need help installing a panel box for breakers.?

Question

Need to install a breaker BOX not a breaker switch. I need a drawing with instructions? Any help please. There is power there from the electric company to a box with large fuses that look like shotgun shells. It has a safety switch at the top of it. I need to provide a box beyond that for 110/220 power???

Answer 1

There are certain times to do a home project yourself, and certain times to call a professional. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES TO CALL THE PROFESSIONAL!! You can electrocute yourself, endanger the safety of everyone around you, burn down your house, etc, ect. Is it really worth that?

Just call a professional. They can be found in the Yellow Pages under electricians.

Answer 2

Installing 'panel boxes for breakers' is NOT recommended as a do-it-yourself project unless you KNOW DEFINITELY what you are doing.
If you don't have any experience with electrical work, do NOT do this work because you CAN be electrocuted if you make a mistake, and cause house fires if you do it IMPROPERLY! In most jurisdictions, you are required to have this type of work done by a licenced electrician or contractor--with good reason.

For your information, however, The box with the big fuses sounds like it might be a very old-fashioned power MAIN from the power line. It is quite OLD fashioned, fuses like that were used in the '30's and 40's.

Where is the meter base? Modern installations have meter bases with a glass meter in them.

If you touch ANYTHING, make absolutely sure the fuses are TAKEN OUT and the safety switch on the box is switched OFF before you start messing around with it.

You eventually will need 3 wires going TO your breaker box from the MAIN. You probably NEED a new weather head.

One wire will be RED, one will be BLACK and one should be WHITE, which is the NEUTRAL. These wires MUST be sized to CODE.

INSTALL your breaker box on the wall with conduit. You MUST run the wires through CONDUIT which is normally metal.

Run the black and red wires to the bus bars through the conduit sized to CODE, and the WHITE to the NEUTRAL block.

IN your BREAKER BOX there will also be a place for a BARE heavy copper GROUND to go to a GROUND ROD that is driven into the dirt outside. Make sure this is installed properly on a CLAMP on the ground rod.
You will ALSO have a place for a BARE heavy copper wire to GROUND to your WATER PIPES in the house. Make sure all of these wires are installed tightly and properly before you start hooking up any circuits to the individual bus bars for 110V (or both for 220v) via breakers OR fuses in your new breaker box.

If you have NO experience with electrical work , or DO, but do not easily understand instructions, get an electrician. Better to be safe than sorry, and you probably need an inspection to code anyway. It sounds like you're dealing with a very old system. By the way, do you have spool and knob wiring in the attic? VERY ancient stuff.

Answer 3

Your best solution is to get a certified electrician to check the area it is to be installed and make sure you have a breaker box installed..not a fuse box. The fuse you are referring to is for a breaker box. Screw in fuse boxes are not allowed in our area, because of the danger they pose. Also a squareD box is the best, but be sure you have a licensed and reputable electrician to install it, and also get references.

Answer 4

There are a few things you don't do yourself if you don't know for 100% sure what you are doing

1. Packing your own Parachute

2. Performing your own Electrical work. (Especially somehting that major)

I am a licensed electrician and I have been doing electric work for over 8 years. A trained professional can install your panel up to code and spot any potential hazards. Call a licensed contractor.

Answer 5

gonna be a problem,,,you will probably have to get a permit,,,put in a new weatherhead,,,codes anymore say box have to be within 2 studs of meter or outdoor shut off required,,,dont try to hook box into existing system,,,unless you like house fires

Answer 6

call an electrician. seriously!