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May 8, 2008
Electrical Wiring Query
I am sure this has been asked before, but I couldn't find anything during a quick search, so here goes. We just bought a one-family, four story brownstone and were told during the inspection that the electrical service--double pole, 220V, 100AMP was adequate for a modern home. We are now being told by an electrician that 200AMP is the standard for a modern home. Any thoughts on this?
Also, if we have to re-wire the entire house, any ideas on what this is going to cost? We are expecting a quote from the electrician that was referred to us, but it's going to take him a day or so to put it together and I don't want to have sticker shock.
Comments
200amp would be standard for a new house.
100amp is usually enuf tho, depending. How much AC are you putting in? Do you have a W/D, and is the drier electric or gas? You can do a lot by purchasing energy star rated appliances.
Posted by: denton at May 8, 2008 11:15 AM
We will be putting in a washer/dryer and a dishwasher. There are some window A/C units, but we will be removing those. It's a forced air heating situation, so at some point we will probably install central air. In the meatime, we'll use fans and maybe ceiling fans.
Posted by: jurist at May 8, 2008 11:31 AM
My experience - if you run multiple window AC's at once, you will hear them not being able to draw enough power and cycling on and off. If you are Ok with limiting their use at once, and don't have other electricity-hogging things running at the same time, it is livable. Whether it is safe given how your wiring is done, I can't say.
Posted by: guest at May 8, 2008 11:34 AM
I've had 100 Amp service since I had my house re-wired 30+ years ago. It's been perfectly adequate. I have three window ACs and have had no problems with these or any other appliances. I do have a gas dryer, but that's probably what you'd want anyway since they work better and cost less to use than electric ones.
IF you really have to re-wire your house, you might want to consider a 200 amp service, but you'd probably also want to consult someone who has no economic stake in the matter.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 8, 2008 1:05 PM
for a 3-story single family, we paid a little over 20k to replace all of the hardware and wiring throughout the house and install new lighting fixtures. we got 200 amp. that's just for the electrical work -- if you need to open and reseal walls, there will be added carpentry/refinishing costs.
Posted by: z at May 8, 2008 1:36 PM
Whoa whoa, slow down and don't rush into anything.
100 amp, 220v service might be just fine for your needs. What you would truly benefit from is an assessment done by an electrician who you can trust, someone who isn't trying to upsell you or get lucrative future work.
It's also possible that, based on upgrades that you have in mind, (for example - things like central air, a spa, an electric sauna, etc.) you might require 200 amps.
It's also possible that you might need a service panel upgrade 100amp to 200amp) but no other rewiring (or maybe very little) throughout the rest of your home.
I would pay a trusted licensed electrician to give you a thorough assessment in writing.
Posted by: guest at May 8, 2008 1:54 PM
Thanks all, these are helpful comments.
Posted by: jurist at May 8, 2008 2:04 PM
200amp. If you own a TV and computers.
100amp. If you are a neanderthal and never turn on the lights.
100amp is barely enough for an apartment these days.
Posted by: guest at May 8, 2008 2:17 PM
one of the first things we did when we moved into our house was to upgrade electric to 200amp from 100.
Posted by: guest at May 8, 2008 3:30 PM
20k for the rewire is about right, and there no sense in rewiring and not upgrading the panel to 200 amps.
Posted by: bugleg at May 8, 2008 4:07 PM
What you need to do is assess how much amperage IN TOTAL will you draw at any one time. You will not be drawing anything close to 100 amps with a washer/dryer plus a dishwasher and a few A/C units. However, more than one of those on ANY SINGLE CIRCUIT is likely to blow the circuit. The more circuits you have, the better. Assess the amperage load of all the major appliances and then figure out if you need to do the upgrade. Chances are for a single family house you will not.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 8, 2008 5:51 PM
DaveinBedStuy is correct, and the reason electricians prefer 200 ampere service is basically that it makes it far easier to distribute / balance the branch circuit loads. In other words it's typically a laziness issue, not a safety issue. With 100 amps, you might have to do some planning for the circuits depending on how extensive project is. With 200 amps, you can just send a circuit to every room and not really be so careful about it.
Posted by: Smokychimp at May 9, 2008 11:58 AM
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