Somebody quoted you a service upgrade before they had opened the panel door, so a second look costs nothing and the number comes before the work.
Whether a house needs two hundred amps is a load calculation against what is actually in it, and it depends far more on what you are adding than on how old the box is. Chris looks at the panel and at what the house runs, tells you which of the two answers is yours, and tells you the price before the panel comes off the wall. What moves that price is whether the service comes in overhead or underground, whether the meter or the mast has to move, how many circuits get re landed, and whether the service entrance cable is being replaced.
- A second look before you say yes, and it costs nothing
- Free estimate, price agreed before work starts
- Licensed and insured, NJ #19320
The permit goes in before anything comes off the wall.
He looks at the panel and at what you run
The year on the label is not what decides it. What decides it is what the house draws and what you are about to add to it, and that is the whole calculation.
The permit goes in
In New Jersey a panel or service change is permitted work through your municipal construction office, and the permit is the owner's property. The application is made by the owner or by the contractor acting for them.
The work happens with the power off
The old panel comes out, the new one goes in, and every circuit gets landed and labelled so the next person who opens that door can read it. His photo further down this page is that job finished.
The town inspects it before the meter goes back on
There is a municipal electrical inspection before the meter goes back to normal, and the close out is a Certificate of Approval. It is worth knowing the order, because the last step is not yours or his.
These are the two panels he put in, labelled so the next person who opens that door can read them.
He took this photo on his own job. The old panel is gone, the new gear is in, and every circuit is landed and labelled.
Before you say yes to a panel.
Every question here is one somebody actually asked on a forum or an inspection site, and each answer links to where it was asked.
Two electricians told me different things about whether I need an upgrade. Who is right?
The one who did the calculation. Whether a service is adequate is a load calculation against what the house actually runs, not a rule of thumb about the age of the box, and it depends mostly on what you are adding. Anyone who names the answer before they have seen the panel and the loads is guessing, and it is reasonable to say so to their face.
The original question on RedditThe panel needs doing and I cannot afford it right now. What are my options?
Find out where you stand, because a free look costs nothing and it settles the question. A panel that is a known bad brand and a panel that is failing tonight are two different emergencies. Not every old panel has to go this month, and anybody who says it does before they have opened the door is selling you something. If yours is the urgent kind he will say so and tell you the cost. If it is not, you get to plan it.
InspectAPedia diagnostic notesI have a hundred amp service. Do I need to upgrade it?
Not because of its age, and a hundred amp service that is there and working is allowed to stay. What the code will not let anyone install today is less than a hundred amps on a new one family dwelling, so an older house sitting on sixty amps is a different question from a new one. Whether you need two hundred is arithmetic on what you are adding, not a rule about how old the box is.
The code text on UpCodesMy breaker box is full. Can I add tandem breakers or do I need a sub panel?
Not necessarily, and there are three answers in order of cost. Some panels are listed for tandem breakers and the label inside the door says so, which is the cheap answer when it applies. Otherwise it is a sub panel, or a service upgrade if the service itself is the limit. Plenty of panels have tandems fitted where the label does not allow them, which is worth checking before anything is added to it.
The original thread on DIY ChatroomI have a Federal Pacific panel. Does it actually have to go?
The Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated Federal Pacific breakers in 1980, confirmed that samples failed certain UL calibration test requirements, and closed the investigation in 1983 saying the data did not establish a serious risk. It revised that release in 2011 specifically to say that closing it was not a determination that the panels are safe. There was never a recall. Separately, a New Jersey court found the manufacturer had violated the state's Consumer Fraud Act. That claims process closed years ago and no money is available now, so treat anyone who suggests otherwise carefully. What is fair to say is that nobody ever cleared these panels, and that replacement breakers for a manufacturer that no longer exists are their own problem.
The CPSC releaseI got a quote for a service upgrade and it seems high. What makes one panel job cost more than another?
There is no number on this page, because he prices the job in front of him and the estimate is free. What moves it is whether the service comes in overhead or underground, whether the meter or the mast has to move, how many circuits have to be re landed, whether the service entrance cable is being replaced, and what the municipal permit costs in your town. You get the figure before the work, and it is the figure.
The NJ DCA guidance (PDF)