don't you love finding surprises!?

[grantw]

I pulled the cover from the old panel, and decided it to be best if I shut off power completely... PG&E is out today to disconnect the overhead feed.

And yes, the flex 1.5" conduit was lock-nutted to the lip of the 2.5" hub opening... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

[48RON54]

well.........I expected to check this topic and find someone complaining about something really minor.

Boy was I wrong. I am rather impressed with this level of halfassery lol

 

[dw1]

I pulled the cover from the old panel, and decided it to be best if I shut off power completely... PG&E is out today to disconnect the overhead feed.

And yes, the flex 1.5" conduit was lock-nutted to the lip of the 2.5" hub opening... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Its very interesting to see pics from different areas, I have seen my fair share of Zinsco panels but have never seen a meter/panel combo like that. Good thing you are replacing it.

 

[grantw]

Its very interesting to see pics from different areas, I have seen my fair share of Zinsco panels but have never seen a meter/panel combo like that. Good thing you are replacing it.

it still had an old mechanical westinghouse meter on it too. The smart meter and 100A fuses were down the wall a bit connected with "4GA" wire, soldered in line to extend the reach about 6 feet. The cross section of the "4GA" wire in use is much smaller than the 4awg wire i bought a while ago...

My new ground line is thicker than the old feed.

 

[dw1]

it still had an old mechanical westinghouse meter on it too. The smart meter and 100A fuses were down the wall a bit connected with "4GA" wire, soldered in line to extend the reach about 6 feet. The cross section of the "4GA" wire in use is much smaller than the 4awg wire i bought a while ago...

My new ground line is thicker than the old feed.

It makes you wonder sometimes!! "Well, it worked when we put it in"??

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Its very interesting to see pics from different areas, I have seen my fair share of Zinsco panels but have never seen a meter/panel combo like that. Good thing you are replacing it.

Ive seen lots of Shitsco panels but never one like that.

Good thing the OP is ripping all this **** out!

 

[grantw]

Ive seen lots of Shitsco panels but never one like that.

Good thing the OP is ripping all this **** out!

As I stated in another thread, the plan was to temporarily feed this guy from the new panel I'm installing, and once the contractors re-wire the house to the new panel, this one comes out. But.... I said "NOPE!" and abandoned any notion of feeding that panel or any in-wall wiring ever again. It's amazing the house never burnt down. I mean, a white/black pair of 14/2 romex was being fed by 2 30A breakers (240v) with the ground floating in a metal jbox.

The addition of the house was done in the 70's so that places the romex, but nowhere in the house was anything indicating it was 240v... the only 240 outlet was for the dryer in the garage, being fed by the rubber cord.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Wow...

 

[wyliesdiesels]

As I stated in another thread, the plan was to temporarily feed this guy from the new panel I'm installing, and once the contractors re-wire the house to the new panel, this one comes out. But.... I said "NOPE!" and abandoned any notion of feeding that panel or any in-wall wiring ever again. It's amazing the house never burnt down. I mean, a white/black pair of 14/2 romex was being fed by 2 30A breakers (240v) with the ground floating in a metal jbox.

The addition of the house was done in the 70's so that places the romex, but nowhere in the house was anything indicating it was 240v... the only 240 outlet was for the dryer in the garage, being fed by the rubber cord.

Sounds like u bought a pile of ****.

Hopefully u got a deal

 

[grantw]

Sounds like u bought a pile of ****.

Yep.

Hopefully u got a deal

I hope so!!! at least the $$$ we dump in to the pit will not disappear. The neighborhood will sustain the new asking price (if we were going to flip, which we're not).

 

[Norcal]

That Zinsco panel is a common POS early 60's models even had copper bus. As I drive by some homes can even tell who made them, Zinsco is really easy, ITE, C-H, GE fairly easy.

 

[IslandBikeCo]

Boy was I wrong. I am rather impressed with this level of halfassery lol

Indeed! it looks like they went out of their way to do to wrong

 

[Empty Pockets]

Father in law & son in law are both journeyman electricians, grandson is an apprentice. If I had that box in my home, my wife and I, as well as the dogs would be in a motel, and I would be fetching materials, as well as carryout food for the pros

 

[Norcal]

As I stated in another thread, the plan was to temporarily feed this guy from the new panel I'm installing, and once the contractors re-wire the house to the new panel, this one comes out. But.... I said "NOPE!" and abandoned any notion of feeding that panel or any in-wall wiring ever again. It's amazing the house never burnt down. I mean, a white/black pair of 14/2 romex was being fed by 2 30A breakers (240v) with the ground floating in a metal jbox.

The addition of the house was done in the 70's so that places the romex, but nowhere in the house was anything indicating it was 240v... the only 240 outlet was for the dryer in the garage, being fed by the rubber cord.

There is no way to use a meter/main panel as a subpanel as they are only suitable as service equipment because of the factory bonded neutral. There is a wonderful Zinsco on a home that all the breakers were 30A twins, there is plenty of **** electrical out there, the world over, which makes it nice when photos of good work is posted.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Splices ARE allowed inside of a load center but not a splice like that !

 

[Richard Cranium]

That is just scary to even look at.

 

[grantw]

Splices ARE allowed inside of a load center but not a splice like that !

the splices were in the conduit!

 

[MikeF2316]

the splices were in the conduit!

I'm not defending the splices, but someone put real time and effort into them. First the wires were interlaced, then tied together with some 14 gauge, then soldered and taped. A real craftsman!

 

[grantw]

All of that is gone now. The new panels are in, and I'm not looking back.

Don't worry about the NM in the bottom outlets that will go away soon. I'm buying a few reels of proper wire when the garage gets it's turn in the spotlight. For now, this panel is for my contractors to use when the house gets renovated. I'll probably add one or two more 20As for them to use for compressors and what not.

(Not trying to spark the nm in conduit debate)

 

[Brandon314159]

Tidy.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I'm not defending the splices, but someone put real time and effort into them. First the wires were interlaced, then tied together with some 14 gauge, then soldered and taped. A real craftsman!

My father has a book that he was given back in the late 1940's, that is an old field manual for WWII communications.

This manual shows you how to set up wired communications, make connections and repairs in the field, and how to use just about anything to help keep a vital communication system working during war.

In this book there are drawings and diagrams of how to do some repairs. One repair looks almost exactly like the one shown by the OP where two wires are joined by twisting/interlacing them together, placing a metal splice/splint over that, then wrapping another wire over each end of the splint, and then soldering the whole thing together, and finally wrapping it with tape.

Perhaps the person who did those "fixes" in the OP's house was an old WWII communications vet?

Jim

 

[grantw]

My father has a book that he was given back in the late 1940's, that is an old field manual for WWII communications.

This manual shows you how to set up wired communications, make connections and repairs in the field, and how to use just about anything to help keep a vital communication system working during war.

In this book there are drawings and diagrams of how to do some repairs. One repair looks almost exactly like the one shown by the OP where two wires are joined by twisting/interlacing them together, placing a metal splice/splint over that, then wrapping another wire over each end of the splint, and then soldering the whole thing together, and finally wrapping it with tape.

Perhaps the person who did those "fixes" in the OP's house was an old WWII communications vet?

Jim

I wouldn't rule that out; The previous homeowner was retired Marine Corps if my google-foo was on point.

Tidy.

Hopefully it stays that way. I'm hoping to use 312.5(c) to run the romex in from the finished ceiling once the house is started.

 

[grantw]

At least the "ground" was connected directly?

 

[rburke65]

I rewired old houses for 11 years and we would find some strange and scary wiring solutions all the time.