Main electrical panel

[Eddieb794]

I need to replace my main electrical panel on my house that was built in 1976. I can do the work myself. The question I have for any electricans in the house is this. How do I get the power to the house shut off for the day? Do I have to get the power company out to do this?

 

[LoneGunman]

Depends on the state. When I lived in NJ we pulled the meter, if we were upgrading the whole service we'd also cut the drop away from the overhead while it was hot. The power company would come by anywhere from a few weeks to a few months later and cut the drop away from the overhead and redo it using their connectors.

In Florida you cannot do either, power company pulls the meter, you must schedule it, they will NOT reinstall the meter until the electrical inspector passes the installation. If you aren't done by the time the inspector leaves for the day you are not getting your power back that night.

 

[Norcal]

The requirements may be different for your local. Here in NH my father ( master electriction ) would merely snip the metel tag hanging on the meter base, pull the meter,this would kill all the power from the bottom lugs of the meter base (LOAD side) to the inside of the house. CAUTION ! the top lugs of the meter base (LINE side) will still be hot. He would do what he needed to do, reinstall the meter and notify the local power company who would reseal it with a new tag.
My best and safest suggestion would be to call the electic company who services your property and inquire as to their requirements. ALWAYS TEST to make sure the power is truly off !! This is no place to go assuming or experimenting !

Doing a hot service swap is not a DIY project, a power shut down needs to be scheduled w/ the PoCo then the service can be changed, there is absolutely no overcurrent protection on the service drop & for that reason + others, it should not be done hot by untrained people.

Note: Some power companies get nasty if someone other then their personnel tampers w/ their seals/connections, some even levy fines...

 

[Eddieb794]

Thanks for the info. I would not attrept this change out with the power on. I have electrical skills but am not a licenced electican. I work with a couple and am going to ask one of them for help. With the power off it won't be a long job. I can get a panel and new breakers for around $350 to $400.

 

[Gary S]

In Florida you cannot do either, power company pulls the meter, you must schedule it, they will NOT reinstall the meter until the electrical inspector passes the installation. If you aren't done by the time the inspector leaves for the day you are not getting your power back that night.

It is the same in my city. You cannot do it yourself unless you are a licensed electrician. The power company will not disconnect the meter for anyone other than a licensed electrician, and they will not reconnect it if you do it yourself.
Check your state and local regulations and do it their way or you might regret it.

I had to hire an electrician to replace my main box. The electrician had to call the power company and they had their lineman there to oversee the work. That way, the city didn't require an inspection to reconnect.

 

[hidollartoys]

In some jurisdictions the homeowmer is allowed to perform electricial work without hiring a licensed electrician. The home owner is required to pull the permit and then have it inspected prior to approval. The electric utility co will need to be notified to pull the meter.

My suggestion is to contact the utility and the local jurisdiction to determine the actual requirements. This project WILL require someone that has a bit more than "skills".

 

[tfi racing]

In Florida you cannot do either, power company pulls the meter, you must schedule it, they will NOT reinstall the meter until the electrical inspector passes the installation. If you aren't done by the time the inspector leaves for the day you are not getting your power back that night.

The rules are similiar here in BC.A homeowner can do the work under a homeowner's permit,BC Hydro will do the disconnect,the inspector checks out the work and will notify for re-connection.No permit-no inspection-no power!

 

[shearhod]

No just pull out the meter. Remember the top side of the meter is the supplied 240v you should upgrade entrance cable.

 

[mrb]

what we do here in so cal, is install new combo meter/panel with riser, install any new circuits to it. Run conduit from new panel into old panel, to refeed existing circuits. Get inspected. Call poco out one time, to move (or replace) the drop disconnecting the old service and energizing the new service. Then use old panel as JB and screw the cover shut. Downtime of about an hour.

 

[walrus]

In Maine( at least as far as the state is concerned, maybe municipalities will require one) you don't even need a permit to change a service, its all on the power company. They will supply you with a book detailing the installs they'll accept and the equipment you can use. Not in the book, no hook back up

In alot of areas, the electrician actually snips the feeders from the pole, LIVE, and then hooks it back up, LIVE. I'd never do it without the proper gear but they do it off a fiberglass ladder, wow

 

[Eddieb794]

Sorry guys, I should have gave more info on my skills. I have done electical work as a plant engineer. I am more qualified than most people out there. I just don't have a electrical license. I have been doing electrical work,trouleshooting for years.
Thanks for your info. I will be contacting the city and the power company for the info I need to proceed.
Eddie.

 

[Falcon67]

When I swapped out the service entrance last year on the house, I just called AEP and they sent out an engineer and a lineman for a look-see. After the cursory "sure, no problem" CYA overview, the line was pulled back and *******. The service guy came back about 3pm and hooked everything back up to the new service entrance.

When I replaced the service panel back in 1997, They just came buy and yanked/rotated the meter. AEP made a note on the service record for the reader to re-tag the meter when it was read the next time.

They really don't like you to cut the tag and pull the meter - better to have them do it on a work order so they know what's going on. Cut meter tags say "stolen power" without a work order.

PS - no city inspectors here, so no clearance required from the city for such work.

 

[BackAgain]

Around here you can just call the power company, and ask them to turn off the power. They can do it remotely. They just gave everybody fancy new digital meters with 2 way wireless communications.

 

[Eddieb794]

O.K. an update.
Talked to the energy company. They will come out and pull and reinstall the meter. But the bastards are going to charge me $150.00.
The city said I can pull the permit and do the work. I have to give them a one line drawing of the work I'm doing when I purchase the permit. Than they'll come out and inspect the work after it is completed. So all in all not to bad.
I do a have a electrican coming by Thursday to give me a bid to do the job.

 

[Falcon67]

That $150 ***** - AEP didn't charge me squat for the work.

 

[Eddieb794]

Had one electrican come by today and give me a bid. $1300.00 Ouch, that is alot of money I can use on my toys. I will be doing the work myself.