help me with my subpanel

[greenmatter]

wow ...... i thought the first panel was bad (anyone else wondering why there are two wires in the top left breaker?). the second box, like another member already mentioned is a POS. hard to tell from a picture but it looks like you may have a neutral or two in there that is getting or has gotten pretty hot.

do you have one of those laser thermometers? if you do you should check temps in all those boxes (every breaker, wire and lug) when they have a load on them. that can tell you a lot about how critical your situation is.

you need more help than you are going to be able to get from any of us ...... i think that there is more than one person who has answered you that could fix all your problems but it would be impossible (and dangerous) to try and talk you through a project like that.

you have a very large clusterfuck on your hands brother ..... and if the rest of your system looks anything like the panels you have not found all the shitty workmanship yet.

 

[cocktail frank]

50a and 40a breakers with #10 awg wire on them.
not to mention the federal pacific "fire starter" panel.
you'd be lucky to actually have a federal pacific breaker pop asfter all these years.
you almost have every component you need there to start a fire.
all you have to do is overload them circuits and.....
ooofah!

 

[jungliedunglies]

Yeah, it's a bad dealy...you guys all nailed it, not that you needed me to tell you that.

What frank just said resonates with my experience with that stuff there. You might as well just have things under giant wirenuts in that first panel. Be about the same amount of overcurrent protection as you have there now. If anyone out there is on FPE breakers, take a TO and fix that asap.

 

[wisco61]

Maybe the best advice is to get renter's insurance and start a paper trail of art purchases.

 

[Rowdy420]

Get an electrician to upgrade that mess to a 200 amp panel or find somewhere else to grow, I wouldn't trust that set-up. Darwin is watching!

Good luck, Peace

 

[cannacoob]

Get an electrician to upgrade that mess to a 200 amp panel or find somewhere else to grow, I wouldn't trust that set-up. Darwin is watching!

Good luck, Peace

how much should i expect to pay for this and what all would be involved? would it be advisable to find an electrician willing to do this as a side job vs. paying for an expensive contractor?

 

[cocktail frank]

all depends on where you live.
prices vary state to state.
you could buy everything you need to do a standard overhead SEU drop for around $500.
but thats if you know how to do it.
otherwise i'd say no lower than $1200.
i would do a 200a service for 1k for a real good friend.

don't pay more than 2k tho, unless your service is a mile long.
the longer the runs, the more $ u spend on wire.
all ridgid or pvc service will cost you a little more.
like i said, it all depends on your situation, which i cant see.

 

[rives]

Get an electrician to upgrade that mess to a 200 amp panel or find somewhere else to grow, I wouldn't trust that set-up. Darwin is watching!

Good luck, Peace

Fuck that. I'd put the grow there and find somewhere else to sleep!

Seriously though, I think that you are looking at substantially more than a service change. You mentioned that you had a mix of knob & tube and romex - if you can see that in the attic, what do you suppose might be hiding in the walls? I don't see where you've said if you are renting or buying, but it looks like several thousand dollars to me. You've mentioned an outside service, a well, outbuildings and a house that needs a complete rewire. If you are renting, I would look for something else, particularly if you have family in that firetrap.

 

[cannacoob]

Fuck that. I'd put the grow there and find somewhere else to sleep!

Seriously though, I think that you are looking at substantially more than a service change. You mentioned that you had a mix of knob & tube and romex - if you can see that in the attic, what do you suppose might be hiding in the walls? I don't see where you've said if you are renting or buying, but it looks like several thousand dollars to me. You've mentioned an outside service, a well, outbuildings and a house that needs a complete rewire. If you are renting, I would look for something else, particularly if you have family in that firetrap.

i'm renting from an in-law who lives out of state and would possibly pay for upgrading the electrical. just to clarify, the barn, outbuilding, & well are no longer needing to be powered or rewired because they are gone. this is an older property and all that's left is the main house.

it's a 2 story pier & beam house approx 3000 sq ft. and has these electrical needs: dishwasher, electric hot water heater, washer/dryer, 2 fridges, microwave, 6 window unit a/c's (some are 110v, some 220v), gas stove & heat, basic lighting and small appliances.

how much would it cost for a total rewire vs. just upgrading the service to 200 amp? how can i tell what service i currently have?

 

[rives]

Nobody is going to be able to give you a realistic estimate on here without seeing the house. From what you are describing, my wild-ass-guess on the service upgrade would be in the vicinity of $1500-2000, and the re-wire could be easily that much again and possibly far more. Variables would include: does the crawl space and the attic have enough headroom to be easily worked in, is it insulated and if so is it blown-in insulation, are the walls insulated, is there fire-blocking in the walls, would it be acceptable to run conduit on the outside of the house, etc, etc. There are simply too many things that could impact the price to take a stab at it. Your best bet would be to get in touch with several contractors and get detailed bids, then spend a lot of time researching what they are selling you.

 

[greenmatter]

find a good sparky to fix what needs to be fixed now NOW! (new box) and then start reading books and doing the re-wire on your own. get the good sparky to give your landlord a bid on what the whole job would cost if he did it .... and cut a deal with the landlord. a good electrician will cover his ass on the bid, so if you are willing to put in some sweat and do things the right way you both win. or the landlord can leave you out of it and roll out the checkbook (which may be a good idea)

if you have a good electrician put the new panel in the rest is just going from point a to point b and hooking up to the breaker........ that can be a VERY time consuming thing to do, but the rules are simple enough.

how good are you with your hands canna? do you know your way around a construction site?

seeing what i have seen in your pics i would not be growing in that house! if you have a fire they will blame it on you no matter what caused it ....... stay safe brother

 

[FCDobbs]

Dude,
Im an electrician and have been since 1985 and I wouldn't live in that house. That mess has got to be cleaned up. Wires are, hot or have been breakers have been hot and may no longer work. Send your relatives those pics. If they give two shits about their house they will get it cleaned up. I would defiantly NOT be doin a grow in that mess.
Be safe and let us know how it turns out.

Good luck

 

[RomulusUSA]

The thing that concerns me straight away is junction boxes, and if you can find them all when doing the re-wiring. I'd find a good electrician and go from there.