I need help replacing an old Fuse Box with a new Panel/Breaker Box

smoothy · Sep 8, 2011, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keengpinmat

I need to replace my old Cutler Hammer Main fuse box with a new 100 Amp Pannel/breaker box & there are several legs of conduit running from the old fuse box. Two on the bottom, one on the top & one on the side! One coming out from the bottom is the main supply coming from the meter outside with the supply wires attached to the Main disconnect or pull out(on the left of fuse box). There is another one next to it coming out of the bottom of the fuse box also,going through the floor into the crawl space with the wires attached to the other disconnect/pull out fuse or "Range" which is on the right side of the fuse box ,right next to the Main Disconnect pull out. What wires are connected to the "Range" disconnect/pull out? Would it be the Central Unit & where do they need to be attached on the New Breaker box, maybe to a 50 amp breaker? There is another leg of conduit on top of the old fuse box going up through the ceiling into the attic & I'm not sure where it leads. The service from the pole is on the opposite side of the house running into the attic through a piece of conduit, not a weather head like it's supposed to! I'm thinking that this is leading straight to the conduit attached to the meter socket but if so it must be coming from inside the attic as there is no weather head! Which brings me back to the conduit coming from out of the top of the old fuse box where I don't know where it leads. There is not a chance that the Service from the pole is attached to both the meter & the conduit coming from the top of the fuse box is there? I didn't think so! My biggest question is what are the two wires for that are attached to the "Range" pull out/disconnect in the old fuse box & where do they need to be connected on the new pannel/breaker box? Thanks, I can't afford an electrician & I've done a lot of electrical over the years even installing new services etc but I've never seen anything quite this old in my life! Need a little help! Thank you so much! Have a great day! God Bless!

Not intending to rain on your parade....but breaker panels are always inspected after installation. And they will have records of such changes as a result. And if anything happened down the road and a fire resulted your homeowners insurance would refuse to pay the claim, that would be one of the first things they look at. I assume this is in the USA.

Just wanted to point out the risk you are taking in case you weren't aware.

tkrussell · Sep 8, 2011, 12:51 PM

I had to edit your post to make it easier to read, one big paragraph is difficult to deal with.

You ask questions that only someone that is looking directly at and can get hands n can answer.

We cannot tell you what wires go where and what conduit does what.

If, for example, the service entrance conductors do attach to the house and then pass through the attic, this is so wrong, and must be corrected.

Someone needs to trace out these conduits and wiring to determine exactly what is what before we can help.

hkstroud · Sep 8, 2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

What wires are connected to the "Range" disconnect/pull out?

Would it be the Central Unit & where do they need to be attached on the New Breaker box, maybe to a 50 amp breaker?

There is not a chance that the Service from the pole is attached to both the meter & the conduit coming from the top of the fuse box is there?

Sorry, but if you have to ask those questions you are in way over your head.

If you can't determine where cables go, where they come from, and what they do, if you don't know what wires get attached to the "Range" disconnect, you really need an electrician.

The way you describe it this would not be an easy upgrade. Get an electrician.

I need help replacing an old Fuse Box with a new Panel/Breaker Box

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