Chicago Sparky here. You are one of two American YT electricians actually worth watching. The other being Dustin at ElectricianU. Thank you for not only doing your job properly but also caring about craftmanship. I started watching British and German sparkies cause there was such a lack of actual good work being done by Americans here on YT. And in real life as I've long lost track on how many times I've been on a service call or a rewire and open a J-box and my first thought is WTF?! Thanks again.
@@lua-nya I belive you. I work in Hyde Park Chicago which is one of the 2 neighborhoods that the Chicago Wolrd's Fair that debuted electricity was at in the late 19th century. Sometimes I pull out 100 year old BX from a wall, see old gas lines (which no one ran wire through although that rumor is popular), and sometimes I'll get a panel that has pink, purple, and yellow wire in it.
I can't say Dustin's content has been any good for a while now. IMO. Check out United Tradesman Academy. He films his service call. Worth the watch . I think.
@@aaavellone Multicolored hot wires are allowed in US commercial systems. I don't know if the same can be applied to US residential wiring. Nor do I know if the multicolored hot wires contain a single shared neutral or separate neutrals to go with each hot. I seem to recall that, in the USA, any colored wire can be used for hot conductors except white, bare, green or green/yellow. Besides having a much larger population in the US compared to UK - I think a higher percentage in the US think they know it all so have no qualms about making videos of what they do.
@@buggsy5 interesting. In residential the code where I work does not allow switch legs in a panel. I personally enjoy seeing more color (assuming the color doesn't change further down the raceway at another junction). We are suppose to have black and red to differentiate between the two phases.
I cannot tell you how many panel videos I watched. I searched replacing a panel, etc etc and never saw even 1 of your vids. The sad part, is that your vid is EXACTLY what I was looking for and all the others lacked in many ways. Not to mention yours is much higher quality and I very much appreciate that.
Here in nyc we still use bx all the time. It’s nice to work with. Don’t have to deal with any ground wires since the whole system is grounded using the armor and the bonding strip. Today’s bx doesn’t have cloth insulation. It’s all THHN in there with a paper moisture barrier
you mention backfeeding: The very first panel replacement I ever did was a fuse to a breaker panel. when I put everything back and turned on the breakers, energizing one would trip another, and turning that on would trip the other. two different circuits feeding the same thing, back in the fuse panel they were on the same phase and had no issue by the end they were on opposing phases so turning them both on would trip one. just disconnected and capped one of them and left it fed from the other. It was 17 years ago and it's something I've never forgot.
I run into that about once every 25 or 30 panel changeouts in residential. BOOM 240v short when reenergizing the branch circuits. I generally inform the homeowner of the issue and let them know it will be a separate service call/ charge to correct it, and cap one of the power feeds.
First off, I've enjoyed watching your videos for the past couple weeks. They've been very informative as I am a licensed electrician myself (as of this past Feb). There have been things that you've done that I would have differently and have learned a few things like the trick you did with using the piece of wood to keep your pilot bit in line of the hole for the feeder conduit. The only thing I'll state as you may have learned since this video being a year old now is that this panel appears to be a Plug-in neutral panel for AFCI and GFCI breakers. The copper buses on the sides you see can use those breakers for your neutral path and the breakers are probably $10-20 cheaper than the regular ones. They have no pigtail and just makes it look cleaner. Also I'd rather use a flat cutter for carving that panel out but your sawzall skills are very good. Nice job and looking forward to more videos.
The amount of knowledge you are giving away on this channel is nothing short of amazing. "Make it easy on the next guy. Next guy might be you." - needs to be a shirt, STAT
@ElectricProAcademy - Always great to watch your videos and to pick up the nuggets of real world experience! At 44:08 When you have a bare neutral in a 3-wire cable, how do you assure that this conductor does not come in contact with the panel which is bonded to ground? Thanks!
@@suspicionofdeceit NEC allows for bare neutrals for SE cables. Always check municipal/state codes as well, but per NEC, bare neutrals are allowed in *very* few applications(In the case of this video, that would need a new cable pulled, just posting this for clarity that there are a few noted exceptions per the NEC)
Your one of the best Teachers of electrical, practical theology that can really explain the tasks from the beginning of the job to the end. A lot of videos, whether its carpentry or pluming don"t know how to relate the information so it can be understood to the novice in detail! Your left wondering, what did I miss! Thank You! You make it look fun and interesting!
Mad skills on the recip saw, but I think there's an oscillating saw in your future. I'll need to pick up a 4 1/4 circ saw because my walls and ceilings are all 3/4" or 1" hardwood tongue-and-groove. You can hang a picture frame anywhere you want -- no need to find a stud -- but any wall work becomes a woodworking project! We have early NM in our '39 house: The outer jacket is cloth and coated in varnish.Wires are the tinned copper wire, with the same failing cloth insulation as yours. At first I thought the wires were steel LOL. You were expected to solder connections inside of junction boxes and wrap with cloth tape soaked in who-knows-what. When I replaced a basement light fixture I had to cut the wrap off with a knife; it was rock hard. (And then I found the soldered connection and just cut the connection out.) Consider that prior to that, the first wire nuts were porcelain and later, Bakelite. Both likely cost more and took longer to deal with than simply soldering wires already tinned.
“Electrician” that came to my moms house to fix a disaster from her kitchen contractor had 2 circuits back fed. I’m an electrician and I physically showed him look you have 2 hots tied together. I knew they were HR, he tells me that’s not possible. Would have fixed the electrical myself but he refused to give any sort of refund. Sometimes it’s just worth doing it yourself for piece of mind.
32:28 "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." Had a firearms instructor say this many years ago. Also, "If you can do it a thousand times slow, you can do it once, fast." Edit: I would have taped the damaged wire before putting in the panel.
Put some heat shrink over the fraying wires. It might prevent a panel fire until you can replace it. For cutting BX cable bend the cable and use a hacksaw or Dremel at the bend. Less chance of nicking a wire. If you select a Square D plug on neutral panel (QO or Homeline) you can get plug on neutral breakers for faster and neater installation. They also have a plug surge suppressor available. I use GFCI/AFCI combo breakers for all circuits with outlets regardless of location. A little extra insurance. Before my kids started crawling I put a GFCI on every circuit. One day when my son was about 1 years old I hear him giggling. He was sitting on the floor next to a hydronic baseboard heater. He was licking a plastic string from one of his toys and sticking it in the outlet. He tripped the GFCI a couple of times.
I ran into this same problem when I was replacing a Federal Pacific panel in my old house built in 1947. The lumber's actual dimensions were 1/4" larger than the studs nowadays. Ended up having to chisel out 5/8" out of one of the studs in order to fit the panel in with an 1/8" of play. Of course, this was after the meter had been pulled and my oscillating saw is 120V so hammer and chisel away.
Great idea with the wood block to guide your center drill bit on the hole saw!! Sometimes you have to get creative to get the job done:) Thanks for the slow and smooth tutorial 👍👍😎
I really like the level of instruction you provide with your videos. It's reasonable to assume that when a master electrician sees these kinds of videos that they will advocate that *only* a master/certified electrician should be doing this type of work, so covering the basics isn't necessary. That being said, you know as well as I do that a DIY'er is going to do the work whether they should be or not - so you taking the opportunity to educate is only helping to assure their work is getting done as safely and accurately as possible. Only constructive feedback I have is that you took us 95% of the way, then ended the video. Might be good to add-on testing, validation and reenergizing the panel. "Trust, but verify" - When it comes to electrical work, it's OK to trust the installers work, but better to verify it. Excellent video, great work. You get a like and subscribe from me!
Excellent descriptions and work. I have been an electrician (42 yrs.) formerly licensed in 3 states now retired. I find that I agree with your work and explanations almost 100% of the time. (electricians have to argue about something). I think the only thing I would have done different was fixing the broken out KOs on the 1 1/4 conduit feed. I would have punched a 1 1/4 hole in a 4 x4 electrical box cover and put that inside or outside the panel of the panel and secured it with a couple of screws. But the bond bushing has you covered. Good Job!!
Jefferson, as you know having space to work is very important, you could open the drywall up a little more and then re drywall, just a tip, score the pencil line with a razor knife, excellent work i learn so much from you, Arizona 👍
Thank you Joel for your detailed step-by-step instructions especially how to verify everything before starting to remove the old sub panel. So key to prevent problems and frustration. Just recently my son and I replaced the old 100 A sub panel from his home built in 1940 using your techniques. We installed the new Eaton PON all-in-one AFCI/GFCI breakers where required which I'd highly recommend. I felt confident undertaking this project using your instructions.
Nice job love the video on this step 31:33 what I would’ve done was cut a piece of wood that fit inside the panel horizontal to the bottom of the panel so the wood was evenly touching inside the panel avoiding the edge and that would prevent those two extra holes from popping out
Excellent video, a suggestion, if you dont have a MC cutter. Bend the wire, like you did, then twist both ends of the metal covering IN OPISITE DIRECTIONS, then a loop will pop up and it is much easier and faster to cut.
Live - Dead - Live check/verification for absence of voltage is the best practice to ensure that you do in-fact have an absence of voltage. The chicken-stick (non-contact voltage tester) is a good way to recheck or locate a possible live wire(s). However, I would not trust my life or someone else's life on the final determination of the absence of voltage. By the way, I like your videos and explanation/how to/why. Respectfully, Mike
You replaced a 60 amp panel with a 100 amp panel with 100 amp main breakers. Are the main incoming wires sized for 100 amps? I didn't hear you address that.
A few items: I think I would have wrapped the SER cable (sub-feed upstairs) rather than leave it exposed with the potential to come in contact with equipment grounding conductors. Secondly, I didn't get any "closure" after the blowout of the adjacent knockouts and your ultimate solution to effectively close these items. I WAS expecting you to pull out a 4-S blank cover and bolt it up in this area, so that you could punch the knockouts you needed, but that didn't appear to happen. Finally, in addressing the conductor insulation that was frayed, I think I would have taken the opportunity to lap phase tape from the connector all the way down to the termination to encapsulate the insulation and allow for flexibility without worrying that the insulation would continue to crumble as it was manipulated into the new cabinet.
@@ElectricProAcademy I think I commented before I saw you pull out the duct seal. Effective? Yes, I would readily concede that. But I probably would still favor the 4-S blank solution, to provide better grounding continuity. Obviously your use of the grounding bushing on the raceway eliminates any real concern in this specific instance.
Thank you both for the work it takes to film this. I think if I was into the drywall anyway I'd open enough room to get another 2x4 on the outside of the one on the right side of the panel. Run the new one down to the plate, glue and screws, notch the original one further.
Would definitely add some structural support! I opted out because 1) this was just a "honey-do" job, 2) I didn't know when I'd get around to patching it and I wanted to keep my kids out of the mess, and 3) I'm not much of a drywallers so less was more 😅 More power to you though!
I'm a Handyman and have obsoletely loved watching your stuff and learning more and more. I pride myself on doing things the right way! It helps me sleep at night knowing I haven't made a dangerous mistake that could cause my clients to lose their home or even worse. I'm doing my part to erase that stigma that handymen are just fly by night hacks with no real knowledge or concern for the proper way of doing things. Thanks for taking the time to teach, this is something that future generations will require as people entering the trades become less and less and the need to protect and distribute this kind of knowledge becomes more important then ever.
I enjoyed your video. Being a DIYer, I can never learn enough, especially concerning electrical work. My comments are in no way meant to detract from your commentary. They are just meant to let you know that I might do things differently. I never make a 'mental note' when doing a DIY project. As far as I'm concerned, all notes must be written down and a diagram, if needed, made. There is no paper in my brain, I think. When probing inside a wall, I use my endoscope. This allows me to 'see' what's there. When cutting drywall, I use my multitool. I wrap red electric tape 1/2" from the teeth to guide me while using the tool. If I need to join wires, I always use WAGO connectors. To me, wire nuts are past history. Those wires look so old. I would wrap white tape on all the common wires. When tightening screws, I use a 3/8" torque wrench. I have a few other comments. So, come over, and we'll sit on my patio, talk electrical, and have some cold ones. P.S., please bring along the wife.
Agreed hydraulic knockout is the only way to go, been doing that over a decade for mine and allows to make holes line up where kos don’t presently exist
As just a simple homeowner, I am loving your channel and the way you educate about everything as you go along is amazingly well done. Definitely getting a subscribe from me. Probably won't tackle most of the stuff and will still rely on professionals, especially living in the city and trying to navigate all the code nuances. But still fun to learn some of the ins and outs. Bonus points: Loving some of the van/camper videos you've done as someone who has that kind of thing on his bucket list. Those are definitely good education material for that DIY project in the future.
You gotta get one of those roto-split armored cable hand saws. They're incredibly convenient and not expensive at all (maybe $30-$40). Screw using tin snips to try and strip armored cable! I've only ran into armored cable maybe a dozen times and it's still more than worth it!
My favourite way of explaining the "path of least resistance" misunderstanding is to say that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN OPEN CIRCUIT. The path of least resistance experiences the greatest current.
I am really enjoying the videos at your house and how clearly you explain things as you go along. Our house was built in 1911 and I am (very) slowly upgrading the electrical. Going to switch out the main breaker box here soon from the current split-bus setup (need to verify if my QO Box is impacted with the new recall) but the piece that spoke to me most was your take on BX. We have a lot of BX and some old cotton wrapped romex. I have what I guess is an irrational dislike of BX, I really want to remove it but if you are not considering it a top priority then I guess I need to take that into account. So maybe I will focus on the cotton stuff first since it is not contained within the armor. Some of my circuits are wild, one runs a few downstairs electrical outlets, then a couple of upstairs electrical outlet and then the upstairs ceiling sconces. This is too much stuff on one circuit I feel, and an outlet blowing at night taking out my lights seems unacceptable. How do you tackle wild situations like that, do you just start a new circuit and move the outlets over one at a time until you find some sort of Franken-connector?
Just commenting on a random video of yours. Coming in contact with the trade as a Utility designer your videos have helped me tremendously on understanding what type of work is done and needed on the other side of the meter. Thank you!
Real world job, nice explanations. I call the anti short bushings red heads. Always have extras from when working on mc cable jobs. Amazing how many old bx and mc connectors on older homes don't have them.
Great Video!!! Everything I've seen on 'tube videos deals with a "perfect" situation, Yours shows a few challenges one might experience. Kudos!!! Thanks for the video!
I appteciate your content. There are very reasonably priced knock out kits to avoid drilling panels. They are worth every cent to get precise holes without blowing other KOs out. Great video ❤
You too often struggle with the wrong tools (as DIY guys often do)... what about a "new tools" series showing more appropriate tools for these jobs (no need to go crazy fancy). I always enjoy your videos 👌😄
39:18 Love your content! I'm not yet an electrician, but I work in solar. I do prep work on solar and battery systems for inspection and then host them. I've had many an inspector call out that 2nd screw you left off the bond bushing. The reason I've been given is the 2nd screw is what bites into the threaded conduit and actually bonds it, without the ground screw it is simply the bushing that is bonded, not the actual conduit. Curious to know your thoughts?
Great video, and I learned a lot. I am in the process of doing the same thing but have a few more problems not covered in your video. My electric is all piped and all terminating in the top of the panel. The new panel is wider and longer than the existing panel. My primary feed conductors are short by 4" as well and the rest of the conductors will be short as well. To compound those issues, the existing panel is mounted between metal studs. I need to modify the studs in the wall to accommodate the new panel. Just an observation, when you drilled the hole for the primary feed, the wood was not flush to the top of the panel resulting in the knock-outs breaking. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I really enjoy seeing how other professionals in the electrical trade perform! There was one thing that concerned me at the start of your video. You talked extensively about safety of the homeowner. How about your safety while doing the work? OSAH states that when working on exposed 240V and below that the minimal PPE required is: FR long sleeve shirt, FR long pants, safety glasses, hard hat, voltage rated gloves, and voltage rated tools. I was glad to see you verify that there was no power present after turning off the breaker. You should always wear the proper PPE UNTIL you verify no voltage is present. Keep up the professional work and keep safe!
43:34 I'll tell you exactly what happened. Someone bought the breakers in order to pass inspection then once they passed, they returned them and replaced them with regular breakers
From my understanding AFCIs are still unreliable. I have GFCI breakers in just about every circuit in my house - but I will resist installing AFCI breakers unless forced to install them sometime in the future by my house insurance company.
Excellent video! My only comment is that you stressed (a lot) to separate the Neutral and Ground; almost to the point where one might believe you always do that on every panel. If fact, the Neutral and Ground bars ARE connected in the First panel past the Meter (and nowhere else). You DID quote the code (in code-speak) when you mentioned this but the emphasis to Not connect them was so great, we may have lost the fact that they are to be connected just past the meter. Loved the video!
Licensed Illinois sparky here. Love your videos as well as Dustin's from EU. The only thing that scared me was the position of your finger when using the Sawzall at around 21 minutes. So easy to slip. Keep your fingers as well as the videos coming!!
I can't count the number of times I've tried to explain to people how the "Electricity always takes the path of least resistance" is wrong and dangerous. It's one myth I wish would go away.
Replaced the original panel in my house a few years ago, it had 2 breakers(40 & 50 amp) on either side of the mains coming in, so they were not on the main breaker. A couple shared breakers, and a power shedding box above it with the range, dryer, and water heater on mercury switches. It was 200A service but only about 10 circuits available, not much bigger than the panel you have here.
Not happy that you have problems, however, I am glad to see I am not the only one that does. And I like seeing that it happens to an electrician so we can see how they deal with it. So there might be some slight feelings of "Schadenfreude". Not as in joy or happiness, but in some self satisfaction knowing I am not the only one that experiences these snafus. Now if I could just figure out where my screw driver walks off to, the minute I set it down, that would be one of my many problems solved. Takes me 2 hours to install one GFCI, even when the box is surface mounted and not flush because of little issues along the way, that quickly become a big headache and disappearing tools that are NO WHERE to be seen around where I was just working. Then I find out that my Romex, coated with a cloth like silver sheathing is asbestos. With my luck, I probably inhaled it and now I know why the electrician talked me out of rewiring my home after seeing it. THEY did that change order but, it favored me because I didn't have to spend $28,000 on a rewire. I plan to rewire it myself some day and I'll probably have the industrial look throughout with conduit and extension boxes over the wall boxes, as I don't plan on tearing down walls. One trick I learned when securing something with threading that's fighting you, is to use some Dawn dish soap as lubrication. It's non flammable like oil would be. I learned the hard way... Like don't spray a bug zapper with WD40 when the grid is rusted. I was 10 years old and thought I knew everything.
It's funny that here in Brazil we used to have "NEMA breakers" in the past, at least everybody calls them that, but I've NEVER seen this type of "snap on" breaker in my whole life. Indeed, they look very "NEMA", but they had connections in both ends, meaning you had to energize every single breaker on the panel.
Around 20:00, the wall is made of…? lath & plaster? With drywall, I like to use a utility knife to score the outline outline early on. This gives a nice edge and prevents tearing the paper further.
Thank you for the video. May I ask a different electric question? My house's main feed is 100 Amp to a small size (12 slots) sub-panel with 24 breaker circuits. Is it possible to replace it with a large panel (30 slots) with a 100 Amp Master breaker? I heard the large panel equips with 200 Amp bus. Is it OK?
"BX" is a trade name for Type AC cable. This cable type is not discontinued as you say, but Type MC cable has become vastly more popular for its dedicated copper EGC.
@@ElectricProAcademy Type AC cable is covered by Article 320. The conductors contained within can be anything listed in Table 310.4(A). Obviously the rubber-covered RH insulation within Type AC cable is unlikely to be for sale anymore, but it does not change the designation of the cable type. Type AC cable is subject to adjustment factors, de-rating, and temperature correction depending on whether it is encapsulated in insulation, and depending on the type of conductors within the interlocking tape. I would not be inclined to replace this wiring method in your house based merely on the conductor condition inside the cabinet. You have a robust cable with a first-generation ECG built in! And I would be fairly judicious in eliminating any K&T depending on its condition, proximity to insulation, and the load served. I have a little bit left in my bedroom lighting and receptacle outlets, and I'm not in any big hurry to replace it. They route back to a 120V fuse block equipped with Type S fuse adapters, and the line side of the fuse block is fed by a dual-function circuit breaker at the main panel.
Which do you think is stronger, the 3/8" of wood you removed? Or the steel you added in its place? (Answer: Steel by far). Just make sure you tie it in well to the box. (Still only half way through)
![ถามตรงๆ กับ อาจตุพร ทำไม ประเทศไทย ใครเป็นนายก ก็โดนด่า พอออกเเล้วคนคิดถึง!!?? l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3YFLMXxBGAs/mqdefault.jpg)
It is incredible how someone this good at his trade would be generous enough to share his knowledge ❤️
A tremendous benefit for all levels of electricians.
@@leroylawrence4866 I am not an electrician but i appreciate the content as an informative source
That’s because he’s a Christian
Chicago Sparky here. You are one of two American YT electricians actually worth watching. The other being Dustin at ElectricianU. Thank you for not only doing your job properly but also caring about craftmanship. I started watching British and German sparkies cause there was such a lack of actual good work being done by Americans here on YT. And in real life as I've long lost track on how many times I've been on a service call or a rewire and open a J-box and my first thought is WTF?! Thanks again.
There are also electricians doing sub par jobs here in EU, I just haven't found them in YT.
Trust me, you should see the junctions I've seen...
@@lua-nya I belive you. I work in Hyde Park Chicago which is one of the 2 neighborhoods that the Chicago Wolrd's Fair that debuted electricity was at in the late 19th century. Sometimes I pull out 100 year old BX from a wall, see old gas lines (which no one ran wire through although that rumor is popular), and sometimes I'll get a panel that has pink, purple, and yellow wire in it.
I can't say Dustin's content has been any good for a while now. IMO. Check out United Tradesman Academy. He films his service call. Worth the watch . I think.
@@aaavellone Multicolored hot wires are allowed in US commercial systems. I don't know if the same can be applied to US residential wiring. Nor do I know if the multicolored hot wires contain a single shared neutral or separate neutrals to go with each hot.
I seem to recall that, in the USA, any colored wire can be used for hot conductors except white, bare, green or green/yellow.
Besides having a much larger population in the US compared to UK - I think a higher percentage in the US think they know it all so have no qualms about making videos of what they do.
@@buggsy5 interesting. In residential the code where I work does not allow switch legs in a panel. I personally enjoy seeing more color (assuming the color doesn't change further down the raceway at another junction). We are suppose to have black and red to differentiate between the two phases.
I cannot tell you how many panel videos I watched. I searched replacing a panel, etc etc and never saw even 1 of your vids.
The sad part, is that your vid is EXACTLY what I was looking for and all the others lacked in many ways. Not to mention yours is much higher quality and I very much appreciate that.
Here in nyc we still use bx all the time. It’s nice to work with. Don’t have to deal with any ground wires since the whole system is grounded using the armor and the bonding strip.
Today’s bx doesn’t have cloth insulation. It’s all THHN in there with a paper moisture barrier
you mention backfeeding: The very first panel replacement I ever did was a fuse to a breaker panel. when I put everything back and turned on the breakers, energizing one would trip another, and turning that on would trip the other. two different circuits feeding the same thing, back in the fuse panel they were on the same phase and had no issue
by the end they were on opposing phases so turning them both on would trip one.
just disconnected and capped one of them and left it fed from the other.
It was 17 years ago and it's something I've never forgot.
I run into that about once every 25 or 30 panel changeouts in residential. BOOM 240v short when reenergizing the branch circuits. I generally inform the homeowner of the issue and let them know it will be a separate service call/ charge to correct it, and cap one of the power feeds.
Enjoyed the clarity statement - Electricity take ALL paths!!
and
primarily the path of least resistance.
First off, I've enjoyed watching your videos for the past couple weeks. They've been very informative as I am a licensed electrician myself (as of this past Feb). There have been things that you've done that I would have differently and have learned a few things like the trick you did with using the piece of wood to keep your pilot bit in line of the hole for the feeder conduit. The only thing I'll state as you may have learned since this video being a year old now is that this panel appears to be a Plug-in neutral panel for AFCI and GFCI breakers. The copper buses on the sides you see can use those breakers for your neutral path and the breakers are probably $10-20 cheaper than the regular ones. They have no pigtail and just makes it look cleaner. Also I'd rather use a flat cutter for carving that panel out but your sawzall skills are very good. Nice job and looking forward to more videos.
Real World installation, things may not go as planned but we adapt and over come. Great Video
The amount of knowledge you are giving away on this channel is nothing short of amazing.
"Make it easy on the next guy. Next guy might be you." - needs to be a shirt, STAT
@ElectricProAcademy - Always great to watch your videos and to pick up the nuggets of real world experience!
At 44:08 When you have a bare neutral in a 3-wire cable, how do you assure that this conductor does not come in contact with the panel which is bonded to ground? Thanks!
That bare neutral needs to have a new wire pulled,it’s a code violation. The neutral conductor must be insulated.
@@suspicionofdeceit NEC allows for bare neutrals for SE cables. Always check municipal/state codes as well, but per NEC, bare neutrals are allowed in *very* few applications(In the case of this video, that would need a new cable pulled, just posting this for clarity that there are a few noted exceptions per the NEC)
Your one of the best Teachers of electrical, practical theology that can really explain the tasks from the beginning of the job to the end. A lot of videos, whether its carpentry or pluming don"t know how to relate the information so it can be understood to the novice in detail! Your left wondering, what did I miss! Thank You! You make it look fun and interesting!
Mad skills on the recip saw, but I think there's an oscillating saw in your future. I'll need to pick up a 4 1/4 circ saw because my walls and ceilings are all 3/4" or 1" hardwood tongue-and-groove. You can hang a picture frame anywhere you want -- no need to find a stud -- but any wall work becomes a woodworking project!
We have early NM in our '39 house: The outer jacket is cloth and coated in varnish.Wires are the tinned copper wire, with the same failing cloth insulation as yours. At first I thought the wires were steel LOL. You were expected to solder connections inside of junction boxes and wrap with cloth tape soaked in who-knows-what. When I replaced a basement light fixture I had to cut the wrap off with a knife; it was rock hard. (And then I found the soldered connection and just cut the connection out.)
Consider that prior to that, the first wire nuts were porcelain and later, Bakelite. Both likely cost more and took longer to deal with than simply soldering wires already tinned.
“Electrician” that came to my moms house to fix a disaster from her kitchen contractor had 2 circuits back fed. I’m an electrician and I physically showed him look you have 2 hots tied together. I knew they were HR, he tells me that’s not possible. Would have fixed the electrical myself but he refused to give any sort of refund. Sometimes it’s just worth doing it yourself for piece of mind.
32:28 "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." Had a firearms instructor say this many years ago. Also, "If you can do it a thousand times slow, you can do it once, fast."
Edit: I would have taped the damaged wire before putting in the panel.
Smooth delivery on the explanations! Thanks for showing us how you overcame the obstacles encountered in this installation.
What a great collection of tips and best practices. Really like the Siemens Plug On neutral panels.
Put some heat shrink over the fraying wires. It might prevent a panel fire until you can replace it. For cutting BX cable bend the cable and use a hacksaw or Dremel at the bend. Less chance of nicking a wire. If you select a Square D plug on neutral panel (QO or Homeline) you can get plug on neutral breakers for faster and neater installation. They also have a plug surge suppressor available. I use GFCI/AFCI combo breakers for all circuits with outlets regardless of location. A little extra insurance. Before my kids started crawling I put a GFCI on every circuit. One day when my son was about 1 years old I hear him giggling. He was sitting on the floor next to a hydronic baseboard heater. He was licking a plastic string from one of his toys and sticking it in the outlet. He tripped the GFCI a couple of times.
I ran into this same problem when I was replacing a Federal Pacific panel in my old house built in 1947. The lumber's actual dimensions were 1/4" larger than the studs nowadays. Ended up having to chisel out 5/8" out of one of the studs in order to fit the panel in with an 1/8" of play. Of course, this was after the meter had been pulled and my oscillating saw is 120V so hammer and chisel away.
Great idea with the wood block to guide your center drill bit on the hole saw!! Sometimes you have to get creative to get the job done:) Thanks for the slow and smooth tutorial 👍👍😎
BTW, came here after I saw your work with The Stud Pack!!:)
I really like the level of instruction you provide with your videos. It's reasonable to assume that when a master electrician sees these kinds of videos that they will advocate that *only* a master/certified electrician should be doing this type of work, so covering the basics isn't necessary. That being said, you know as well as I do that a DIY'er is going to do the work whether they should be or not - so you taking the opportunity to educate is only helping to assure their work is getting done as safely and accurately as possible.
Only constructive feedback I have is that you took us 95% of the way, then ended the video. Might be good to add-on testing, validation and reenergizing the panel. "Trust, but verify" - When it comes to electrical work, it's OK to trust the installers work, but better to verify it.
Excellent video, great work. You get a like and subscribe from me!
Excellent descriptions and work. I have been an electrician (42 yrs.) formerly licensed in 3 states now retired. I find that I agree with your work and explanations almost 100% of the time. (electricians have to argue about something).
I think the only thing I would have done different was fixing the broken out KOs on the 1 1/4 conduit feed. I would have punched a 1 1/4 hole in a 4 x4 electrical box cover and put that inside or outside the panel of the panel and secured it with a couple of screws. But the bond bushing has you covered. Good Job!!
Jefferson, as you know having space to work is very important, you could open the drywall up a little more and then re drywall, just a tip, score the pencil line with a razor knife, excellent work i learn so much from you,
Arizona 👍
At 10:35 it would surely have been advisable to check if that red wire is live. Yes?
Thank you Joel for your detailed step-by-step instructions especially how to verify everything before starting to remove the old sub panel. So key to prevent problems and frustration. Just recently my son and I replaced the old 100 A sub panel from his home built in 1940 using your techniques. We installed the new Eaton PON all-in-one AFCI/GFCI breakers where required which I'd highly recommend. I felt confident undertaking this project using your instructions.
I'm glad to see electricians that don't fall for the least resistance path.
Nice job love the video on this step 31:33 what I would’ve done was cut a piece of wood that fit inside the panel horizontal to the bottom of the panel so the wood was evenly touching inside the panel avoiding the edge and that would prevent those two extra holes from popping out
Excellent video, a suggestion, if you dont have a MC cutter. Bend the wire, like you did, then twist both ends of the metal covering IN OPISITE DIRECTIONS, then a loop will pop up and it is much easier and faster to cut.
Live - Dead - Live check/verification for absence of voltage is the best practice to ensure that you do in-fact have an absence of voltage. The chicken-stick (non-contact voltage tester) is a good way to recheck or locate a possible live wire(s). However, I would not trust my life or someone else's life on the final determination of the absence of voltage.
By the way, I like your videos and explanation/how to/why.
Respectfully,
Mike
you should use the blown up pliers for the locknut hammering!
You replaced a 60 amp panel with a 100 amp panel with 100 amp main breakers. Are the main incoming wires sized for 100 amps? I didn't hear you address that.
He said awg 4 so yes
Can you use heat shrink over the bad wire insulation in the places it's weak seem like it would be a good repair?
Maybe. It might require reducing the temperature rating of the wire.
Very well done! Thanks for explaining the code as you went because I learned a lot of good information.
A few items: I think I would have wrapped the SER cable (sub-feed upstairs) rather than leave it exposed with the potential to come in contact with equipment grounding conductors. Secondly, I didn't get any "closure" after the blowout of the adjacent knockouts and your ultimate solution to effectively close these items. I WAS expecting you to pull out a 4-S blank cover and bolt it up in this area, so that you could punch the knockouts you needed, but that didn't appear to happen. Finally, in addressing the conductor insulation that was frayed, I think I would have taken the opportunity to lap phase tape from the connector all the way down to the termination to encapsulate the insulation and allow for flexibility without worrying that the insulation would continue to crumble as it was manipulated into the new cabinet.
Good suggestions Loux! You didn't like my duct seal closure of the blown knockouts?
@@ElectricProAcademy I think I commented before I saw you pull out the duct seal. Effective? Yes, I would readily concede that. But I probably would still favor the 4-S blank solution, to provide better grounding continuity. Obviously your use of the grounding bushing on the raceway eliminates any real concern in this specific instance.
Use magnet to remove metal shavings, bullet level magnet etc.
Thank you both for the work it takes to film this. I think if I was into the drywall anyway I'd open enough room to get another 2x4 on the outside of the one on the right side of the panel. Run the new one down to the plate, glue and screws, notch the original one further.
Would definitely add some structural support! I opted out because 1) this was just a "honey-do" job, 2) I didn't know when I'd get around to patching it and I wanted to keep my kids out of the mess, and 3) I'm not much of a drywallers so less was more 😅 More power to you though!
Fantastic, ive been installing voice, data, fiber optics, I understand the basics of electrical installs, your awesome, excellent video,
Really very helpful Sir. Replacing old federal pacific panel right now. Subscribed
I'm a Handyman and have obsoletely loved watching your stuff and learning more and more. I pride myself on doing things the right way! It helps me sleep at night knowing I haven't made a dangerous mistake that could cause my clients to lose their home or even worse. I'm doing my part to erase that stigma that handymen are just fly by night hacks with no real knowledge or concern for the proper way of doing things. Thanks for taking the time to teach, this is something that future generations will require as people entering the trades become less and less and the need to protect and distribute this kind of knowledge becomes more important then ever.
Great job Jefferson Electric!! Keep up the great work Joel!!
I enjoyed your video. Being a DIYer, I can never learn enough, especially concerning electrical work. My comments are in no way meant to detract from your commentary. They are just meant to let you know that I might do things differently. I never make a 'mental note' when doing a DIY project. As far as I'm concerned, all notes must be written down and a diagram, if needed, made. There is no paper in my brain, I think. When probing inside a wall, I use my endoscope. This allows me to 'see' what's there. When cutting drywall, I use my multitool. I wrap red electric tape 1/2" from the teeth to guide me while using the tool. If I need to join wires, I always use WAGO connectors. To me, wire nuts are past history. Those wires look so old. I would wrap white tape on all the common wires. When tightening screws, I use a 3/8" torque wrench. I have a few other comments. So, come over, and we'll sit on my patio, talk electrical, and have some cold ones. P.S., please bring along the wife.
I prefer knock out punch instead of hole saws. Nice video.
Agreed hydraulic knockout is the only way to go, been doing that over a decade for mine and allows to make holes line up where kos don’t presently exist
As just a simple homeowner, I am loving your channel and the way you educate about everything as you go along is amazingly well done. Definitely getting a subscribe from me. Probably won't tackle most of the stuff and will still rely on professionals, especially living in the city and trying to navigate all the code nuances. But still fun to learn some of the ins and outs.
Bonus points: Loving some of the van/camper videos you've done as someone who has that kind of thing on his bucket list. Those are definitely good education material for that DIY project in the future.
well done and very nice explanations. Thanks
You gotta get one of those roto-split armored cable hand saws. They're incredibly convenient and not expensive at all (maybe $30-$40). Screw using tin snips to try and strip armored cable! I've only ran into armored cable maybe a dozen times and it's still more than worth it!
My favourite way of explaining the "path of least resistance" misunderstanding is to say that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN OPEN CIRCUIT.
The path of least resistance experiences the greatest current.
15 min in and noticing how thorough you are. Amazing!!
I am really enjoying the videos at your house and how clearly you explain things as you go along. Our house was built in 1911 and I am (very) slowly upgrading the electrical. Going to switch out the main breaker box here soon from the current split-bus setup (need to verify if my QO Box is impacted with the new recall) but the piece that spoke to me most was your take on BX.
We have a lot of BX and some old cotton wrapped romex. I have what I guess is an irrational dislike of BX, I really want to remove it but if you are not considering it a top priority then I guess I need to take that into account. So maybe I will focus on the cotton stuff first since it is not contained within the armor.
Some of my circuits are wild, one runs a few downstairs electrical outlets, then a couple of upstairs electrical outlet and then the upstairs ceiling sconces.
This is too much stuff on one circuit I feel, and an outlet blowing at night taking out my lights seems unacceptable. How do you tackle wild situations like that, do you just start a new circuit and move the outlets over one at a time until you find some sort of Franken-connector?
Just commenting on a random video of yours. Coming in contact with the trade as a Utility designer your videos have helped me tremendously on understanding what type of work is done and needed on the other side of the meter. Thank you!
Real world job, nice explanations. I call the anti short bushings red heads. Always have extras from when working on mc cable jobs. Amazing how many old bx and mc connectors on older homes don't have them.
Great Video!!! Everything I've seen on 'tube videos deals with a "perfect" situation, Yours shows a few challenges one might experience. Kudos!!! Thanks for the video!
You need to get yourself a multi tool. They are so awesome to have and it literally pays for itself.
Are you referring to an oscillating multi-tool or a Swiss Army Knife/Leatherman? Got a link to share your favorite?
I appteciate your content. There are very reasonably priced knock out kits to avoid drilling panels. They are worth every cent to get precise holes without blowing other KOs out. Great video ❤
Wow, awesome videos. It's like your actually a licensed electrician.
Those anti short bushings are called Red Devils where I’m from!
You too often struggle with the wrong tools (as DIY guys often do)... what about a "new tools" series showing more appropriate tools for these jobs (no need to go crazy fancy). I always enjoy your videos 👌😄
39:18 Love your content! I'm not yet an electrician, but I work in solar. I do prep work on solar and battery systems for inspection and then host them. I've had many an inspector call out that 2nd screw you left off the bond bushing. The reason I've been given is the 2nd screw is what bites into the threaded conduit and actually bonds it, without the ground screw it is simply the bushing that is bonded, not the actual conduit. Curious to know your thoughts?
Great video, and I learned a lot. I am in the process of doing the same thing but have a few more problems not covered in your video. My electric is all piped and all terminating in the top of the panel. The new panel is wider and longer than the existing panel. My primary feed conductors are short by 4" as well and the rest of the conductors will be short as well. To compound those issues, the existing panel is mounted between metal studs. I need to modify the studs in the wall to accommodate the new panel. Just an observation, when you drilled the hole for the primary feed, the wood was not flush to the top of the panel resulting in the knock-outs breaking. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Guh, sounds TEDIOUS! Sorry to hear it. Are you a sparky or just an advanced DIYer?
I really enjoy seeing how other professionals in the electrical trade perform! There was one thing that concerned me at the start of your video. You talked extensively about safety of the homeowner. How about your safety while doing the work? OSAH states that when working on exposed 240V and below that the minimal PPE required is: FR long sleeve shirt, FR long pants, safety glasses, hard hat, voltage rated gloves, and voltage rated tools. I was glad to see you verify that there was no power present after turning off the breaker. You should always wear the proper PPE UNTIL you verify no voltage is present. Keep up the professional work and keep safe!
Another excellent video Joel!
43:34 I'll tell you exactly what happened. Someone bought the breakers in order to pass inspection then once they passed, they returned them and replaced them with regular breakers
From my understanding AFCIs are still unreliable.
I have GFCI breakers in just about every circuit in my house - but I will resist installing AFCI breakers unless forced to install them sometime in the future by my house insurance company.
@@buggsy5 I personally hate Arc faults...
Oh, oh, two non word in 46 seconds, 3 more & “good by”. It’s just in my top 3 peeve’s!
Thanks for sharing this to keep us safer as we try to fix an electrical problem, you are the man!
Excellent video! My only comment is that you stressed (a lot) to separate the Neutral and Ground; almost to the point where one might believe you always do that on every panel. If fact, the Neutral and Ground bars ARE connected in the First panel past the Meter (and nowhere else). You DID quote the code (in code-speak) when you mentioned this but the emphasis to Not connect them was so great, we may have lost the fact that they are to be connected just past the meter. Loved the video!
Any reason you didn't take the extra minute to wrap the compromised section of insulation with some electrical tape?
When I was a kid in the 60s, I saw the electric in an use a hack saw to cut metal BX cable ssd sheathing.
Thanks for the great video and tut!👍 keep up the good work!
I appreciate your enthusiasm for teaching.
This guy is really really good I like the way he talks hes a human hes real responsible he can communicate good he is an arrogant
Licensed Illinois sparky here. Love your videos as well as Dustin's from EU. The only thing that scared me was the position of your finger when using the Sawzall at around 21 minutes. So easy to slip. Keep your fingers as well as the videos coming!!
Use hacksaw on BX and be sure to install anti short bushings
My previous house was built in 1949 its the same 1/2 (inside diameter) flexible thick walled metal conduit!
22:03 "You'd be bleeding out the knuckles @ this point if you're not wearing gloves"
So true..
I suggest carbide holesaws designed for knockouts spring loaded and eject the slug, also just a knock-out tool makes the larger holes so much easier
Yep - proper tool for the job. Knock-out punches are not expensive and make the job easy.
I can't count the number of times I've tried to explain to people how the "Electricity always takes the path of least resistance" is wrong and dangerous. It's one myth I wish would go away.
Thank you for doing these videos. Very helpful…
Replaced the original panel in my house a few years ago, it had 2 breakers(40 & 50 amp) on either side of the mains coming in, so they were not on the main breaker. A couple shared breakers, and a power shedding box above it with the range, dryer, and water heater on mercury switches. It was 200A service but only about 10 circuits available, not much bigger than the panel you have here.
Not happy that you have problems, however, I am glad to see I am not the only one that does. And I like seeing that it happens to an electrician so we can see how they deal with it. So there might be some slight feelings of "Schadenfreude". Not as in joy or happiness, but in some self satisfaction knowing I am not the only one that experiences these snafus. Now if I could just figure out where my screw driver walks off to, the minute I set it down, that would be one of my many problems solved. Takes me 2 hours to install one GFCI, even when the box is surface mounted and not flush because of little issues along the way, that quickly become a big headache and disappearing tools that are NO WHERE to be seen around where I was just working.
Then I find out that my Romex, coated with a cloth like silver sheathing is asbestos. With my luck, I probably inhaled it and now I know why the electrician talked me out of rewiring my home after seeing it. THEY did that change order but, it favored me because I didn't have to spend $28,000 on a rewire. I plan to rewire it myself some day and I'll probably have the industrial look throughout with conduit and extension boxes over the wall boxes, as I don't plan on tearing down walls.
One trick I learned when securing something with threading that's fighting you, is to use some Dawn dish soap as lubrication. It's non flammable like oil would be. I learned the hard way... Like don't spray a bug zapper with WD40 when the grid is rusted. I was 10 years old and thought I knew everything.
It's funny that here in Brazil we used to have "NEMA breakers" in the past, at least everybody calls them that, but I've NEVER seen this type of "snap on" breaker in my whole life. Indeed, they look very "NEMA", but they had connections in both ends, meaning you had to energize every single breaker on the panel.
Excellent video. Only question is the uninsulated neutral to the other subpanel: won't it be grounded simply because it will touch the panel casing?
For a small service i believe its best to upgrade the panel with equipment having similar dimensions
NICE VIDEO AND VERY GOOD EXPLANATION.
Just came off a side job doing this. I felt that when you said “ you’d be bleeding at the knuckles without gloves “ …that was me …bleeding 😢
Sorry to hear it! Thanks for hanging in there anyway and getting the job done.
45:39 is it ok to cut that AFCI neutral pig tail shorter so you don't have a bunch of coils of wire in your panel?
You are fine trimming that stud, it is not a load bearing, will be no issue.
0.9mm PENTEL is my favourite pencil…always sharp and thick enough lead not to break easily.
By far my fav pencil.
Around 20:00, the wall is made of…? lath & plaster? With drywall, I like to use a utility knife to score the outline outline early on. This gives a nice edge and prevents tearing the paper further.
Thank you for sharing. I enjoy and learn from your videos.
Great job! I do wish you had brushed off that brick dust.
Thank you for the video. May I ask a different electric question? My house's main feed is 100 Amp to a small size (12 slots) sub-panel with 24 breaker circuits. Is it possible to replace it with a large panel (30 slots) with a 100 Amp Master breaker? I heard the large panel equips with 200 Amp bus. Is it OK?
+ they make bx cutters or rotow-zip cutters. Tin snips can damage wire
I've dealt with the aluminum Romex. That stuff sucks. Replaced everything with new copper cables.
"BX" is a trade name for Type AC cable. This cable type is not discontinued as you say, but Type MC cable has become vastly more popular for its dedicated copper EGC.
Oh very interesting! Despite the vastly varying properties of the insulation they're still calling it the same thing?
@@ElectricProAcademy Type AC cable is covered by Article 320. The conductors contained within can be anything listed in Table 310.4(A). Obviously the rubber-covered RH insulation within Type AC cable is unlikely to be for sale anymore, but it does not change the designation of the cable type. Type AC cable is subject to adjustment factors, de-rating, and temperature correction depending on whether it is encapsulated in insulation, and depending on the type of conductors within the interlocking tape. I would not be inclined to replace this wiring method in your house based merely on the conductor condition inside the cabinet. You have a robust cable with a first-generation ECG built in! And I would be fairly judicious in eliminating any K&T depending on its condition, proximity to insulation, and the load served. I have a little bit left in my bedroom lighting and receptacle outlets, and I'm not in any big hurry to replace it. They route back to a 120V fuse block equipped with Type S fuse adapters, and the line side of the fuse block is fed by a dual-function circuit breaker at the main panel.
I've always heard them called anti-shorts. The red head that inserts into the MC to prevent the wire from being nicked and shorted out.
You did not need a main breaker panel and are you installing arc fault breakers and GFI breakers since you’re upgrading the panel
do you need a main breaker panel for a sub panel, or can a main lug panel be used?
Watching this makes me happy that my panel isn't mounted in a wall.
Thanks for the video. I'm two years behind, did you ever do the whole house electrical upgrade?
The pen should really only be used to confirm you have energy, not the opposite! Use your multimeter!
Which do you think is stronger, the 3/8" of wood you removed? Or the steel you added in its place? (Answer: Steel by far). Just make sure you tie it in well to the box. (Still only half way through)
Thanks for the great video!