Best Method for Sub-Sub Panel?

[ddawg16]

I am in the planning stages of the 2-story addition to my house now that the garage is done.

9 years ago I upgraded my electrical from 60A to 200A. I installed the 200A panel on the side of the house and ran conduit under the house over to where the old panel had been.

I basically pulled out the old panel and installed a 8"x8"x6" box in the lower portion of the outside wall. I took all the existing romex ckt's and wire nutted them to the wires coming from the conduit. I then taped up all the wirenuts and put the cover on. Cover is water tight....inspector was fine with it.

When I do the addition....that box is going to be in the way. Additionally, the 200A panel on the side is going to have to move. Because the addition will be in the way of the lines comeing to the house, I will have to move the panel further back to the addition AND raise the weatherhead up so that it's above the 2 roof of the 2-story addition. This part I am not concerned about.

My problem is the old box. Right now the plans show it being about where the bathroom is going to be....hence, no real access.

What I would like to do is find a way I can 'extend' the existing wiring to some location that would give me access.

Is there an acceptable way to extend existing wiring where there is not going to be any access to the wiring connections?

If they would let me, I would twist, solder and seal new romex that would reach over to the new panel.

Input?

 

[mrb]

every splice has to be accessable (and in a box). If the current location is unacceptable you're going to have to pull the existing circuits back to somewhere that will be accessable.

 

[ddawg16]

Thanks mrb....

But now you have me thinking.....

I will bascially be pulling the outside wall off the back of my house....which is going to expose ALL of the wiring. There are only 5 ckts I need to worry about...2 are for lights and head up the wall and into the attic....I bet the other 3 ckts hit outlets on the back wall or somewhere close....

So....maybe I just run new romex up to the first box on each ckt?...

Ok....so it means I use a bit more romex.....but....it would seem a lot cleaner and safer....

Do you agree?

 

[nehog]

...
So....maybe I just run new romex up to the first box on each ckt?...

Ok....so it means I use a bit more romex.....but....it would seem a lot cleaner and safer....

Do you agree?

That will work and is probably the cleanest solution.

 

[jvitez]

Oop ack!

Love the avatar nehog.

 

[mrb]

Thanks mrb....

But now you have me thinking.....

I will bascially be pulling the outside wall off the back of my house....which is going to expose ALL of the wiring. There are only 5 ckts I need to worry about...2 are for lights and head up the wall and into the attic....I bet the other 3 ckts hit outlets on the back wall or somewhere close....

So....maybe I just run new romex up to the first box on each ckt?...

Ok....so it means I use a bit more romex.....but....it would seem a lot cleaner and safer....

Do you agree?

thats the best route. The lines that go up in the attic, you could put junction boxes in the attic to splice them if necessary.

 

[JBurgess]

You mentioned you ran the conduit under your house. Do you have a crawlspace or basement?

 

[ddawg16]

You mentioned you ran the conduit under your house. Do you have a crawlspace or basement?

Crawl space.....but that conduit will come out.

The back of my house is 33' long....the old meter was right in the middle...

The new meter and panel is on the side of the house...about 18' from the old meter. Under the house was the easiest way to get the 5 ckts over to the panel.

So...as you can imagine...when I pull all the stucco off the back wall of the house, it's going to expose all my exisiting ckts...I know the two used for lights go up and into the attic....those are the real easy ones...I will most likely find a spot close to the first drop, put a box there and connect the new romex.

I know a couple of the circuits connect to outlets on the back wall...hence, those will be easy. I have one ckt that is for the kitchen....I can't remember if it hits any outlets before it gets there. If so, easy solution...if not, then I just might pull the end back to a point where I can put a box....then run my new romex to there.

I know I'm going to end up tossing some wire....I have 5 new ckts going to the kitchen....they are all in conduit in the attic (THHN wire to boxes above the kitchen). I'm going to have to redo those....not a big deal....

Bottom line....I want it safe and secure....I NEVER want to have to worry about an eletrical fire....it's a lot cheaper to do it right the first time.

Ok...here is another question.....

On the weather head....my new walls are going to be 2x6 studs....my existing wall was 2x4...hence, the weather head and box are on the outside of the wall.....I want to use a recessed panel with the weather head going up through the top plate (2x6)....is this going to be an issue?

 

[mrb]

Who is your utility? SCE? Make sure you get a service planner out there to tell you where to put the new service, they can answer any questions about running the riser through the wall vs on the surface. I would think its not a problem.