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2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  stickboy1375 
#1 ·
I am going to upgrade from 100 to 200 amp service my current box is in My basement. When I upgrade the new service is going in the garage. Which is detached. I want to back feed 100 amps to the house. Is this possible and if so what do I need to make it happen
 
#2 · (Edited)
Call an electrician. :) just kidding, you need to run a conduit from the garage to the house... then you can just swap over the day you do your service at the garage. I would do as much prep work as possible so when the day comes, its an easy transition. I would complete the new service at the garage, have the wires pulled to the house, then have the power company disconnect the house, and re energize the garage, then you only have to re-feed the house and be back in business.


Remember though, you better check with your utility company first, and your building department to make sure everything is acceptable to what you want to do.
 
#3 ·
What size wire do I need to feed the house. Do I just install 100 amp breaker in the new box and run wire from there. Also I have existing power in the garage. So I'm wondering if I can just reuse same wire to feed house. It would just be going the other direction
 
#4 · (Edited)
Also since your original panel is now a sub panel, you're going to have to separate the neutral / ground bonding.
I think you also have to remove the water pipe ground as well (if present)
If you have a whss you should move it to the new panel

I doubt that you have large enough conductors in the garage now to back feed the house. Are they overhead or underground?

Since you'll have new panel in garage, the feed from the house
panel will need to be killed.
 
#5 ·
...I think you also have to remove the water pipe ground as well (if present)
...
Since house and garage are detached I believe the house panel, now a sub panel, will require its own ground in addition to the raceway of ground wire coming from the garage main panel.

Point about eliminating the bond at the house panel is critical. If you don't know what that means then you should hire out this work to a licensed electrician.
 
#6 ·
You would need to leave the water bond but unbond the neutral and ground in the panel and make sure the water ground and ground rod(s) go to the ground bar and not the neutral bar.
 
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#7 ·
He will also have to drive in New grounding at the garage if its not in place. Odds are the wiring running from your house to your garage right now is nowhere near big enough to handle the new service unless you happen to have a 100a panel currently in the garage.

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but I think you may want help on this one from what I gathered from your earlier posts. If your hell bent on doing it yourself then kudos to you but make sure you educate yourself on what your getting into first. Your most likely looking at running new conduit from house to garage. Upgrading your meter base. Driving in new grounding. Also being as you will be refeeding the existing house panel that will need to be brought up to code as well as they will want to inspect it. The existing wiring in the garage will have to be rerouted into the new 200a panel as well.
 
#10 ·
This could take days :laughing: . Really though i thought i WAS being helpfull, he's really going to have to do all that stuff. Although attempting to talk someone through an entire service upgrade and feeder remodel is appealing in the sense that i just want to see if it can be done. He'll be saying the same thing i did when i started the trade......"how is swinging a 10lb sledge at a copper rod and digging holes electrical work?"
 
#13 ·
The type of job you are describing would cost around $6800.00 here in Cal.
In experience, the monkey wants what the monkey sees.
If you call an honest electrician...you will, no doubt, find...that you [really] only need a fraction...of what you "think" you need - electrically speaking - of course.

Call the electrician out...and give him/her the scope of what you need...and let the trades do the rest.
 
#14 · (Edited)
There's a ton of brute work you can do on your own like the trench digging and conduit runs that can save you a ton of money and maybe a few favours too. If you've got friends in the trade that know what your house is like. Or can take a look at it and tell you what you need to do then you may be able to do it on your own. It's a lot easier to explain it when you have first hand knowledge of the work site.
 
#15 ·
jclaytor77 said:
I appreciate all the input from everyone sometimes what u want to hear and need to hear are different. I will get help for the change over. But will probably be back in a couple weeks when it's time to wire the pool and hot tub. Lol
Well since you are a pipe fitter you would surely be suited to put conduit together and dig a trench and any other labor intensive steps. Maybe you hire electrician for initial consult. He tells you where to mount new panel, conduit to use, trench route and depth, and wire to pull in the conduit. Then he can come in and connect it all up and ensure its proper.
 
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