Break box question
#1
06-15-03, 04:27 AM
Break box question
Hello,
I maintain a 3 unit bldg. There are 4 electric meters (3 for the apts and 1 for the bldg).
The last guy wired it all wrong -- 2 apts on 1 meter, 1 apt and the bldg on another, and 2 meters not connected to anything.
He installed a nice new clean shiny breaker box that only allows for 2 feeds -- that is, there are only sections of breakers, hence a wire from meter 1 goes to half the panel's breakers and a wire from meter 2 goes to the other half.
My question is: Can I find a box that has 4 breaker sections or should I add a second box with 2 breaker sections, leaving the first one intact? I suspect a 2 section box will be less expensive, but then I'll have the difficulty of running the feeds from the meters to 2 separate boxes.
And, can someone point me to a place online that sells this stuff?
Thank you,
Joseph R. Skoler
joseph@compuhelp.com
I maintain a 3 unit bldg. There are 4 electric meters (3 for the apts and 1 for the bldg).
The last guy wired it all wrong -- 2 apts on 1 meter, 1 apt and the bldg on another, and 2 meters not connected to anything.
He installed a nice new clean shiny breaker box that only allows for 2 feeds -- that is, there are only sections of breakers, hence a wire from meter 1 goes to half the panel's breakers and a wire from meter 2 goes to the other half.
My question is: Can I find a box that has 4 breaker sections or should I add a second box with 2 breaker sections, leaving the first one intact? I suspect a 2 section box will be less expensive, but then I'll have the difficulty of running the feeds from the meters to 2 separate boxes.
And, can someone point me to a place online that sells this stuff?
Thank you,
Joseph R. Skoler
joseph@compuhelp.com
#2
06-15-03, 12:04 PM
There is a reason no one jumped on this question. The bottom line is going to be,,, you need to get an electrican in this case. This is also a commercial property and no one will find it a valid reason to save a few bucks for the manager to be working on the service entrance equipment if some disaster happens.
#3
06-15-03, 12:14 PM
The conductors on the "Line" side of a meter(s) connect to the Utility distribution system. The conductors on the "Load" side of a meter(s) connect the building's interior electrical system, and usualy the first connection on the "Load" side is to a 2-pole circuit-breaker which is the Sevice-Dis-connect for the load connected to that meter.
First step in adressing you'r problem--are there 2-pole breakers on the Load side of each of the 4 meters?
First step in adressing you'r problem--are there 2-pole breakers on the Load side of each of the 4 meters?
#6
06-15-03, 03:56 PM
I appreciate everyone's advice -- I understand that those who advise hiring an electrician are giving their best advise.
I'm not necessarily of the opinion that that is not the wisest move.
I just thought that this might be a rather simple job (replacing a double lug breaker box with a 4 lug box), and something I could do without difficulty.
Not sure why I'm wrong about that, so I've not yet made a decision.
I'm not necessarily of the opinion that that is not the wisest move.
I just thought that this might be a rather simple job (replacing a double lug breaker box with a 4 lug box), and something I could do without difficulty.
Not sure why I'm wrong about that, so I've not yet made a decision.
