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View Full Version : Meter to fuse box?


cmb4609
Oct 2, 2011, 07:32 AM
The meter box on the outside of the house has two separate wires coming out of it, both wires has black and white and are connected at the same spot in the meter. Then they both travel into the house and go to the fuse box. The fuse box is an 60A box that has 4screws at the top with two pull out mains in the middle and a bunch of screws at the bottom. If I was to change the box to a breaker box do I eliminate one of those wires coming in or put those wires together on the main breaker? I put a tester on both sets of wires and they show 240.

donf
Oct 2, 2011, 08:46 AM
Good morning,

I need to level set your electrical experience. Are you capable of R&R the main panel?

Things you need to consider:

You may need permission from the Local Authority Having Jurisdiction to do this work. It is entirely possible that main panel board work is restricted to licensed electricians. Primary reason behind that is the unprotected service cables that you will have to handle, unless you pull the meter or have the Power Company kill the feed. Make no mistake, Service Feed wire can kill you or severely burn you.

From what you describe, you have a very old installation, so I have to ask, is this residence in a Historic Area? If it is, then you need to have a discussion with the Historic Board to make sure you do the work properly.

You will need a permit before you do the work.

The NEC now requires a minimum service of 100 amps, so this panelboard change may force you to upgrade your service, which means you need to be talking to your local power company to make sure that they have the ability to make the changes in your area, You need to make sure that the existing Service Feeders are the correct size for the new amperage. And that they meet the current specification for the number of ungrounded and grounded conductors.

If you are the least bit intimated by the scope of this work, please contact several licensed electricians and get bids on the work.