[BRIAN.COOLEY6]

My meter panal is a 150amp panal. I have a 60 amp sub panal coming off it a 30amp to my stove a 30 to dryer and a 40 to the a/c. i want to upgrade the 60 amp sub panal to a 100 amp panal. Will the 150 amp meter panal handel it or do i need to have a 200 amp meter panal installed

[stanfortyman]

A word of advice. If you lose the CAPS and type in sentences it will be much easier to read your posts.

By "meter panel" are you referring to your main panel? If so then you should do (or have done) a demand load calculation. This is the only way to tell if your service is going to be adequate. From the sound of it you should b e fine, but it is impossible to say since we do not know the other loads you have in the house.

If ALL the other circuits in the house are off the 60A sub-panel then again, you should be fine.

[BRIAN.COOLEY6]

Sorry about the all CAPS. This is the first time I've posted something on the net and I'm not big on email. My brother gets on to me about it, too.

Yes, my main panel is outside. It is part of the meter. I have one box that the meter is at the top and on the bottom it has spaces for breakers. Someone told me it is a combo meter/ main load center. On the inside of that panel, it says rated for 150 amps. There is a 60 amp breaker that feeds a small panel (sub panel) inside the house, directly behind the main panel that all the lights, outlets, fridge, basically the main part of the house is on. There is also a 30 amp breaker that feeds the dryer, a 30 amp that feeds the stove and a 40 amp that feeds the air conditioner. They are all in the main panel out side. The 60 amp sub panel only has 6 spaces in it and 4 of them have tandem breakers in them. The other 2 spaces have nothing in them. So, on the 60 amp sub panel I have eight 20 amp breakers for the main part of the house.

What I want to do is replace the 60 amp sub panel with a new 100 amp sub panel that has 20 spaces in it, so I can add a circuit for a small window unit a/c, a small fridge and lights and outlets in my garage. The garage use to be a carport that I closed in, so there is only one outlet in the garage right now. The main house is 1,100 sqft. And the garage is about 300 sqft. My hot water tank and heater are both gas.

The main panel outside has a listing of the different size breakers I can use. The max is a 100 amp breaker. So here is the real question I need answered. Will the 150 amp main panel handle the load of a 100 amp (sup panel), 30 amp (stove), 30 amp (dryer), and 40 amp (a/c), 200 amps total or do I need someone to up grade the main panel (meter/ main load center) to a 200 amp panel first.

The main reason I'm asking is if, I do call an electrician to come out to my house, I don't want to get sold something I don't need. I don't know any electricians, so I am going to have to go down the phone book to find one and I'm sure most are honest, but you have hacks in every trade that are only out to make as much money off you as they can. I know this from experience, I'm a carpenter and the hacks in my trade make it hard for me to make a living. Sorry for rambling on. Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks Brian