Somebody quoted you a service upgrade before they had looked at the panel. Get a second look, and get the number first.
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 real: whether the service is overhead or underground, whether the meter or the mast moves, how many circuits get re landed, and whether the service entrance cable is being replaced.
- Panel replacements, service upgrades and dedicated circuits
- Free estimate, price agreed before work starts
- Licensed and insured, NJ #19320
Paperwork first, wire second.
He looks at the panel and at what you run
Not at the year on the label. The question is what the house draws and what you are about to add to it, which is the only thing that decides whether the service is big enough.
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
Old panel out, new one in, circuits landed and labelled so the next person can read it. His photo further down this page is what that looks like finished.
Inspection, then the utility
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.
Two new panels, side by side, labelled so somebody else can read them.
His own photograph of his own job. Old panel out, new gear in, and every circuit landed and labelled so the next person who opens that door can read it.
Before you say yes to a panel.
Real questions, taken off the forums and inspection sites where homeowners ask them, with a link to where each one 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 RedditMy house has a hundred amp service. Is that still legal?
Yes, if it is what is there. What the code will not let anyone install today is less than one hundred amps on a new one family dwelling, so a house that already sits on sixty amps is a different question from a new one, and it could not be built that way today. Whether you need two hundred is a separate question and it is arithmetic, not age.
The code text on UpCodesMy panel is full. Do I need a new one just to add a circuit?
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?
Here is the honest version. 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 releaseWhat actually makes one panel job cost more than another?
No number here, 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)