. We should be able to perform 5/10 year circuit tests like in the UK - but that won't be feasible unless our panels are improved.
@@JasonEDragon this was just a terrible cheap farmer job. this made my skin crawl . when i or my employees upgrade services i require the devices go into a wire way then conduit into the load center using appropriately sized wires with proper identification and in Canada you are required by law to bring the whole house up to modern day code that means every single circuit if you have to rip open walls your ripping open walls and the mains breaker is required to match the service . i could go on and on. im shocked that this install is allowed where he lives. this would get your site locked out and your meter pulled . so to clarify this was a garbage trash side grade you can cheap out by installing boxes and and then run new runs from there to properly connect into the new load center this is perfectly fine as long as its labeled tested and updated to modern codes for examole bedroom plugs seperated from lights and seperated by room into an arc fault breaker bathrooms gfci breaker seperated from any other room furnaces by themself dishwasher seperated kitchen plugs 20 amp alternated or 20 amp split . etc etc etc its a big expensive job depemding on the home age its a full rewire full rewire often cheaper that way then fixing rats nests which burn houses down. this is seriously scary to me and not how i was taught at 15 to wire a panel. and marretts inside of a load center omfg...... completely illegal here your too short so install a box beside rhe panel and run a wire to the panel. this is horrifying
Spaces in the panel are dependent on the load. If you go from 100 to 200 amps, you're going to need new wiring run to the panel in most circumstances. Perhaps the entire electrical drop or service to your property will need to be upgraded.
That can be the case but in many circumstances the service is large enough with too few spaces for added circuits. If you don't have many large electrical appliances you actually don't need a huge service. Obviously calculating the needed panel and service is the way to go though.
In the video Ben noted that the power feeders were aluminum and rated for 100 amps, and that the disconnect has a100 amp breaker. His new panel is rated for 200 amps. So a100 amp breaker is protecting 100 amp aluminum wiring. He also said that if he wants to upgrade to a true 200 amp service he would have to replace the 100 with a 200 and the 100 amp wiring with 200 amp wiring. Also a lot of the circuits in the original panel were "doubled up" and those circuits had to be separated and put on dedicated breakers, that's why there weren't as many spare breakers as originally planned when the job was completed.
$1800 was typical for a 200Amp panel swap in my area years ago. However, with price increases and code changes for arc-fault, etc., prices have gone way up.
Good video as all your videos are- informative. Noticed you mentioning phases when talking about dual breakers. To my knowledge, residential load centers are single phase with 2 legs- each coming off an end of a transformer winding with the center tap of the winding as the neutral. Took a shower during the video & might have missed it if you mentioned it. Apologize in advance if I missed it.
Most multi-wire branch circuits I have seen are tied to direct wire dedicated circuits but with a shared neutral. For example; I had two bathrooms next to each other heaters that used the shared neutral. Since this was 1978 code, the breakers didn't have to be tied together.
I knew an electrician that opened a junction box and disconnected the neutral going through it. Fried some electronic equipment. The boss told the customer to send him the bill for replacements. Very expensive few seconds.
My mother’s house has a setup where there is a 100 amp breaker in the outdoor main panel feeding a sub panel that has a 200 amp main breaker. There’s 2/0 AL feeding the outside main and smaller Al wires feeding the sub. Is this setup ok? Should we have the outdoor main upgraded to 200?
So here is my question...if you are no longer permitted to feed anything from the main lugs how are you going to attach the sensing for the automatic transfer switch? Also considering I dont have an automatic transfer and when I run my generator I flip the MAIN OFF and then GENERATOR 30A breaker ON. That feeds my entire house from the generator but I have no way to find out when the power is back. So my idea was to install a small box with 2x250mA fuses and pilot lights that would come on ONLY when the main feed comes back on. Any other ideas? Great and detailed video btw! You explain things really well!
multi-branch circuits... well ive only done one in my entire life. wiring a house and the upstairs family room was at the far end away from the panel. just off the family room was a small office. half the family room on one circuit and the other half of the family room wired with the office. two twenty amp circuits. two final home runs. 4:30 in the afternoon. I grabbed the end of the wire on the spool and started the home run for the first half of the family room, immediately noticed there was not enough wire for two home runs, to the truck,, no more 12/2. shop 45 minutes away. sheet rockers tomorrow. damnit. then I saw the 250' roll of 12/3.. changed the home runs to the first switch box with a jumper from the switch box to the first outlet outlet in the second half of the family room. connected the red wire to the black jumper and labeled a piece of sheathing, 'shared circuit home run'' just above the wire nut, made another one for the connection to the switch. at the panel labeled the 12/3 'upstairs family room/office shared'. picked up my tools and headed home. wrote down 1 hour overtime. since then I always pack partial rolls of Romex. never in that situation again. as far as I know it is still working.
I once worked at an industrial plant that had multiple breakers feeding an oversize neutral like 6 -15 amp breakers and a #10 neutral feeding lighting loads. Had to be very careful if a florescent ballast had to be replaced because if all the breakers feeding the lighting on that neutral were not shut off the neutral was still live to ground, SCARY!
What is the best way to leave your current wiring 100amp panel in place but adding a 200amp panel to allow for generator and solar upgrades for incoming power?? I have a less common situation and I need help finding a video or blog guide on adding a 200amp panel to the outside to meet current code while leaving my original 100amp in place inside my house. I don't want to move all the circuits & I like having interior control & some of the wires would be too short to relocate outside. No one does this because this requires a 100amp breaker to be installed inside the 200amp panel probably? (Is putting a 100amp breaker inside the 200amp panel possible?)
Thank Benjamin. Excellent video! I have an unrelated question. When replacing a ceiling fan that is bigger than the existing fan housing. The power supply wire ends up a ted short. I guess the proper way is to extend the wires with a junction box. Can the junction box (with the cover) be attached to the joist that is hidden inside between the 6 inches height ceiling and upper floor space? Or, does the junction box with cover need to be shown through the sheetrock?
@@FishEyeSky 314.29(A) Boxes and conduit bodies shall be installed so the contained wiring can be accessed *without removing any part of the building* or structure. It must be exposed.
Just curious I've been learning and I thought in a sub panel the "Green Screw" which grounds the neutral bus to the panel casing has to be removed unless technically the grounds and neutral are bonded no? This is a sub panel rii? Idk that confused me, thought I knew my stuff 🤣
Hey @BenjaminSahlstrom - what is your recommendation regarding choosing a Sqaure D Homeline vs. a QO panel? Is it good enough to choose the Homeline panel with the Aluminum busbar, or should I look for the Copper based busbar QO panel? What are the pros and cons of each? Will I regret going with the Homeline series?
My installation has a main breaker/panel that controls the upstairs & one for the downstairs breaker panel. Hope that was a good idea because 35yrs ago I had to alert the licensed electrician of several discrepancies?
Ben, how do you avoid high tension tight 90° turns in wire when you have to terminate thick wire on a breaker terminal for example I recently wired a generator power inlet box with 4 gauge. The panel is already real crowded. Eventually I'd like to upgrade the panel but for now have to make do. I bent the end of the wire over with the handles of the cable cutter then stripped it in place. It makes a sharp 90 but it doesn't seem to put any strain on the bus since it's already bent essentially like conduit lol. Did they make some kind of 90° nimbus or something for this purpose?
If you are installing a new 200 amp breaker box in a different location in the same house to rewire the house how do you get power from the old box to the new box so as you rewire a room you can wire to the new breaker box.
Hi everyone, I've got a newbie question for Y'all. I am switching out a breaker box as the original is covered by the washing machine (mobile home). The original is going to be left in place and used as a junction box to extend all the wires to a new external breaker box. It's a three wire 200A original circuit. My question is, can I leave all the neutrals and grounds connected in the original box and just run the hot wires to the new exterior breaker box along with extensions of the three service wires? Just seems silly to me to run all new grounds and neutrals if they're already connected.
my meter is inside my home. The power line come off the pole on the street to the side of my house. The city said changing a panel now requires a main shutoff outside for first responders to pass inspection. In my research the main disconnect is between the meter and the panel. Does this mean by default I have to have the meter moved to the outside of my house to pass inspection?
Hey Ben! I'm Building off grid atm. My Mains was an Open box buy deeply deeply discounted it's a Square D. We never planned on much but a simple setup. The Mains did not come come with a Mains breaker. Box was empty. All I could find in all the box stores was a Dual pole 60 amp. This 60 acts as my Main breaker. We have a few 20 and 15 amp breakers to work with for a coffee maker, microwave, toaster and airfryer. All Lights are led. My biggest problem is my new 6,500 watt 240v tankless hot water heater ( adjustable ). I'm going with 10/2 awg copper and a 40 amp dual breaker. (6,500w divided by 240v = 27 amps ) My question is the 40 amp breaker too big? Would a 30 amp dual be cutting it too close?
i don't zip-tie. building wire is typically solid and stays where you bend it to. required or not, i phase-tape black red white if the wire's insulation is not the correct color. i'm not licensed.
Any one looking to upgrade panels or add a sub look for panels that can or have specs for tandem or piggyback breakers like a 30 spaces but can have 60 circuits. in the description it will say 30/60 ,16/32
Hello Ben, I love your videos! I have learned so much from you. Thank you! I when to your like of the recommended load center, and it's a Square D 30. I need a 40-space panel, but the only one I found on Amazon won't give you a commission. Can you make your current recommendation for a 40-space panel? I would like you to get a commission to help support your hard work in making these extremely useful videos. Thank you!!
why is that little piece of copper wire laying on top of the right phase terminal in the top of that new/used panel (laying in that 13lbs) of nolox? LOL
I saw that in the footage too! It's just a scrap that somehow landed there. Figured someone would eventually mention it! And I agree, the anti corrosion compound was a bit excessive. Certainly wouldn't hurt to clean it up a bit.
@@BenjaminSahlstrom could be a future unprotected 20amp branch circuit when you run out of spaces? LOL. Just picking on you. That panel is 180 degrees off from the quality you've done on your panels and other panels you've shown on your channel as far as craftsmanship. Kind of a shocker... 🤣 Anyway, love your channel
@@MiniDigging I'm not trying to sound like a know it all but it is spelled No-a-lox and yes people pronounce it nolox. Yeah that guy was slathering that stuff and making a big mess. It bothered me and I wanted to go over there and clean everything off before tightening the lugs.
This video came on with perfect timing!!! TH-cam and google are listening to me talk with inspectors and electrician! This is great education!!! Are wire nuts banned? Are we supposed to use wago connectors now to meet code?
No wires are not banned 🚫, just nuts are banned. The problem with Wagos is that they do not work well with stranded wire, they work fine with solid wire. Check to see if Wagos are UL listed, if they are then maybe they are ok to use everywhere
For main panel upgrades where you only need 2-4 new slots in your panel, would installation of a subpanel adjacent to the main panel be an acceptable alternative to replacing with a new panel? For people looking to add a 2-pole surge protector, a panel replacement might be cost prohibitive. (Yes, there are combo surge protector circuit breakers, but not for breakers that also have GFCI/AFCI protection, which may be desirable even if code doesn’t require them for old work.
I think there's going to be a huge variable in cost between simply changing a panel and doing a service upgrade. If you need a new service drop that can be a lot of the cost, especially if the homeowner is responsible for the line side of it.
@@jamisongillespie3524 I dont think theres ever an instance where you dont need a new line side doing a 100 to 200 upgrade. It's pretty much always going from 2/0 to 4/0, unless its a super long run or something.
The wire through the handles trick should only be considered temporary. In the future the wire is going to fall out its just a matter of when. Also someone not knowing why that wire is there might simply remove it. Best to have the handles properly bridged or the 2 pole breaker.
Ben I am so confused. Is this an old video? For years I have been watching you doing the most premium looking installations and then I see this video from a year ago where you brought in another electrician to do a job which you made sound like you couldn’t do and even though I’m sure it’s fine it’s not as perfect as the other panels I’ve seen you install well over a year ago. I’m very confused but I really appreciate your channel and I watch your 200 amp service at your house video fairly regularly when I’m looking up videos on QO panels
Ben , I see wire nuts extending wires ,Is it legal to do Wago connectors ? I’ve used the push in ones from big box stores, they are Crap! The wires easily fall out. I had a circuit fail after a few weeks after some storms rattled the carport.
Good video very informative. If I may ask, Why didn't you replace the panel? I've seen your work, I'm sure this job would have been in your skill set. You got me thinking now. Regards from a secret undisclosed location somewhere in the northern hemisphere
Very informative and well explained. I attended a trade school to learn electrical but had never found any electrician apprentice job opportunities. Now I just watch videos like yours.
Thanks for the helpful information always 👍
Everyone has their own way of doing panel changes. I’ve been in the trade 25 years and I’ve found over the years when Romex wires are short I’ll take them back back to a 4-11/16 metal j box. Them I will take a piece of 3/4” greenfield to the panel and push multiple sets of stranded wire to the panel to extend circuits. That way you don’t have all the wire nuts in the panel and it dosent get packed on top of the panel with Romex wires.
That sounds like a really clean way of doing it. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea thanks for share that
@@BenjaminSahlstrom thanks. It ends up really looking clean. I’ve done a ton over the years this way. Plus the top of your panel is not packed with a ton Romex or different wire assemblies. .
worked in govt facility making weapons we always had to splice into a 4 " box [sealed] no splices in panel
we had a lot of old fabric and rubber insulation
Love your channel, love your simple and thorough explanations and your professionalism! Keep up the great work.
I live in Minneapolis had my main panel replaced about 2 years ago. I called around, and had 2 bids. One guy quoted me something like $2500. Another quotes me $1000 + materials.
Of course I paid the $1000, with the agreement that I'd buy the panel, the breakers, and the grounding rods which are required to bring things up to code and have everyhingl ready for them.
So I'd say prices vary because electricians are just charging vastly different prices for the same work. They did a great job, everything passed inspection, they ran new grounds to my water main and drove in the newly required ground rods.
It looks like you were putting in a sub-panel in the same structure, so this isn't required. But you might have mentioned if you're replacing a main panel like I had done, you have to bring the panel up to code. For me, that meant putting in a ground wire that hooks directly to the incoming water pipe. Mine was connected a few feet away, which is no longer legal. You also have to put two ground rods connected to the main panel.
Yes, they enforce shared neutrals be on handle-tied breakers where I am. Exception for sewer lift pumps with alarms. We use 2 hots and 1 neutral so if the pump trips you don’t lose the alarms power.
Story time:
Doing a partial remodel on an office building while they were still in operation, I fried 5 computers in 10 seconds. 3 phase sharing neutrals; I, unbeknownst to me, took apart a neutral joint that was going to an in-use office. A lady stepped into the construction space and said “are you working on my office electricity?” I said no and went on working. Shortly, a maintenance guy walked in, look at my work and said “yea, he did” over his walkie-talkie…my stomach turned over. He said”we aren’t going to charge you because we didn’t disclose it, but everything in this building uses shared neutrals. You just burned up 5 computers. Don’t disconnect neutral joints during business hours anymore. Now you have been warned.” I felt about an inch tall
Well now you know to ask first just in case
@@FishFind3000 yea….we try to avoid “open store remodels” as long as “good work” allows. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do though, but yea! That was a lesson from the “slow down and think about the task at hand” category.
Just curious was the lighting voltage 3 phase 277V or 3 phase 208?
@@RS-qp4bp it was 208v.
@@aaronpinkham4196 just curious, at work we have roadway lighting and office lights at that operate on 277 volts to neutral.
Amazing video! It was super informative and the layout/content of the video was well thought out.
This video also makes me feel a lot better about the cost of my panel replacement around a year ago - the house I bought had a 100A service into an old, 10-circuit glass fuse panel that was rusted with water damage. We paid $3100 to upgrade the service to 150A (so new drop, new feed cables, new meter) and upgraded to a 30 space, 60 circuit panel, but no plug on neutral unfortunately :(. The 4 guys that came out had the new panel in within 4.5 hours, which was a relief since we had a lot of stuff in the fridge with no easy way to plug it into a generator. 10/10 will hire them again!
Back in high school I got really into electrical work (my high school offered electrical wiring classes through our FFA and Ag program) and I spent some of my freshman/sophomore years in college taking some more electrical classes in case I didn't like engineering and wanted to become an electrician instead. Fast-forward 8 years and I really miss doing all of that electrical work (I still find time here and there to upgrade outlets or install a new bedroom light for a friend), and I have been trying to see how hard it would be to become an apprentice electrician even while working my full-time engineering job. Do you have any good estimates for how much time is required and what classes I would have to take to be a qualified apprentice electrician? I don't want to do this for extra money or anything, but mainly to feel more confident about some of the more complicated jobs I want to tackle in my own home, as well as do qualified work when an opportunity presents itself.
Thanks again for all of the amazing videos!
Hey. Journeyman here. It'll take you anywhere from 3 to 5 yrs, depending which of the electrical paths you take. Idk if you'd have time to have a full time job and be an apprentice at the same time. The reason is that you'd have to keep 40 hrs a week doing electrical to gain the hrs needed to finish your apprenticeship. Also, you'd have class once a week and some years, twice a week. I'd suggest calling your nearest local and asking them if they'd take you and how it would work out. Good luck, brother. Be safe
I replaced mine couple of months ago, because old one started to spark where couple of breakers connect to lugs. Replaced with a new Square D QO. And guess what. It was recalled about a month ago due to fire hazard.... Thank you for your videos! They were very useful!
How unfortunate! How is Square D handling the recall? Will they cover labor to replace it?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom their site says " Free inspection and repair for recalled product shall be provided". Contacted them, no reply yet. 1.4 million panels affected.
Take a number and get in line :-)
I ran in to a main panel recently installed by am "electrician" It was a Federal Pacific, and the guy had put in multiple double breakers and 12/3 & 14/3 wire. The trouble was in a Federal Pacific panel adjacent stabs could be on the same phase, I looked and every one of the doubles were on the same phase. I told the owner to call back the installer and have him fix it!
I wired a couple multiwire branch circuits in my shop in my backyard. I pulled permits and had inspections, and they didn't say anything about my breakers and didn't require me to tie them together. Now that I understand this a little more, I'm going to tie them together and if I had to do all over again, I would just spend the money and run the extra wire and not share the neutral. I thought I was going to make things simpler wiring that way, but I don't know now.
Most breaker manufacturers have a joining bar or pin for very little money
Another good reason to keep the neutrals and grounds on separate bus bars is the possibility of adding a standby generator. When you install the transfer switch your main-panel now becomes a sub-panel. Then all you have to do is remove the ground to neutral link.If you put the neutral and grounds on the same bus bar you have to rewire the panel.
Thanks for including most of the necessary information! I know it was a lot but there are a million videos already missing a ton of info
Benjamin you are GOD-gifted awesome video as always!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a 200A FPE panel very similar to the one in this video replaced with a new GE panel in Houston for $800. God bless Texas!
Different colors were required on the hots in my jurisdiction so that the legs could be identified both at the panel as well as at the meter. I believe it’s to ensure load balance throughout all panels.
House I bought to setup as a rental had 240 circuits built using double-stabbed (one even triple stabbed) into breakers on opposite rows of the panel. The panel was circa 1980's, oldest part of the building was 1890's. Double stabbed breakers, unassociated 240 lines to garage, and best of all tube and button wiring in the original attic still in use.
Ben, in this video you answered a question I had and learned something new about "multi-wire branch circuits" and are they kosher. In the house we just bought last year, I found two separate 120v 15amp circuits wired up with a 14 gauge 3 conductor (with ground) cable that are sharing a common in the added subpanel. I believe the two circuits feed lights. Appears the inspector did not catch this or overlooked it. I believe this does not meet code, because the side by side breaker's handles are not coupled together. Now I know what to do about the situation, ether couple the two single breaker handles or install a double pole 15 amp. Your videos are very good and informative, keep up the excellent work.
that was allowed by code back then and up until somewhere in the early to mid 2000's (I forget exactly when code changed) I'm trying to say 2008 or 2010 offhand.
refer to the NEC and your local state, county, city, township codes. they may be using old codes or have requirements beyond the NEC's level.
any wiring/panels done prior to the code change would be grandfathered in, but may still be triggered for change upon sale or transfer of ownership and inspections.
Very informative video Benjamin. Thanks for sharing mate. -Cheers
Comment about multi-wire branch circuit. When I remodeled my kitchen/great room in 2019, I wanted a receptacle in the island that was capable of handling a number of appliances such as warming trays and waffle makers. So the electrician installed a NEMA 5-20 receptacle and wired 12/3 as a multi-wire circuit, with each leg to half of the duplex outlet. And since there is plumbing in the island, he installed a 20A/240V GFCI in the panel to make sure that the only thing we cook is food.
10:40 - you get dual-pole 15 amp and 20 amp AFCI breakers for this purpose. It's just they cost like $150 a piece.
I hired an electrician to replace mine. My house was built in 1992 and had Federal Pacific breakers, thankfully none had failed in all the years they were installed. I went with GE . Only problem we had was the electrician pulled the permit and scheduled the power company to come pull the meter during the work but they never showed up. He ended up pulling the meter so he could work, the power company guys didn't show up until 4 in the afternoon when he was done so they just reinstalled the meter to connect the power.
NICE VIDEO IM IN THE TRADE. THE TERMINATIONS OF WIRE COULD BE A LITTLE NEATER N LABELING THOSE WIRES WOULD BE EASIER FOR IDENTIFICATION OF CIRCUITS.
This is the best description I've seen of pre-EGC to the first point of disconnect. Often bonding screws can't support neutral loads so putting neutrals on a ground bar isn't a good idea. Looks like the service lines come through that metal raceway. I wonder if that would suffice as a return path to the meter if it is continuous? I see old buildings with two prong outlets fed by BX/MC and metal boxes that are grounded.
Best, most informative video I have viewed so far. Tank you :)
Since the original panel was mounted fairly low I would have considered mounting the new panel upside down and put the breakers at opposite end from the main disconnect (top of the panel now) so the feeder could still come in at the same location but you would not have to extend very many if any of the wires if any to get them to the circuit breakers. As long as the highest breaker is no higher than 6'6" it would still me to code. Just a thought. Also I thought you did a great job on this video and did a great job explaining everything. Thanks
NEC states the panel can go to the floor but the main breaker must be no higher than 6 feet
240.24 Overcurrent protection devices must be no higher than 6’7” above finished floor. That’s any breaker. If the main is on the bottom of the panel the top most breaker cannot be higher than 6’7”
The talk about the EGC is really good. Some don't get this.
Extremely helpful information. Thank you.
Thanks for the advice on the panel, it's really useful all those requirements from the NEC, but I'm still dealing with short wires to reconnect evry single line from each room in the houses I've been working on; by the way, could be good if i make them a little longer those wires coming from any room or the kitchen in the main panel ?
Normal 15 -20 Amp breaker $5 a pce afci or gfci $35+ duel afci/gfci $55+. Piggy back breaker $10.50 but saves a space if your panel can have them. Northeast USA big box store prices from a year ago
Handle ties required or duel breaker for multi branch circuits in my area. And wire will not be acceptable unless you can keep it from sliding out/off breaker. Handle ties easier to just buy anyways.
An interesting video, thanks.
One thing that stands out as a difference between your panel replacement and the equivalent here in England is testing.
Here, testing (and recording) of all circuits for continuity (with a low ohm meter) as well as insulation resistance, and the performance of RCBOs (equivalent to your GFI breakers) is mandatory, to ensure the safety of the install. I’m surprised that’s not the case in the US.
I think its because in Europe they use Ring/Radial Circuits, which we dont, wires go straight from the panel to the outlets and never back again. so for a continuity test you would technically have to short live an neutral at the outlet or at the breaker and then you can test with a multimeter at the other end, otherwise to test continuity/resistance you would need a test lead that goes from the breaker to the last outlet in length.
so for the most part i think we just make sure we follow the rules of wire size and length (to make sure that the wire can handle the current at the distance) and be dang sure our terminations are good to prevent arcing.
@@jjjacer thanks for your reply.
You’re right. For non-ring circuits we use a long lead, as you describe, zeroing the meter first.
We also use a long lead to check that metallic face plates on sockets and switches, which are popular here, are earthed properly.
Interestingly, AFDDs are only just being installed in domestic properties here, as they are quite pricey, but we do tend to protect individual circuits in the board with combined GFI / breakers, called RCBOs here.
Another reason testing hasn't caught on here in the USA is that, as you can see, it would be next to impossible. Panels here have been designed with little to no consideration given to maintenance, testing, or replacement. This panel has just been replaced and it looks like a rat's nest. I can't blame the installer too much because panels aren't designed with enough features to help keep installation neat. In many panels it is quite a chore to find the matching hot, neutral, and ground wires that belong to a cable. And that makes replacing or testing a cable needlessly hard.
We really need to start from scratch and come up with something better. I'd prefer a panel option where every cable comes in at the side right in line with each breaker slot - where hot, neutral, and ground connections could be easily made in the same spot and wire lengths could be kept down to a couple inches. We should be able to perform 5/10 year circuit tests like in the UK - but that won't be feasible unless our panels are improved.
@@JasonEDragon Interesting - thanks!
@@JasonEDragon this was just a terrible cheap farmer job. this made my skin crawl . when i or my employees upgrade services i require the devices go into a wire way then conduit into the load center using appropriately sized wires with proper identification and in Canada you are required by law to bring the whole house up to modern day code that means every single circuit if you have to rip open walls your ripping open walls and the mains breaker is required to match the service . i could go on and on. im shocked that this install is allowed where he lives. this would get your site locked out and your meter pulled . so to clarify this was a garbage trash side grade you can cheap out by installing boxes and and then run new runs from there to properly connect into the new load center this is perfectly fine as long as its labeled tested and updated to modern codes for examole bedroom plugs seperated from lights and seperated by room into an arc fault breaker bathrooms gfci breaker seperated from any other room furnaces by themself dishwasher seperated kitchen plugs 20 amp alternated or 20 amp split . etc etc etc its a big expensive job depemding on the home age its a full rewire full rewire often cheaper that way then fixing rats nests which burn houses down. this is seriously scary to me and not how i was taught at 15 to wire a panel. and marretts inside of a load center omfg...... completely illegal here your too short so install a box beside rhe panel and run a wire to the panel. this is horrifying
Spaces in the panel are dependent on the load. If you go from 100 to 200 amps, you're going to need new wiring run to the panel in most circumstances. Perhaps the entire electrical drop or service to your property will need to be upgraded.
I feel like this is problem I’m having
That can be the case but in many circumstances the service is large enough with too few spaces for added circuits. If you don't have many large electrical appliances you actually don't need a huge service. Obviously calculating the needed panel and service is the way to go though.
Here the service overhead doesn't change but of course from the weatherhead inside will need updated
@@BenjaminSahlstrom I still only saw 2 spaces even though you said you miscounted. Where did you get 4 from in the correction text?
In the video Ben noted that the power feeders were aluminum and rated for 100 amps, and that the disconnect has a100 amp breaker. His new panel is rated for 200 amps. So a100 amp breaker is protecting 100 amp aluminum wiring. He also said that if he wants to upgrade to a true 200 amp service he would have to replace the 100 with a 200 and the 100 amp wiring with 200 amp wiring. Also a lot of the circuits in the original panel were "doubled up" and those circuits had to be separated and put on dedicated breakers, that's why there weren't as many spare breakers as originally planned when the job was completed.
Excellent. Answered a couple of my concerns about my panel replacement.
Good lessons. I learned a little more from this video.
$1800 was typical for a 200Amp panel swap in my area years ago.
However, with price increases and code changes for arc-fault, etc., prices have gone way up.
Good video as all your videos are- informative. Noticed you mentioning phases when talking about dual breakers. To my knowledge, residential load centers are single phase with 2 legs- each coming off an end of a transformer winding with the center tap of the winding as the neutral. Took a shower during the video & might have missed it if you mentioned it. Apologize in advance if I missed it.
Great video. With great illustration examples of what you are discussing!
I do panel changes for $1000-$1200.
On rental property in Detroit area. Avg 3.5hrs.
Most multi-wire branch circuits I have seen are tied to direct wire dedicated circuits but with a shared neutral. For example; I had two bathrooms next to each other heaters that used the shared neutral. Since this was 1978 code, the breakers didn't have to be tied together.
Thank you bro for great video and your time for explaining 🚀🚀🚀
I knew an electrician that opened a junction box and disconnected the neutral going through it. Fried some electronic equipment. The boss told the customer to send him the bill for replacements. Very expensive few seconds.
Yeah that's no fun at all.
My mother’s house has a setup where there is a 100 amp breaker in the outdoor main panel feeding a sub panel that has a 200 amp main breaker. There’s 2/0 AL feeding the outside main and smaller Al wires feeding the sub. Is this setup ok? Should we have the outdoor main upgraded to 200?
So here is my question...if you are no longer permitted to feed anything from the main lugs how are you going to attach the sensing for the automatic transfer switch? Also considering I dont have an automatic transfer and when I run my generator I flip the MAIN OFF and then GENERATOR 30A breaker ON. That feeds my entire house from the generator but I have no way to find out when the power is back. So my idea was to install a small box with 2x250mA fuses and pilot lights that would come on ONLY when the main feed comes back on. Any other ideas?
Great and detailed video btw! You explain things really well!
multi-branch circuits... well ive only done one in my entire life. wiring a house and the upstairs family room was at the far end away from the panel. just off the family room was a small office. half the family room on one circuit and the other half of the family room wired with the office. two twenty amp circuits. two final home runs. 4:30 in the afternoon. I grabbed the end of the wire on the spool and started the home run for the first half of the family room, immediately noticed there was not enough wire for two home runs, to the truck,, no more 12/2. shop 45 minutes away. sheet rockers tomorrow. damnit. then I saw the 250' roll of 12/3.. changed the home runs to the first switch box with a jumper from the switch box to the first outlet outlet in the second half of the family room. connected the red wire to the black jumper and labeled a piece of sheathing, 'shared circuit home run'' just above the wire nut, made another one for the connection to the switch. at the panel labeled the 12/3 'upstairs family room/office shared'. picked up my tools and headed home. wrote down 1 hour overtime. since then I always pack partial rolls of Romex. never in that situation again. as far as I know it is still working.
I once worked at an industrial plant that had multiple breakers feeding an oversize neutral like 6 -15 amp breakers and a #10 neutral feeding lighting loads. Had to be very careful if a florescent ballast had to be replaced because if all the breakers feeding the lighting on that neutral were not shut off the neutral was still live to ground, SCARY!
What is the best way to leave your current wiring 100amp panel in place but adding a 200amp panel to allow for generator and solar upgrades for incoming power??
I have a less common situation and I need help finding a video or blog guide on adding a 200amp panel to the outside to meet current code while leaving my original 100amp in place inside my house. I don't want to move all the circuits & I like having interior control & some of the wires would be too short to relocate outside. No one does this because this requires a 100amp breaker to be installed inside the 200amp panel probably? (Is putting a 100amp breaker inside the 200amp panel possible?)
You'd need to put a breaker controlling the initial panel in the new panel. And upgrade the wire from the meter to the new panel.
I like your wiring is much better.
thanks for your videos Ben! Very informative 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Can junction boxes be used for short runs that don’t make it from past power panel to new one which have room in new panel
Do you still have the vintage square d fuse box? if so you should sell it on ebay.
Is there a market for those?
Thank Benjamin. Excellent video! I have an unrelated question. When replacing a ceiling fan that is bigger than the existing fan housing. The power supply wire ends up a ted short. I guess the proper way is to extend the wires with a junction box. Can the junction box (with the cover) be attached to the joist that is hidden inside between the 6 inches height ceiling and upper floor space? Or, does the junction box with cover need to be shown through the sheetrock?
the cover must be exposed
Junction boxes don’t have to be shown just responsibly accessible
@@FishEyeSky 314.29(A) Boxes and conduit bodies shall be installed so the contained wiring can be accessed *without removing any part of the building* or structure.
It must be exposed.
dont bury junction boxes. if the homeowner objects to the aesthetics, quote the time to run a new switch leg they usually come around to the j-box.
Can I Install a new main breaker,meter base etc. next to the existing one before cutting service off and removing the old one?
Just curious I've been learning and I thought in a sub panel the "Green Screw" which grounds the neutral bus to the panel casing has to be removed unless technically the grounds and neutral are bonded no? This is a sub panel rii? Idk that confused me, thought I knew my stuff 🤣
is there something that could cover the 2 main lines coming in, so I don't touch them?
Hey @BenjaminSahlstrom - what is your recommendation regarding choosing a Sqaure D Homeline vs. a QO panel?
Is it good enough to choose the Homeline panel with the Aluminum busbar, or should I look for the Copper based busbar QO panel?
What are the pros and cons of each?
Will I regret going with the Homeline series?
My installation has a main breaker/panel that controls the upstairs & one for the downstairs breaker panel. Hope that was a good idea because 35yrs ago I had to alert the licensed electrician of several discrepancies?
I found a 110 volt and a 277 volt circuit sharing the same neutral. Crazy!
love your content. thanks man
What do you do if your sheath isn’t long enough to go in the box?
Ben, how do you avoid high tension tight 90° turns in wire when you have to terminate thick wire on a breaker terminal for example I recently wired a generator power inlet box with 4 gauge. The panel is already real crowded. Eventually I'd like to upgrade the panel but for now have to make do. I bent the end of the wire over with the handles of the cable cutter then stripped it in place. It makes a sharp 90 but it doesn't seem to put any strain on the bus since it's already bent essentially like conduit lol. Did they make some kind of 90° nimbus or something for this purpose?
Well done and very informative video! Thanks brother
Are the incoming power lines always aluminum? I spoke with an electrician and he said 4200 for a similar change out due to the increase of copper???
Your the man bro.
If you are installing a new 200 amp breaker box in a different location in the same house to rewire the house how do you get power from the old box to the new box so as you rewire a room you can wire to the new breaker box.
Could you still install the ground bars and have a single wire connect to the neutral bar to have continuity. Would it then trip the breaker?
Hi everyone,
I've got a newbie question for Y'all. I am switching out a breaker box as the original is covered by the washing machine (mobile home). The original is going to be left in place and used as a junction box to extend all the wires to a new external breaker box. It's a three wire 200A original circuit. My question is, can I leave all the neutrals and grounds connected in the original box and just run the hot wires to the new exterior breaker box along with extensions of the three service wires? Just seems silly to me to run all new grounds and neutrals if they're already connected.
great video
What do you recommend for going from fuse to breakers
my meter is inside my home. The power line come off the pole on the street to the side of my house. The city said changing a panel now requires a main shutoff outside for first responders to pass inspection. In my research the main disconnect is between the meter and the panel. Does this mean by default I have to have the meter moved to the outside of my house to pass inspection?
Nec requires handle ties on multiwire branch circuits to prevent electrocution
Can a main residential panel install behind a door?
Ben could you say somthing about the several wire nuts ?
does anybody know how low to the floor a breaker panel can be mounted? is there a minimum. I want to locate mine about 2 ft off the floor
Can you point with screw which one have to remove please
How much are the materials vs labor? How about generator prep
Hey Ben! I'm Building off grid atm. My Mains was an Open box buy deeply deeply discounted it's a Square D. We never planned on much but a simple setup. The Mains did not come come with a Mains breaker. Box was empty. All I could find in all the box stores was a Dual pole 60 amp. This 60 acts as my Main breaker. We have a few 20 and 15 amp breakers to work with for a coffee maker, microwave, toaster and airfryer. All Lights are led. My biggest problem is my new 6,500 watt 240v tankless hot water heater ( adjustable ). I'm going with 10/2 awg copper and a 40 amp dual breaker. (6,500w divided by 240v = 27 amps ) My question is the 40 amp breaker too big? Would a 30 amp dual be cutting it too close?
❤️🔥THANK YOU BEN❤️🔥
For the basement ground fault. Not needed per code, but house inspection for sale yes.
I changed my panel for less than $500. I think it's key to buy a panel that has the same knock out location for the main line.
i don't zip-tie. building wire is typically solid and stays where you bend it to.
required or not, i phase-tape black red white if the wire's insulation is not the correct color.
i'm not licensed.
Great explanation
13:12 you know what they say! All toasters toast TOAST!
Put big breakers up high on the bus rails and lower amp breakers lower down on the bus bar
The fact you're only 16 years old makes it more impressive.
Great video!!!
Did they install a used electrical panel?
I've been shocked by the ground cuz it was back back feeding searching for a ground and that was me so be safe
Any one looking to upgrade panels or add a sub look for panels that can or have specs for tandem or piggyback breakers like a 30 spaces but can have 60 circuits. in the description it will say 30/60 ,16/32
Hello Ben, I love your videos! I have learned so much from you. Thank you! I when to your like of the recommended load center, and it's a Square D 30. I need a 40-space panel, but the only one I found on Amazon won't give you a commission. Can you make your current recommendation for a 40-space panel? I would like you to get a commission to help support your hard work in making these extremely useful videos. Thank you!!
why is that little piece of copper wire laying on top of the right phase terminal in the top of that new/used panel (laying in that 13lbs) of nolox? LOL
I saw that in the footage too! It's just a scrap that somehow landed there. Figured someone would eventually mention it!
And I agree, the anti corrosion compound was a bit excessive. Certainly wouldn't hurt to clean it up a bit.
I also noticed that piece of solid bare copper wire immediately. Does that mean I was paying attention?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom could be a future unprotected 20amp branch circuit when you run out of spaces? LOL. Just picking on you. That panel is 180 degrees off from the quality you've done on your panels and other panels you've shown on your channel as far as craftsmanship. Kind of a shocker... 🤣 Anyway, love your channel
@@RS-qp4bp IKR, I almost got in my truck and drove 900 miles just to go up there and remove it, and wipe that 10lbs of nolox off of everything. 😂
@@MiniDigging I'm not trying to sound like a know it all but it is spelled No-a-lox and yes people pronounce it nolox. Yeah that guy was slathering that stuff and making a big mess. It bothered me and I wanted to go over there and clean everything off before tightening the lugs.
This video came on with perfect timing!!! TH-cam and google are listening to me talk with inspectors and electrician! This is great education!!! Are wire nuts banned? Are we supposed to use wago connectors now to meet code?
No wires are not banned 🚫, just nuts are banned. The problem with Wagos is that they do not work well with stranded wire, they work fine with solid wire. Check to see if Wagos are UL listed, if they are then maybe they are ok to use everywhere
For main panel upgrades where you only need 2-4 new slots in your panel, would installation of a subpanel adjacent to the main panel be an acceptable alternative to replacing with a new panel?
For people looking to add a 2-pole surge protector, a panel replacement might be cost prohibitive. (Yes, there are combo surge protector circuit breakers, but not for breakers that also have GFCI/AFCI protection, which may be desirable even if code doesn’t require them for old work.
I’m a 17 yr old journeyman wireman. I’m pretty sure Scott looked at the panel being swapped said (in his head) who tf terminated this crap??!! 😂 😊
Thx for the detail
Near philly, its 4k to 5k to swap a 100A to 200A
Wow, that's pretty spendy. Interesting how much it varies by region.
I think there's going to be a huge variable in cost between simply changing a panel and doing a service upgrade. If you need a new service drop that can be a lot of the cost, especially if the homeowner is responsible for the line side of it.
@@jamisongillespie3524 I dont think theres ever an instance where you dont need a new line side doing a 100 to 200 upgrade. It's pretty much always going from 2/0 to 4/0, unless its a super long run or something.
The wire through the handles trick should only be considered temporary. In the future the wire is going to fall out its just a matter of when. Also someone not knowing why that wire is there might simply remove it. Best to have the handles properly bridged or the 2 pole breaker.
Ben I am so confused. Is this an old video? For years I have been watching you doing the most premium looking installations and then I see this video from a year ago where you brought in another electrician to do a job which you made sound like you couldn’t do and even though I’m sure it’s fine it’s not as perfect as the other panels I’ve seen you install well over a year ago. I’m very confused but I really appreciate your channel and I watch your 200 amp service at your house video fairly regularly when I’m looking up videos on QO panels
Ben , I see wire nuts extending wires ,Is it legal to do Wago connectors ? I’ve used the push in ones from big box stores, they are Crap!
The wires easily fall out. I had a circuit fail after a few weeks after some storms rattled the carport.
awesome video tutorial
Good video very informative. If I may ask, Why didn't you replace the panel? I've seen your work, I'm sure this job would have been in your skill set. You got me thinking now. Regards from a secret undisclosed location somewhere in the northern hemisphere
You just joined a week ago and you want me to Whatsapp you? Your not Salstrom. Sounds like a scam