Upgrading from 110 voltage to 200 amp. What size panel do I need?

Powertech

Powertech

Well-Known Member
farmingfisherman said:
I'm thinking for safety. Honestly if I was given permission to use the entire room for growing it's only 10 x 10 or maybe 12. With 8 foot ceilings to I'd likely only use half that. Maybe a 5x10 tent with proper space for all the equipment. I'm thinking max would be maybe 3000 watts with the lights and other necessary items. I want to be able to expand if things were to shine.
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1 year ago I started with 1 tent and a 500 actual watt half blurple half 5000k COB, only used for Veg before I started upgrading. I now have 5 tents (although one is a tiny clone seedling tent), and a total of 3175 actual Watts (1240 of it i built). I already had 2 circuits in my garage, so i ran 2 more. With my fans, blowers, and portable A/C I'm pulling about 5000watts. When i first started my wife thought the 500Watt light was a little overboard. She doesn't come in the garage anymore

EDIT: I am only pulling that much at night when the power is much cheaper, and the A/C only during the summer. Technically I still have some power to spare on the 4 circuits, but don't ever go to 100% of rated, good way to burn your house down
 
farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
Powertech said:
1 year ago I started with 1 tent and a 500 actual watt half blurple half 5000k COB, only used for Veg before I started upgrading. I now have 5 tents (although one is a tiny clone seedling tent), and a total of 3175 actual Watts (1240 of it i built). I already had 2 circuits in my garage, so i ran 2 more. With my fans, blowers, and portable A/C I'm pulling about 5000watts. When i first started my wife thought the 500Watt light was a little overboard. She doesn't come in the garage anymore

EDIT: I am only pulling that much at night when the power is much cheaper, and the A/C only during the summer. Technically I still have some power to spare on the 4 circuits, but don't ever go to 100% of rated, good way to burn your house down
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What's that cost you approximately a month during peak run times, ie lights and AC Sounds impressive!
 
farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
So spoke with the contractor who is doing the panel. Nope they won't redo all the old wiring. But they will be putting in a new breaker box and are willing to move it to a interior wall for us which frees up some much needed kitchen wall space. So seems now I have to either learn to pull wires or pay someone else to do it. They said they would do it but it would be close to $8000 grand.
 
farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
New panel scheduled for this week. Today I removed the drywall floor to ceiling so that the electrical connectors from the current box can be jumped to where the new panel is being installed.
 
getogrow

getogrow

Well-Known Member
your saving at least a grand.... and that is "cheap". I'd say closer to 2k.
8k is a lil high to rewire what you have but its not abnormal to charge that. You should be able to find someone who knows what they are doing for around 2k or less to rewire everything you have. There is a major price range in that job because its mostly labor. 1000 would be super cheap and 10k would be high....
You will not save any money by running your stuff at 220 volts but its more efficient overall. Its nothing you will see but on things like fans , they might last a couple years longer.
 
P

PizzaBob

Active Member
8k is way too high. 2k with the permit is fair.
But back to a couple terms. There’s no such thing as a 200a service or a 100a service. You have a socket that’s rated at an amperage like 200a then u have the service conductor. Yours looked like 4TX. In regards to ampacity there won’t be an issue from the power company stand point but they may demand that the service conductors are upgraded along with the transformer. The issue there is voltage drop and flicker. And the rated capacity of the transformer. And how many other services it feeds. There’s a max length conductors can span overhead. Probably 130 fir 4TX and 80 for 1/0 or 3/0. So sometimes they force u to take an UG service. Utilities follow the NESC and you will follow NEC. Upgrades to the x-fer and service conductors are often free if you tell them you are adding load. Is this a rec state?
 
farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
PizzaBob said:
8k is way too high. 2k with the permit is fair.
But back to a couple terms. There’s no such thing as a 200a service or a 100a service. You have a socket that’s rated at an amperage like 200a then u have the service conductor. Yours looked like 4TX. In regards to ampacity there won’t be an issue from the power company stand point but they may demand that the service conductors are upgraded along with the transformer. The issue there is voltage drop and flicker. And the rated capacity of the transformer. And how many other services it feeds. There’s a max length conductors can span overhead. Probably 130 fir 4TX and 80 for 1/0 or 3/0. So sometimes they force u to take an UG service. Utilities follow the NESC and you will follow NEC. Upgrades to the x-fer and service conductors are often free if you tell them you are adding load. Is this a rec state?
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Is a rec state. All I know is currently we have 110 service with fuses. They are putting in a new panel which will be whatever new construction standards are. Also raising the height where the line comes into the house. The fact that the fuses will be replaced with a breaker box and that the location will be out of our kitchen is a win for us. As far as wiring they will not replace old wire but does sound like they will put in ground fault interrupters where needed which will be helpful.
 
getogrow

getogrow

Well-Known Member
farmingfisherman said:
Is a rec state. All I know is currently we have 110 service with fuses. They are putting in a new panel which will be whatever new construction standards are. Also raising the height where the line comes into the house. The fact that the fuses will be replaced with a breaker box and that the location will be out of our kitchen is a win for us. As far as wiring they will not replace old wire but does sound like they will put in ground fault interrupters where needed which will be helpful.
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They wont be able to put in GFCI outlets until you run grounds to your old wiring. A gfci outlet cannot function properly without a ground.
Im going to try an clear this up real quick. ANY new service , weather it be 100 amp or 200 amp or 400 amp ect.... will be safe and up to code. With you being all gas , you do not need a 200 amp service but you may get one free ....no big deal. Great for the future!
They can run you a tiny 60 amp breaker box and it would still be up to code. Its not the numbers that matter , its the new wires , boxes ect..
That being said , they are not going to put less then a 100 amp in your home. That is plenty of power for that size home. You probably never use more then 20 amps ish.
Your current setup is a 60 amp service only ran at 120 volts. (very uncommon and not safe) Your fuse box is rated for 240 volts. Somebody just decided to obsolete one of the 120 wires going to the home.
When they are done , you will be able to run whatever you want wherever you want. (with proper wires ran to the new panel) You will have PLENTY of extra space in the box for upgrades.
 
getogrow

getogrow

Well-Known Member
GFCI outlets are overrated in my opinion but im NOT the man making the codes. i stand by whatever they want.
That being said , you will need a gfci outlet protecting any outlets within 6 ft of a water source. (so two in the kitchen and one in the bath)
Some places require a gfci to the washing machine. i never put one on the washing machine myself unless the inspector wants to see it.
 
farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
getogrow said:
They wont be able to put in GFCI outlets until you run grounds to your old wiring. A gfci outlet cannot function properly without a ground.
Im going to try an clear this up real quick. ANY new service , weather it be 100 amp or 200 amp or 400 amp ect.... will be safe and up to code. With you being all gas , you do not need a 200 amp service but you may get one free ....no big deal. Great for the future!
They can run you a tiny 60 amp breaker box and it would still be up to code. Its not the numbers that matter , its the new wires , boxes ect..
That being said , they are not going to put less then a 100 amp in your home. That is plenty of power for that size home. You probably never use more then 20 amps ish.
Your current setup is a 60 amp service only ran at 120 volts. (very uncommon and not safe) Your fuse box is rated for 240 volts. Somebody just decided to obsolete one of the 120 wires going to the home.
When they are done , you will be able to run whatever you want wherever you want. (with proper wires ran to the new panel) You will have PLENTY of extra space in the box for upgrades.
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I feel like the house has some stuff that may have been DIY from the original owner. Garage has conduit running to it and inside there is another fuse box with a diagram that suggest the fuses run appliances in the kitchen. I guess the original fuse box in the house wasn't large enough. Hoping everything can be combined into one. Times have changed since 1947.
 

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farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
farmingfisherman said:
I feel like the house has some stuff that may have been DIY from the original owner. Garage has conduit running to it and inside there is another fuse box with a diagram that suggest the fuses run appliances in the kitchen. I guess the original fuse box in the house wasn't large enough. Hoping everything can be combined into one. Times have changed since 1947.
Click to expand...
Make that three. Forgot about this next to the furnace.
 

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