4 circuit fuse box.
1 240 volt 30 amp box for dryer.
Gas stove, furnace, water heater, plus line for gas dryer.
No blown fuses unless I am working on a receptacle.

What is your question?
Options for what?

Unfortunately you do not have any room for expansion.
Also, if you are considering selling, a home inspector will have a field day with that.

Surely this isn't your primary feed. Is this a subpanel and then what are your options for? 2 for the dryer, 2 for the HW heater, what are the others hooked up to?

My main question is is it safe? I have a twenty amp circuit that the fridge and washer are on. The dryer fuse is not part of the service panel but run off a separate switch directly above the dryer which also has a 10g wire for a 240 volt receptacle for a window ac unit that I removed (the AC unit.) The furnace is on it's own 15 amp fuse but the wire is 12g. In fact, with the exception of renovations in the basement, I think the whole house was wired with 12g, which means the renovation has 14g coming off 12g. Was told lighting has to be on 15 amp circuits because of stranded wire, certain receptacles should be 20 amp, a bathroom receptacle has to be 20 amp on its own circuit and GFCI (Have no idea about the feasibility of this), etc. I don't mind this level of electrical input, but would like to know if I can do a subpanel just to break up the circuits. The house is 1000 sqft above ground and 500 below.

Whoa, you have serious issues that could present a fire hazard. Don't think about another subpanel now. Code requires washer on dedicated circuit, How is the HW heater you mention powered? 14 AWG off a 12 AWG is not code, lighting does not have to be on 15Amp-Stranded wire? Where did the power for the dryer come from-sounds like someone tapped off the input leads for the subpanel to run the dryer? GFCI needs to be in the bathroom. What is the amperage of the main box? Fused also? I'd consider a new 150+ AMP service that should handle everything for a 1500 sq. ft. house.

Not sure I can make any comment on the electrical situation here. Just too much to take in. My only advice would be to find someone who has the experience to evaluate your system and advise you from there. I don't think any sight unseen advice from a forum can be of any use to you. And although you say you don't have any current issues as of today, you will have them in the near future. Good luck and stay safe.

I suspect this means your not an electrician, and not sure how to do electrical work:


No blown fuses unless I am working on a receptacle.

You have no options but to change the service to at least a 100 amp service with at least 16 or 20 circuit capacity, then you can consider adding circuits.

Any circuit with any #14 wire better have a 15 amp circuit, and remain with that breaker. You can install any GFI receptacle where needed immediately.

Once you have changed the service, or have it scheduled with a contractor, we can offer advice as to what is needed for new and separate circuits, and other new requirements, such as Arc Fault protection, GFI protection, smoke detectors, etc..

The 12 AWG wiring, is it Aluminum or Copper wire?

12 awg has solid copper hot and neutral and the ground is I believe Aluminum b\c it breaks real easy. The hot water heater lights with a pilot so there is no electric service to it.

After the blown fuses I did more research and reaching out to people who have more experience than me and now I have greater confidence in my abilities to do this work. One person I know had suggested I wire the house in preparation for a Electrician to do a new service panel. For example install cable for all the new circuits I will have, break up circuits into to two rooms a piece, install 12 awg for any dedicated receptacles I will want on the new system, and run the cables to where the new panel will be installed so the electrician just needs to hook them up.

Okay, do not change anything until the electrician gets onsite.

May I suggest that you offer to do the scut work for the electrician to keep your costs manageable.

If you do the work, you may just increase your costs if you do not do the work according to code.