We are looking at buying an older home. The breaker box is pretty small and I need to know if it is 60amp or 100amp. It has 12 slots/switches....some are double switches but there are only 12 total spots. Also, do insurance companys offer house insurance on house with a 60amp? If so which companies?
2007-03-08 03:31:43 · 3 answers · asked by to be announced 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The main breaker will tell you the capacity of the electric service in the home. The size of the breaker should conform to the rating of the service entrance cable coming into the house. You can not add up all of the ratings on the other breakers to determine the capacity of the service. The sum of all these breakers is frequently higher than the Main breaker but they will not all be carrying full capacity at the same time.
I don't know the policy of insurance companies but if all of the wires (including the service entrance cable) are sized correctly there should not be a safety issue.
Be advised that with all of the electric devices available for a modern home, a 60 amp service is pretty small. It is always possible to upgrade your box and service entrance cable to provide a larger current capability.
2007-03-08 05:16:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, DON'T EVER trust anyone at a Home Depot store to know enough to come in out of the rain, let alone to tell you what wire to use for what application. The #12 romex wire that is in your garage will not safely carry more than 2O amps. If you try to use it the insulation on the outside of the wires will melt and when they short out they could cause a fire. You will need at least #10-2/G, to run your 220 volt system and it needs to be a dedicated circuit for just the heater. You will also need a 30 amp double breaker in the main panel to handle the circuit safely. From the 2x20 description you give of the currently installed breaker I'd bet it's simply a double 20 amp breaker, which doesn't get added together. It only carries 20 amps on each leg of the 220. The 30 amp recept should be fine.
2016-03-28 23:23:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the main breaker will tell you the box size that should be the one at the very top of the box
2007-03-08 03:43:10 · answer #3 · answered by aussie 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋