home/garage panel

[BULLETBUSINESS]

brand new to the forum so I'll try not to embarrass myself but here goes.....

I have a 200 amp service going to my home from an underground POCO. Goes through the meter and into a 200 amp breaker that feeds the main panel in my home (in fact two panels in my home). There is a space next to the 200 amp breaker in the service panel outside where I would like to install a 100 amp breaker to feed a detached shop 100 feet away. Plan on going underground from it to a breaker panel in the garage where I'll feed two 220 lines and various 110 lights, etc... Will my service drop (wires from the street) handle this type of load? Kinda though a 200 amp service might limit me to that single 200 amp breaker in the service box? Thoughts? Thx in advance for your help!

 

[Aceman]

Post pics, with the panel covers removed.

 

[happy2rv]

As Aceman suggested, without seeing what you've got, it's hard to make useful suggestions. Assuming you have an outside load center with a 200A main and spaces for additional breakers fed by that 200A main, you can feed from there to the shop. You would still be limited to 200A total for both the shop and the house, so the feed from the street wouldn't need to change.

Post some pics and there are lots of professionals here that can help.

 

[BULLETBUSINESS]

here's a photo of my panel with the remaining breaker empty. I'm pretty sure I can instal a 100 amp breaker in there but then I'd have two breakers feeding from the drop from the street and thru my meter totaling 300 amps. One 200 amp breaker feeding two panels for the house and then the second breaker (100 amp) feeding a seperate panel in a detached garage/shop.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Are u sure u have 200a service?

Whats the model # of the panel?

Take a pic of the meter...

 

[BULLETBUSINESS]

can't see a model number on the panel but here are a couple pics of the meter.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

CL200- thats a 200a meter!

 

[BULLETBUSINESS]

Guess I missed the answer. Can I install the additional 100 amp breaker in the service and run my detached garage with it. That means a 100 amp breaker and a 200 amp breaker in the service panel?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I didnt give an answer.

Really need to know what the rating of the panel is. If its a 200a panel, and since your meter is 200a, that would be no.

 

[Falcon67]

Might check with your poco - the co-op engineer here just tapped my 100A shop feed panel right off the meter base. Some will, some won't. We have 200A service.

 

[Aceman]

I didnt give an answer.

Really need to know what the rating of the panel is. If its a 200a panel, and since your meter is 200a, that would be no.

If the calculated load is under 200 amps for the home and future garage I don't see an issue. On top of that, if they didn't want anyone adding breakers they wouldn't have manufactured all the extra breaker spaces.

Guess I missed the answer. Can I install the additional 100 amp breaker in the service and run my detached garage with it. That means a 100 amp breaker and a 200 amp breaker in the service panel?

Like mentioned above, you either need to do a load calc OR see if you can contact your utility and find out what your highest peak demand has been in the last year. Once you know where you stand with load, then you'll know if adding a 100 amp breaker is feasible or not.

 

[nadogail]

It would seem from your original message that you are considering installing a 100 Amp Sub panel in your garage.

If your main panel is fed through a 200 Amp breaker, we can assume that your service is a 200 Amp service.

Once you feed your main panel through the 200 Amp breaker, the 100 Amp breaker feeding your garage sub panel will not be overloading your 200 Amp feeders, because they are protected by the 200 Amp entrance breaker. You might overload the 200 Amp breaker if the combined total connected load on both panels reaches 200 Amps.

If that happens, just turn some things off and reset the popped breaker.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Might check with your poco - the co-op engineer here just tapped my 100A shop feed panel right off the meter base. Some will, some won't. We have 200A service.

POCO won't care. Anything after the meter is not there problem. They may be willing to upgrade you to 300A or 400A service. Of course, then you are back to Wylies' unanswered question. What is to capacity of that panel.

The person to ask is your local building inspection department, They have final approval anyway.

I would agree with Wylie, 200A in, 200A out, not likely to be approved. If you down grade that breaker feeding the house to 100A, then you would likely be able to put a second breaker in there.

 

[The FIB]

Here in my neck of the woods, the fused load can not exceed 125% of the service size,
that is how we are able to feed 2-200AMP breakers with a 320AMP service.
Check with your local electrical inspection department, rules can vary by location.

 

[Aceman]

Nadogail, the garage feed would be coming off the buss before the main. This GE metermain he is using is different than most because his meter feeds the buss first, then the main. All the metermains I install, Siemens, Cutler Hammer, hit the main breaker first, which then feeds the bussing.

Oldwizard, you are allowed to have multiple service disconnects sized over the rating of the bussing/service conductors feeding it as long as the calculated load is less than the bussing/service conductors.
230.90(A)Exception 3.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Nadogail, the garage feed would be coming off the buss before the main. This GE metermain he is using is different than most because his meter feeds the buss first, then the main. All the metermains I install, Siemens, Cutler Hammer, hit the main breaker first, which then feeds the bussing.

Oldwizard, you are allowed to have multiple service disconnects sized over the rating of the bussing/service conductors feeding it as long as the calculated load is less than the bussing/service conductors.
230.90(A)Exception 3.

Exactly. I forgot to bring up calculated load. Thx Aceman!

 

[BULLETBUSINESS]

All good info. I had a licensed electrician come over and do the work. Thank you!