[slipparee]

Hello...

I need to upgrade service from 100amps to 200amps. I currently have a new 100 amp square D Homeline main panel that I put in about 8 months ago.

I was going to buy a 200amp meter/main combo and just put a 100 amp breaker in making the 100 amp panel a subpanel.

Aside from the meter/main combo cost.

I can go overhead and spend about 400$ on cable, weatherhead, and the things I need to change out.

Or I can go underground and the power company engineer told me it is 10$ per foot for them to do everything. I have 100 feet going down the pole over to my new meter/main combo. The engineer said they will even hook up to the new meter socket.

$1000 sound reasonable for this?

 

[chandler48]

IF you are upgrading to 200 amps, why would you need a 100 amp subpanel?

 

[TarheelTerp]

I need to upgrade service from 100amps to 200amps.

why? what's changed that you suddenly need 2X the amps?

I currently have a new 100 amp square D Homeline main panel that I put in about 8 months ago. I was going to buy a 200amp meter/main combo and just put a 100 amp breaker in making the 100 amp panel a sub-panel.

And then re-feed that panel with all 4 conductors plus the ground/bond work?

Aside from the meter/main combo (and SE cable) cost...
I can go overhead ... Or I can go underground ...

If you actually need a new service wire (another thread)... go underground.

 

[Jim Port]

Does your power company even give the option to go overhead?

 

[Oldmaster]

$1,000. and you're responsible for excavation and backfilling.

 

[rjniles]

$1,000. and you're responsible for excavation and backfilling.

Not necessarily, in my area the POCO brings in a small backhoe and does it all.

 

[Oldmaster]

Not here. They inspect the trench to make sure there are screenings and the depth is correct.

 

[seharper]

I need to upgrade service from 100amps to 200amps. I currently have a new 100 amp square D Homeline main panel that I put in about 8 months ago.

I was going to buy a 200amp meter/main combo and just put a 100 amp breaker in making the 100 amp panel a subpanel.

Here's some prep work you can do. You can obtain separate ground bars for this 100A panel, and fit them, and move all your grounds from the soon-to-be-neutral bar to the ground bar. That will be a prerequisite to making that a subpanel. You don't need to move the grounding electrode, yet.

 

[Jim Port]

The grounding electrode conductor will need to terminate in the 200 amp panel, not the 100. The 200 amp panel will be the service.

 

[slipparee]

The 100 amp current main panel was a lot of work for me. I do not want to change it out. It is packed full of tandem breakers, gfci, etc. None of the 120v circuits had grounds so I had to add gfci breakers, gfci outlets so I could convert those circuits to 3 prong outlets. The wiring looked fine. The circuits I have added are grounded. I have been using armorlite running everything under the house with the little white plastic wire holders with a nail on the side fastening the wire to the floor joists.

When I bought the house it had a 100 amp fuse panel. I needed to quickly get power on so I just bought a 100 amp panel, and changed everything while the service was off.

I have the green bonding screw in place in the main 100 amp panel and a ground wire going from the neutral bar over to the added ground bar. I have been planning for this. All I will need to do is remove this ground wire, and remove the bonding screw. I also grounded the main panel to the outside grounding rod going into the earth which is attached to my added ground bar.

I have added several circuits to this house. I removed all propane heat along with the wood heater in the living room, and added electric heat. I am going to add another bedroom/bath to this house, and a large shed. The 100 amp service is ok right now, but will not handle all that. Plus I want to change out all the really old main service stuff so I may as well upgrade to 200amps. The current meter socket required a special tool to remove the ring outside so the meter could come out. The old gentleman from the electric company said everything looked ok it was just old. I had never seen a meter socket like that. I bought the house with the power off for at least 3 years.

I can go overhead sure. I have measured, and the power company told me 11 feet from the ground/where your shoes are at to the weatherhead. So I would not have to go through the roof.

The power company will do everything including digging. I would have to ground the meter/main combo but that is easy.

Just wondering if this is a good price is all?

 

[circuitman]

if they supply the wire & stuff. doesn't sound to bad.:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[Oldmaster]

Did you put in a metered main?

 

[seharper]

I have been planning for this.

You certainly have. Well done.

 

[Oldmaster]

So your main panel is now a sub panel. All system grounding goes to metered main including ground rods.