Ask Me Help Desk - Adding a sub panel

I'm finishing my basement which will have a 60x20 room and a 10x9 bathroom.

I'm running 20 amp breakers,12-2 wire, 20 amp outlets.

2 breakers for 20 outlets ( 10 outlets a breaker).

1 breaker for 8 2x4 flourecents.

1 breaker for GFI ( for my freazer).

1 breaker for bathroom GFI.

1 breaker for the bathroom lighting and exhaust fan.

I need 6 breakers but my panel only has 3 blanks. I was looking to get this 125 amp subpanel with 10 blanks and bundled with 6, 20 amp breakers for $50.00. My house breaker panel has a 200amp main breaker but only has 3 slots available. Should I worry about adding a 125 amp subpanel to it. Should I upgrade my main breaker. Thanks for any info :) :cool:

The main breaker should be sized to the incoming wire. Unless your service entrance is larger than #4, you are limited to the 200 amp service.

I am not sure I would put in a sub panel to accommodate only 3 extra breakers. You should be able to buy double breakers that allow 2 breakers in a single slot. I put in a few when I moved into this house in 1977, and haven't had any problems. If it wasn't safe, you wouldn't be able to buy UL approved ones.

You can add all the breaker and circuits you want, but are limited to the power your service entrance wires can carry. You can put 10 outlets on a 20 amp breaker, but the total load at any one time must be less than the 20 amps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by backlasher

I'm finishing my basement which will have a 60x20 room and a 10x9 bathroom.

I'm running 20 amp breakers,12-2 wire, 20 amp outlets.

2 breakers for 20 outlets ( 10 outlets a breaker).

1 breaker for 8 2x4 flourecents.

1 breaker for GFI ( for my freazer).

1 breaker for bathroom GFI.

1 breaker for the bathroom lighting and exhaust fan.

I need 6 breakers but my panel only has 3 blanks. I was looking to get this 125 amp subpanel with 10 blanks and bundled with 6, 20 amp breakers for $50.00. My house breaker panel has a 200amp main breaker but only has 3 slots available. Should I worry about adding a 125 amp subpanel to it. Should I upgrade my main breaker. Thanks for any info :) :cool:

For the outlet/lite/fan in one bathroom you cuold use 1 breaker... separate the lite fixture into 2 and share them with the outlets ( add the frezzer's outlet; unless it is a comercial freezer- than it may need it own breaker) 20A could carry 13 outlet... you could use those 1/2 breaker like labman said

Thanks again. Is there a formula to figure how many total amps in breakers can be on a 200 amp main? I just don't want to overload it and even though I'm not having it inspected, if I ever want to sell the house I want it to pass inspection so I don't have any headaches. I was told that a GFI should be on it's own breaker, does it matter? I was going to do it just to play it safe for inspection later on but I never seen one on it's own in any place that I've lived. Ya, it's just a standard freezer not a commercial one but it's as big as my fridge. I guess I should look at the panel to see what kind of load it draws. What is it 80% of watts to breaker so no more than 1900 watts on a 20 amp? U know what cracks me up is that it seems like the inspectors more critical on the home owner then the builder about codes cause they told me I have to have an outlet every 6 feet and if there's a door more then 2 feet from a corner to put an outlet there so in a 60x24' room that I'm doing to the basement I need like 28 breakers 60+24x2= 168 / 6' = 28 freeking outlets. So know I need like 3 breakers just for the outlets 10 =10 =8.

[QUOTE=backlasher]Thanks again. Is there a formula to figure how many total amps in breakers can be on a 200 amp main? I just don't want to overload it and even though I'm not having it inspected, if I ever want to sell the house I want it to pass inspection so I don't have any headaches. I was told that a GFI should be on it's own breaker, does it matter? I was going to do it just to play it safe for inspection later on but I never seen one on it's own in any place that I've lived. Ya, it's just a standard freezer not a commercial one but it's as big as my fridge. I guess I should look at the panel to see what kind of load it draws. What is it 80% of watts to breaker so no more than 1900 watts on a 20 amp? U know what cracks me up is that it seems like the inspectors more critical on the home owner then the builder about codes cause they told me I have to have an outlet every 6 feet and if there's a door more then 2 feet from a corner to put an outlet there so in a 60x24' room that I'm doing to the basement I need like 28 breakers 60+24x2= 168 / 6' = 28 freeking outlets. So know I need like 3 breakers just for the outlets 10 =10 =8.[/QUOyou are very unlikely to over load the 200A residential panel... no nec doesnot require an gfi outlet to have its own breaker( it require a bathroom to have its own breaker or 2 bathrooms' outlets may share a breaker; lites and fans get their own power somewhere else,. the inspect may explaine thing the wrong way...

Outlets are required along usable wall space within 6 feet, so anywhere you point too on the wall,(of unbroken wall space) at the baseboard or 18" above the floor you need an outlet within 6 feet so your outlets can be 12 feet apart or just under 12 feet apart. Also you need an outlet on usable wall space 2 feet or more. I would not use a GFCI breaker on a freezer, the run a home run and use a single outlet not a duplex type. You can do the load calculations for your whole house, it's involved like you count the highest of the two Air condition equipment or heating not both. It's too much to explain electrical load calculations. I do 8 outlets to a circuit. Most of the time you can add a sub panel and it's safer to add the sub than too add min breakers and loading up the main panel, sounds like you need a licensed Electrician.

Contractor, I am not being a jerk, I just want to mention to check the dates of these threads and posts. This question you are answering is three years old.