Looking to buy house but have question about home power supply...?

Question

The mls listing has the electric as 100 amps. The house was built in 1895. Do I need to have the home rewired for a higher amp or is 100 standard? How much would it cost and what would they need to do if I need it replaced?

Answer 1

If the house is over a 1000 sq feet then you need a 200 amp service. get the home inspected before you buy, and a 100 amp service is sub-standard 200 is average. You will have problems with a 100 amp trying to run washer and dryer, dishwasher, stove, microwave, refer, furnace, hair dryer a 100 amp service will not handle it.

Answer 2

That's standard for then...
Depends on where you are.
In Ca. you have to have breakers instead of the old fuses to sell a house now, by code, most houses are upgraded at that point. Make sure the seller is doing their part as per the code... maybe you can knock a few bucks of the house price.
It is not a cheap ordeal to replace a 100amp panel with a 200. And if you do many electricians will try to talk you into rewiring intirely because they will say the old wire guage is too small.
Check your codes first if you are going to have a contractor in.
Sometimes the code is overkill. You can cut some corners if you do some minimal learning on loads and standards. But if you're not in the mood. At least know the basic code because if that is what you are going to be paying for, you should make sure you get it.

Answer 3

Unless the home is huge and has a large amount of electrical usage, 100 amps is acceptable and quite standard. You might, however, check to see if the remaining wiring has been properly updated (three prong plug). I've seen a number of past century houses in which the owner upgraded to a 100 amp circuit breaker system, and did nothing to upgrade 100 year old wiring.