Electric meter from hell (for shop)

Hi, I am about to start the electric refit part of my shop project, see:

http://www/moorecad.com/scott/shopz.html My electric system in the house consists of a main panel with two breaker positions in it, a 100 amp for the main subpanel, and a 30 amp for a pool motor subpanel in the back that was clearly added on later.

According to everything I have read, 100amp is bare minimum for construction nowdays, so clearly my home's builder cheaped out big time.

Anyways, I called up PG&E in California to ask for advice on if I needed to upgrade the meter. They told me I had to give them a $1200 deposit for them to talk to me at all, which I consider outrageous. They won't give me any details on what they want the money for, what curcumstances I get it back, nothing. They would not even tell me what amp rating my current meter is.

Has anyone sucessfully gone through a meter upgrade in California ? How much did the new meter cost, and did you get your deposit back ?

It can't be that uncommon. A hot tub or a pool will easily push you over a 100amp service feed. I am beginning to wonder if my pool motors are even legal.

What I want to do is add a new subpanel, say another 100 amp panel, and move the pool to that, so that I would have two 100 amp breakers in the main panel.

Thanks for any advice from people who have been there and done this.

====================================================== By the way, for all of you home builders who think it is ok to build homes to the minimum required code standards to save a few bucks, don't worry. I am in the software industry, and we are returning the favor :)

Reply to
Scott Moore
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Hmm. Sounds like they need a swift slap upside the head. Maybe you should short out a panel and see if the meter blows with, then you'll get a new meter of known ampacity and no stupid deposit...

Of course they'll probably bill you for something a bit more exorbitant, and of course I'm tired and just spewing BS... ;^)

Tim

-- In the immortal words of Ned Flanders: "No foot longs!" Website @

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Reply to
Tim Williams

construction

You can actually add as much electrical load as you want to your supply. The problem will only arise when your DEMAND Exceeds 100A or 30A depending on the breaker. This may or may not happen very often. Depends upon the life style of you and your family. As I see it, your problem is the breakers not the meter itself. Meters are easy to get changed for free. I'm in UK so cannot comment on US systems in detail. However, a possibility would be to connect your shop to the pool breaker via a change over switch and not use the pool motors when your woodworking. Does a pool really need it's motors running all of the time? Just remember to switch back when you have finished or risk the wrath of the family. $1200 does sound rather high but the supply company will have to check what effect your increased load will have on their distribution network. Can it handle the extra? That's not always a simple job but $1200 still sounds high. The problem is that they are probably in a monopoly situation so you pay up or don't do it.

John

Reply to
John Manders

Apart from PG&E's reprehensible response I wouldn't be too bothered. I frequently need to run my home from my generator and typically only dissipate 1 to 2 KW steady state (8 to 15 amps.) Even with my well, furnace and clothes dryer running I'm well below 100 KW.

For a single person shop where only one large tool plus a dust collector runs at a time you're fine.

Phil

Tim Williams wrote:

Reply to
Phil

...

They would not even tell me what amp rating my current meter is.

...

If you look at your meter face, you should see the current rating. It may be embedded in a part number, but it should be there.

If you can't figure it out, post a close up of the meter face on your web site.

The meter rating is less than the sum of the total breaker size, as it is highly unlikely that every single circuit is going to be loaded to its maximum rating simultaneously. For example, our house has a 200A meter which splits and feeds two load centers, each with a 150A main breaker.

Jack

Reply to
Jack Smith

Your description doesn't seem complete. Is there a MAIN breaker, one that controls everything? What's on the MAIN panel and what's on the MAIN SUBPANEL?

If you have room for a double breaker in one of the panels, preferably the main panel, just put a new sub in the shop. 50 A would be nice...6 ga wire, like for a stove. You will rarely exceed 30 A at 240V in a shop. That will do a saw, big DC, and lights. It will also run a home size stick welder.

As someone has pointed out, the statistics of loading help you. Rarely, if ever, do many of the big loads come on at the same time.

Remember you may want to consider the code. More and more people are having to undergo an inspection when they try to sell a house and any good inspector will pick up noncode electrical stuff. I expect CA is bad about this.

Wilson

construction

Reply to
Wilson Lamb

I run my entire shop through a 30 amp breaker out of my main box to a sub panel in the garage. I do have #4 lines running to the shop. If I run the RAS, dust collector, band saw, and balloon sander at the same time and the compressor kicks on I have been known to trip the breaker...

Reply to
Rumpty

It works better as:

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After looking at your page I have trouble understanding how the builder got the garage through inspection. I really can't see how that might be acceptable per code. But you're doing the right thing in how you're fixing it, and you're eliminating structural problems that you would have had later.

Reply to
Russ Kepler

construction

A couple of points:

1) I have seen a number of homes with 30 or 60 amp main panels. 100A is generally enough and is fairly common.

2) I upgraded my service in California (SF Bay Area) two years ago going from 100A to 200A. There was no deposit necessary and no cost for the new meter. Dealing with PG&E was no problem. You have to call them to cut power from their main to where ever the power enters your house. They will either just cut the lines or perhaps run new ones if necessary. Then you install your new panel and do your work. Once it is inspected they will pop the new meter in. In my case I trashed the original panel (installed in the 1940's) so if you are just adding a sub-panel, the sequence of events may be different. Try calling PG&E again and see if you get someone else more reasonable. I've usually found them to be quite helpful.

3) From my main I have a 100A subpanel to run the kitchen and laundry appliances. This requires some big cable, but it is not difficult to do.

-Jack

Reply to
JackD

You might want to consider not telling the why you want to upgrade. They may have been quoting you commercial prices.

I'm on the other side of the continent, but I upgraded from 60A to 200A three years ago for around $1200. This included a new meter base w/6 breaker slots and a whole house surge suppressor in the same box as well as a 40 breaker 200A sub panel in the basement. All done by a commercial electrician. YMMV

Reply to
keith bowers

I haven't read all the responces to both of your posts . I also had no idea that the meters have to match the load , even if you wanted to change the 100 to 150 you would have to get the Elc. Co. out to shut it off .

I would just do it until your main kicks off and then you know that you can't live with just a 100 amps. at one time. The pool shouldn't run anywhere near that. Got a swim spa with three 2 HP pumps on it? That's maybe 60amps.

How many machines do you want to run at the same time? Granted , if you have alot of motors on with the main turned off and go to reset it, it won't. My house has a 100 main and have never tripped it. Its possible that you could have the AC , machine tools, washer/dryer, dish washer, pool, lights, TV's , ect. all on at the same time and kick that main , but you must like big bills or plan on manufacturing stuff in your shop.

Maybe get a friend to call and ask if you can have the meter pulled so that you can install the bigger breaker and go from there. Got me , I had a tree come down and bend the weather head and the power company installed a whole new box on my house for free .

All I know for sure is that a "pool" or "spa" should only cost you around $25 a month , so it can't possibly be pulling that kind of amps.

Do you have room for another breaker?

Reply to
Sunworshiper

Reply to
Wilson Lamb

construction

Power companies do not live by the same rules as the rest of the world. Where I live, (YMMV) you simply install your new, larger, service entrance equipment, get your electrical inspection, and then call the power company to hook it up. They may well connect their very same old conductors to your new, thicker, service entrance conductors and then plug the same old meter into your new socket. As long as you have no problems, don't worry about it!

Vaughn

Reply to
Vaughn

Yea, I considered that. I gather, however, that a breaker is going to trip in the "hidden" side of the meter.

My main fuse blower seems to be the welder. However, the walls are off. Now is the time in case I want to put the electric furnance in later or whatever.

Not sure why people here are saying about pull the meter. I removed and replaced the main breaker hot. No big deal.

There are two breakers in the main panel, both occupied. The pool would have to move to a subpanel if I went that route.

Reply to
Scott Moore

Not to lecture, but if you (or anyone) have the idea that putting a bigger breaker in to solve trips is a good idea, you are basically removing the wire protection that was the goal of the breaker if you do that. The breaker is matched to wire size. Put a bigger breaker in, now you have exceeded the amps allowable on that wire. Exceed it by a lot, you have a fire.

Reply to
Scott Moore

But, since has #4 wire the a safe maximum breaker is 70 to 95 amps depending on insulation class.

Phil

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Reply to
Phil

You're absolutely right. You SHOULDN'T lecture without checking your facts.

He states he's got FOUR GUAGE WIRE running to the shop. And a 30 amp breaker.

#4 wire is adequate for an EIGHTY AMP circuit.

Replacing the existing THIRTY AMP breaker, even with one _twice_ the rating, would *NOT* exceed the allowable current for that #4 wiring.

Agreed, that putting in a breaker that is larger than the rating for the wire is a BAD IDEA(TM), but it _doesn't_ apply in this case.

He'd have to have a run of #10 wire, for the wire limit to be 30A.

Reply to
Robert Bonomi

There should be nothing there .

I didn't get a picture from the site. So , you are kicking that main

100 ...

You don't want to do that. Bad idea.

I've worked on hot hot tubs and 50 amps. it will kill you if your not very experienced or fast and never let your gaurd down. Even then , it gets real scary . Doing the main has no cut off at all , not olny will you die you'll fry. I can't count the times I've thrown pliers and try to go up so you have time to recover and still see where they landed. The group will tell you your dead for sure on a 15 amp. - Anyhow, don't do that !

Sounds from the other newer posts that you need that 200 upgrade. Run off the pool and set the timer for 2am - 6 am , unless you work in the shop at those times. I was thinking you could get the elec. guy to just switch the meter from the truck and get it on. But, maybe in Cal. they want to run a bigger line from the pole , thus that $1200...

I run very thick wire to the point that you have to get close to it to get it in the breaker not something you want to do hot at all.

I'm serious , don't play with the main hot. I cringe flipping it off and have many times on the job and then be blasted by someone back feeding.

maybe , I'm mixing you up with someone else , call who built your shop.

Reply to
Sunworshiper

And the ironic part is, it's only $20 to $50 more for the larger

200A panel, and for one house it's nothing - better to leave room for future expansion now. But to the builder putting up 100 or 1,000 houses at a crack, that can quickly add up to some serious money.

When you want to jump to a 400A panel is when it gets expensive.

That's something I do every few months, takes a few hours to round up the parts and mark the circuits, a full day to do the work, and sometimes a few hours to close the wall back up and pretty it up.

If there are any questions about legality, you are supposed to call the City and Edison first for a "meter spotter" to see if they want you to move the service elsewhere on the house - but that usually only happens for placing new services on new houses, or if the old service drop goes over a swimming pool or another person's property, and can be skipped for a simple panel change.

We swap the panels out, pull a permit and call the city for inspection, and after it passes inspection Edison deals with any service feeder or meter changes, and for no charge since they are responsible for the meter and wire from the meter back. (Except for aerial services where you are responsible for the risers.)

From

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it looks like a GE

100A underground panel - you can usually slide a 200A panel into the same spot, though they're usually several inches taller. Then put in a 100A breaker to feed the subpanel inside the house, a 30A breaker for the pool sub, and you'll have a Whole Lot of extra breaker spaces for all the shop equipment to plug into.

I'm surprised they did it as a "Meter Main" and separate house sub-panel on a tract house with an attached garage, the builders usually try to cheap out and use an "All-In-One" setup with all the romex cables for the house running in a wood/drywall chase across the garage ceiling straight to the main panel. Cheaper to build, yes - but a real pain in the ass to deal with later...

The best custom houses have several small sub-panels scattered around various corners of the house near the loads they feed. That way all cable runs are short and easy, and future additions and changes are easier also. And the tripped kitchen-circuit breaker is only a short walk from the kitchen.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Thanks for the info. I need to redo the wiring in my 1960's house to avoid an increase in insurance rates. It makes sense to me to have several subpanels instead of the single box.

-- Mark

Reply to
Mark Jerde

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