Need New Breaker Box and Service
I’m posting this again in hopes of getting more information than I did last time. I have tried to be more clear to make sure I get more helpfull answers. I’m looking to switch out my breaker panel (possibly moving it) and bring more power to my apartment. I will not be running any apartment…
I’m posting this again in hopes of getting more information than I did last time. I have tried to be more clear to make sure I get more helpfull answers.
I’m looking to switch out my breaker panel (possibly moving it) and bring more power to my apartment. I will not be running any apartment wiring at this time. I simply want the new service and box and the old lines tied to it with a junction box. Over time I will replace the lines one by one.
Right now I have a Federated Pacific panel with 40A/120V coming up and 4 breakers splitting it out (no room for more breakers). I am on the 4th floor of a 45 unit coop that was built in 1924. The electric was last done in the 60’s. An electrical engineer inspected our building and determined that everyone could upgrade to 60A service without changing the amount of power coming from the street, but since not everyone is upgrading I can do more than 60.
Question is…do I really need to file this job with the city?
Licensed vs unlicensed electrician?
I got in an unlicensed guy who said he’ll do it on an hourly rate, and he thinks it will cost me around $700. I brought in a licensed guy and he said $3500-$4000. I had another licensed guy come in and quote me $3000-$5000. Both of these seemed like “screw you I don’t want this job” quotes. I had this quoted out a few years ago from another licensed guy and was told $2000. That was when the economy was stronger and the price of copper was higher.
I don’t want to spend more than $2000, but it would be great to spend less than that…
Any recommendations?
I want to bring up somewhere from 60A-100A. Not sure yet. I have 3 A/C’s, a washer, an electric dryer, a microwave, two computers, two printers, two plasma TV’s, a dishwasher, a coffee maker, and a hair dryer.
Some other notes:
1. Already have board approval.
2. I know the concerns about Federal Pacific breakers. They’ve lasted 40+ years, and I’m not going to panic if it takes one or two more.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Mike
I stumbled onto this sight and had to join after seeing some advice flying around here (don’t mean to insult anyone so please don’t take it that way) and how wrong it is. Mike, I am an electrician and honestly had to laugh at your post. First off, every coop I’ve worked in required me to provide insurance information to them just in case something happened. Yours would be the first that didn’t that I’ve ever heard of. This requirement alone means you need a licensed electrician so forget the “handyman”. Second, you say an electrical engineer inspected the building and said everyone could upgrade to 60 amps without upgrading the buildings service coming from the street. Great. That does not in any way imply you can upgrade to 60 amps or more in your apartment without changing the feeders to your apartment. If new feeders were required, the old need to be removed and new wire has to be fed to the meter pan. In some condo/coop buildings I’ve worked in the neutral runs continuously up the riser through the floors and each apartment is bugged to that one wire. This increases the work needed as the neutral may not be sized to carry the new loads imposed by everyone upgrading their amperage. The claim that since not everyone is doing it you can go over 60 amps is not accurate either. I’m not gonna get into that one though. The job is definitely over 2000 but without looking at it I can’t tell you how much. Best of luck to you.
you are being cheap and stupid… there is bo way that coned will authorize a meter socket replacement without a filed permit..and there is no way an inspector will approve this job without physical access to the site..the rules have all been changed as of this month, hence a 30% rise in cost
Another apartment in the building just put in a new circuit box and rewired the entire apartment (including low voltage stuff) for $7000 with filing.
Not buying that I need to approach that number to only replace the service and panel.
And I don’t have to let the DOB into my apartment, and won’t. Only an idiot would do that. The DOB can always find SOMETHING wrong to file a violation on. The best way to avoid it is to not let them in!
This forum has been a complete waste. For every post that addresses my question there are 5 from people just trying to cause drama.
There HAS to be something inbetween the $800 the unlicensed guy wants and the $3000-5000 you think I’ll need.
the $2000 price is totally unrealistic now that the dob has become a fee generator under bloomberg…you will need to file for a new riser, meter socket and panel..guess what that is an easy 3-5g job…in addition they will probably send out follow up inspections to make sure that you are not trying to do unfiled work, such as adding local lines w/out a permit…in the plumbing realm, they have just increased the minimum fine to $5000 or 40 x filing fee, so do not even think that you can use an unlicensed guy.. the electricians were rolling their eyes up because you were so nieve
Give Paul from WCK Electric a call. His guys do good work and he will give you a fair price.
He came recommended by others on Brownstoner and his team did a good job for me. And his price was competitive.
Let’s cut to the chase…
Does anyone know any decent licensed guys who will do this job for $2000 or less? I think that’s a fair price, and I’m not paying more than that for this work.
That’s the real issue here.
Actually, no…compared to many appliances, a fridge is quite low energy (500w). The only reason that by code it needs its own circuit is over-reaction to the fact that its start-up current dims lights for a moment (like a/cs also).
You don’t mention a fridge which peaks the load too.
If you really have 40A and an electric dryer (30A by itself) and 3 a/cs, odds are going way up. And with only 4 breakers, Fed Pac must be living up to its reputation and NOT tripping.
If you have everything on, you’ll need about 70A.