100 amp house main to 200 amp

[GSX]

yea i am buying a house now and has a 2 car garage and the house has a 100 amp main that's all and garage don't have electric in it. So what i want to know is how do i need to change the 100amp to 200amp? The old 100amp is the screw in type fuses in the old days.

In my garage i will have 80 gallon compressor and lights. Also stereo and other things i will need. I will also need to insulate the ceiling and walls. Any help on this will be great i am not a electrician so i know i will hire one.

 

[C96]

i am not a electrician so i know i will hire one.

Problem solved

 

[adcrawfo]

New meter, main and whatever wiring that's needed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mustang51js]

I would definetly change the panel, how many fuses do you have in your panel

 

[bwh]

You will need to contact your local electric utility and request a service upgrade, chances are the meter loop and secondary wire leading to the house are also in the 100 amp range.

Next would be changing out your main panel, this isn't such a big project and your electrician will be able to handle it in short notice. The only thing I may add is depending on how far the garage is located from the main panel it could be cheaper to install an additional 100 amp sub panel feed off the main panel in the garage cutting down the lengths of runs to the garage. Plus if you ever want to add more 240 volt equipment (welders, grinders, plainer, etc.) it would be easy and affordable to make the runs.

I might add that if you have to buy light fixtures you should consider LED lighting. It is very inexpensive to run plus the LED's last a very long time and give out excellent light. You should check in with your electric provider as many of them are offering rebates for installing energy efficient fixtures. In my state you can receive up to $50.00 per fixture.

 

[GSX]

Ok thank you i just don't know were to start and who to contact first. And im not in the new house yet so im kinda planning ahead. I know it has gas stove no dryer hook up and the light hook ups. it had garbage disposal. I would say the garage is about 50 to 75 feet away from main maybe a bit more.

I know i will need 220 for my 60 gallon compressor. i want to get 80 soon. I will also need 220 for a welder on separate line when i have my friends welder. Then of course all the lights and stereo, fridge, and whatever else i need plug ins for. I know i will do some on my own with my buddys help but after i need to have inspector come and ok the work right?

 

[TheMarshall24]

I also have a 100 amp screw in fuse type panel in the house. I knew I could not get enough power to my garage for what I had planed. So when I built my 26 x 30 garage with 12 x 30 loft i put in a 200 amp panel with its own line. It only costs 12 dollars a month plus the power you use and my bill has never been over 49 for 2 months. I have 2-220 volt lines for my mig welder and electric boiler with plans on a 220 compressor. I have more than enough power and don't regret putting in the 200 amp panel. Electric boiler is in the process of being hooked up.

 

[GYPSY400]

The old 100amp is the screw in type fuses in the old days.

In my garage i will have 80 gallon compressor and lights. Also stereo and other things i will need. I will also need to insulate the ceiling and walls. Any help on this will be great i am not a electrician so i know i will hire one.

I hope that when you negotiate price on the home that you take this old panel in account and get a lower closing price... you should upgrade this panel to at least a 100A breaker style. 200A would be ideal, but there is a lot more cost as the wire from the road may have to be replaced.

My garage is wired for 100A, but my house is still only 100A, so I am currently feeding the garage with a 60A breaker. It may be all the power I need, so I am going to play it by ear for now.. If I do get breaker pops, I will then upgrade my panel to 200A, but not before.

 

[W0rLDWaR4]

Great information here, my Dad's house (my place of stay) has the same older screw in type fuses. I didn't know you could do a sub panel feed off to the garage, that is pretty neat. Thanks for the information guys!

 

[volleyball]

The old fuse panels work great. They trip quickly. Problem is they are old. And the wiring is old.
I would go with 200A service with a sub panel in the garage. You don't need 200A but it will be expected when you sell and it isn't much more to install since you should replace everything.
Get a larger panel than you think you will ever need. Especially if you are the home improvement type.

 

[larry4406]

Perhaps add a new 200A main service with meter at the garage, then make the house a sub panel off the garage.

 

[Speedy Petey]

I hope that when you negotiate price on the home that you take this old panel in account and get a lower closing price... you should upgrade this panel to at least a 100A breaker style. 200A would be ideal, but there is a lot more cost as the wire from the road may have to be replaced.

WHY??
The old owners were obviously fine with the 100A service, so why should they pay for the UPGRADE that the new owner wants??

 

[Speedy Petey]

You will need to contact your local electric utility and request a service upgrade, chances are the meter loop and secondary wire leading to the house are also in the 100 amp range.

Not really "chances are". It's pretty much guaranteed.

In pretty much all areas all the customer has to do is write a check to the electrician. He'll take care of all of this.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

OP is the garage attached or detached? If detached, your only option is a subpanel in the garage.

 

[GSX]

It is a detached. And yea i am getting the house for a good price. Also would like to know if i get a 200amp do i get another wire ran by electric company?

 

[rburke65]

Learn something everyday..... I have never seen a residential 100A. Service with a fuse box. Yes...Electrician by trade.

 

[volleyball]

Learn something everyday..... I have never seen a residential 100A. Service with a fuse box. Yes...Electrician by trade.

Grew up in a duplex with 2 of them. It may have been one of the last fuse box installations.

 

[jmlcolorado]

I'm not too sure on how the upgrade goes, but I'll toss on a vote for adding a sub panel at the garage.
I had one added on my service. Took the breaker from the AC and put it in the sub panel in the garage. Running the sub for the garage out of there the AC used to be in the main.
It makes it an absolute breeze to add another 220 circuit, or another dedicated outlet circuit or anything you want right in the garage.
Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Stock Car Mafia]

I'd be interested in hearing possible options for this as well

 

[GSX]

Ok so there is a 100amp service already at house its old screw in so will i need to upgrade the panel to a new panel not old screw in type? My next question is if i put a 80gal compressor in garage and 220 for that and then get a plasma cutter can i get a separate 220 for that? Also will a 100amp panel be enough room for my house? I want to do a lot of upgrades in years coming. There is no 220 dryer so that will need to be soon. I want central a/c eventually maybe add room too.

 

[Bib Overalls]

You need a 200 amp service to the house and a 100 amp sub in your garage. When you talk to your electrical utility find out how much more a 320 amp service will cost. This will give you the option of using 200 amp panels in the house and the garage.

 

[volleyball]

Because of your plans to upgrade, then you will need to replace your panel. You could have kept it if you didn't. They aren't bad, just less convenient.
I would say 200 is more than adequate. Not worth the 320 upcharge. 200 is a commodity item and prices are geared towards that.
Plan all your possible upgrades and then added an extra 30% circuit wise and you will know what size panel you will need.

 

[dirttracker18]

Learn something everyday..... I have never seen a residential 100A. Service with a fuse box. Yes...Electrician by trade.

Not an electrician and I have seen many of them, my house included.

I just went from a 100a fused panel to a 100a breaker panel.

To the OP, unless you plan on running a lot of power for some reason, you do not need to upgrade to a 200 a set up.

I have a 100 a in my house with a 100 a breaker running my detached garage 100 a panel, yes it meets code here and was with a full permit and inspection.

I have in floor heat in my shop running off of a tanked water heater that is electric in addition to my 220v compressor and welder, etc.

I have never had an issue with running out of power and tripping either my shop panel, in house breaker to the shop panel or the main in my house.

The upgrade to 200a was a significant cost so I just stuck with the 100 a and upgraded my panel to breakers. The only reason I did that was because I was finishing my basement and had no room left in the fused panel for all the basement electrical I wanted. Otherwise I would have kept the fuse panel, as noted they are actually safer as the fuses blow faster and more accurately than a breaker.

I too was stuck on getting 200 a upgrade until I had my electrician friends over to discuss my ideas and they ask why 200 amp? After some discussion I went with what you read above. I really didn't have the need for it. Add up the amps you would need to run multiple items all at once and you will likely still be under 100 amps.

 

[James-W]

I have 100 amp service in the house with circuit breakers. When I built the new garage I had the power company run power straight to the garage from the street. I have a 200 amp service in the garage, which is more power than I need, but there was no extra cost to have the larger service so why put in the smaller service? The only cost difference is for the larger breaker panel and that cost difference was minimal.

I had debated about replacing the house service with a 200 amp service and then running a cable out to the new garage from the house, but after thinking about it I decided not to do that. I had spoken with the power company and they said they would run the power lines to the garage from the street for free. All I would have to pay extra is the $10 per month charge for the extra meter on the garage. I realize that over time I will end up paying more money in meter charges than it would have cost to run the power from the house out to the garage. But this way I know exactly what it costs each month for me to work out in the garage. I also have a separate gas meter for the garage so I know exactly what it costs me to heat the garage too. Perhaps in the great scheme of things that is unimportant to most people, but for me I like to know what things cost. Having separate electric meters and separate gas meters for the house and for the garage makes it very easy for me to know EXACTLY what it costs me to work out in the garage.

 

[Jack Olsen]

You might want to see if it's a problem before you start writing checks. My house and garage are served by a single 100a panel. I've got central air conditioning, some 220 circuits, a welder and a compressor. The service I have has never had a problem in a decade of use. I don't see any advantage to upgrading until I actually need it.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

It is a detached. And yea i am getting the house for a good price. Also would like to know if i get a 200amp do i get another wire ran by electric company?

That depends on the size of the existing wire....Is the service underground or overhead? If underground its not your concern, but if overhead then the service entrance wire in the riser pipe will need to be replaced and thats your concern/responsibility.

Ok so there is a 100amp service already at house its old screw in so will i need to upgrade the panel to a new panel not old screw in type? My next question is if i put a 80gal compressor in garage and 220 for that and then get a plasma cutter can i get a separate 220 for that?Also will a 100amp panel be enough room for my house? I want to do a lot of upgrades in years coming. There is no 220 dryer so that will need to be soon. I want central a/c eventually maybe add room too.

Since your garage is detached, your only option is to run a feeder out to the garage and put in a subpanel because u cant have multiple circuits feeding a detached structure!