EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Renovations & New Construction
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-26-18, 02:57 PM   #1
oil pan 4
Land owner
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NM
Posts: 1,026
Thanks: 12
Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts
Default Need to add on electrical service

I have a 200 amp eaton br serries main panel.
The bottle neck is a 1.25 inch conduit that goes across the back of the house that is unbelievably over stuffed.
Originally I believe the only thing in that conduit was the air conditioning power and the range power.
Now its servicing: central air, electric range, shed, 120v 30 amp power for the garage and improper wire going to the out building.
Need to keep that and add up to 100 amps worth of welder power for my miller dialarc, a 240v electric car charger, solar power inputs, 240v power out to the shed and well pump power.
So I was thinking I would remove the junction box, pull all those wires back out install a QO 125 amp 24 circuit outside panel where the junction box was. Put a 125 amp breaker on the eaton main, run 2 gauge wires through the 1.25 inch nipple, then add a conduit or 2 to the sub panel to relieve the over stuffed 1.25 conduit condition put the new stuff in its own conduit.
I might leave 1 or 2 circuits going back to the main but that might over fill my 1.25 sub to main conduit more than 40%.
An electrician would want a few thousand to do this.

oil pan 4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-18, 01:55 AM   #2
mejunkhound
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: PNW
Posts: 197
Thanks: 0
Thanked 47 Times in 31 Posts
Default

Depends on what materials yu can get at low cost.

A firend in NM is near Hollman AFB, get used Cu wire and conduit for scrap prices.

If you have similar situation, would simply run a parallel 2" conduit with as big a wire as you can find surplus.

Don't forget about voltage drop, although not too important for the welder. I run a 320 Amp buzz box off 130 ft of 8 AWG run out to the barn and only trip the 50A breaker if I run a high duty cycle for over 15 minutes at full amp setting but likely getting under 300A at rods.
mejunkhound is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-18, 08:37 AM   #3
oil pan 4
Land owner
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NM
Posts: 1,026
Thanks: 12
Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts
Default

Yeah I have a huge hordes of 2,4, 6, 9 and 10 gauge thhn wire bought from scrap yards. I have some 1, 0 and 00 gauge. Also have a lot of 12/2, 10/2 and 10/3 romex. Actually the other day I realized I had ran out of 12/3 with ground romex and had to buy more at retail prices. Not cool.
This is one of the ways I am going to put in solar so cheaply. I won't have to buy any wire.

Yesterday I got about about 30 feet of 12/3 stw (thermo plastic extension cord) from the scrap yard to make my self a nema 6-20 cord for charging my leaf. It cost $12. If I had bought new sj cable it would have cost around $70.
All I have to do is put ends on it.
Miller recommends putting the model 250 on a 100 amp circuit.
Which would allow me to run 6 gauge on a 100 amp circuit as long as it's only for the welder. I will probably use 4 gauge and make it a 125 amp circuit, to eliminate nuance trips while welding aluminum.

Last edited by oil pan 4; 06-02-18 at 09:13 AM..
oil pan 4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-18, 08:10 AM   #4
WyrTwister
Master EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 543
Thanks: 6
Thanked 44 Times in 38 Posts
Default

We use 2" conduit for 200 amp and 1-1/4" for 100 amp .

Wyr
God bless
WyrTwister is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-18, 08:20 AM   #5
oil pan 4
Land owner
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NM
Posts: 1,026
Thanks: 12
Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts
Default

It turns out it's 1.5 inch going through the wall. Then 1.25 along the wall.
I was looking at the conduit fill chart and noticed 1.25 inch for 125 amp service was not really ideal. But 1.5 leaves plenty of room.
oil pan 4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-18, 02:23 PM   #6
rvCharlie
Lurking Renovator
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: central MS
Posts: 23
Thanks: 2
Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Default

Maybe it's just me, but I'd pay retail for some aluminum service cable before I'd run several dozen feet of free conduit through an attic and then fight with pulling free >6ga wire through it. That's cardio I can do without. :-)

Charlie
rvCharlie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-18, 02:46 PM   #7
oil pan 4
Land owner
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NM
Posts: 1,026
Thanks: 12
Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts
Default

The conduit is on the back side of the house.
I will likely run 4 gauge to my big welder.
Probably run some 6 gauge in conduit out to the garage to run dryer, air compressor, electric vehicle charger, lights, garage doors and such.
oil pan 4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-18, 12:44 AM   #8
oil pan 4
Land owner
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NM
Posts: 1,026
Thanks: 12
Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts
Default

I'm going to run power to my welder on a dedicated circuit off the main with a 125 amp breaker on 4 gauge wire.
Since I have nearly unlimited 4 gauge wire.
oil pan 4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-18, 01:05 AM   #9
WyrTwister
Master EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 543
Thanks: 6
Thanked 44 Times in 38 Posts
Default

# 4 copper ?

Wyr
God bless
WyrTwister is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-19-18, 04:05 AM   #10
oil pan 4
Land owner
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NM
Posts: 1,026
Thanks: 12
Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts
Default

I only do copper.

oil pan 4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:04 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design