How to count capacity of electrical service panel?
- Wednesday Nov 11,2009 02:10 PM
- By diddy
- In Others
The electrical service panel in my house is physically full, but I’d like to know if additional amperage can be added. How do I count? Just add up the 120V amperages printed on the breaker switches? Do I count the bracketed-together 240V switches the same? Any tips? Then how do I know what the whole panel is rated, and what service is supplied to my house?
Amperage, Electrical Panel, Electrical Service, Service Panel, Switches
6 Comments
As long as there is a main breaker (which protects the sum of all the other breakers), you can safely add circuits and loads until the main starts popping.
The service panel capacity usually matches the utility meter base’s capacity. And those tend to match the wires coming into the house. If, for example, the service is 200 amps and you wanted to upgrade, the next step up (at least in the Pacific Northwest) is 320 amps. That is 640 amps of 120 v circuits, or 320 amps of 240 v circuits.
To directly answer your question, count the double breakers twice. However, breakers are allowed to total more than the main breaker’s capacity. The main will have, for example, a pair of 100 amp breakers. This is a 100 amp service, and provides a total of 200 amps for this counting system.
If, however, you have a split bus (like these http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a8/JohnC1952/Electrical036.jpg http://www.tpub.com/content/construction/14027/img/14027_107_3.jpg http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/stlou022.gif ), consider replacing the panel since you can easily overload the service by adding or rearranging breakers.
You have to have an AMP probe. It is the only way to know what load you are pulling. You can have a full panel and add up all the breakers you see listed and get a total that way but it is not any where close.
There are formula’s for calculating service demand. You should call an electrician.
there is a main breaker on the panel usually it should be 100amp, 125 amp , 200 amp etc.. that should be the capacity of the panel.
panels are rated by amps
most for homes are a 200 amp panel.
the main breaker at the top has a # on the handle, IE 100 or 200 that’s the physical capacity of the panel, [ if every thing is pulling power, at once]
call an electrician
this is a silly question if you are this clueless you are not quilified to safely do electrical
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