Upgrading to 400 amp serive


  #1  
Old 01-23-05, 10:18 AM
dmusel
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Upgrading to 400 amp serive

Unrelated to my last post: Considering adding additional electrical loads to the house this summer and believe I need to up the amps to the house from 200 to 400. The house feed from the power company is burried in conduit. If I ask to upgrade to 400 amps, do we have to run another set of power lines from the utilitly pole to the house, or can the current cables be used to support the 400 amps? Either way, when then install 400 amps, does the power company install an additional electric meter or do they use the same meter and just a new cable to a separate box in the house? Just trying to get a general idea how this works. Thanks
 
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Old 01-23-05, 10:32 AM
Speedy Petey's Avatar
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EVERYTHING must be replaced. This is no small undertaking with a 320/400 amp service. You can run parallel conductors from the transformer to a new 320 amp meter pan so if the existing set is of adequate length you can save some there.
Of course the wires feeding a 200 amp service are not adequate for a 400 amp service. This should be obvious.

One thing I will say is, a 400 amp service is NOT a DIY project. This should be left to an electrical contractor. I cannot even grasp that a DIY'er would want to save money on a project like this. If you have a house big enough to need a 400 amp servie you surely have the money to have this job done correctly by a professional.
 
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Old 01-23-05, 10:43 AM
dmusel
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Don't Want To Mislead

I'm not planning on DIY (actually DIMyself). Just collecting information so that I can see what is involved. I appreciate your reply. Thanks
 
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Old 01-23-05, 11:17 AM
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Sorry if I sounded harsh but some folks do attempt things like this themselves with little experience.
Glad you are going the sensible route.
 
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Old 01-23-05, 01:55 PM
T
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dmusel,

Would you mind sharing what you think would require such a large upgrade? Is your place currently all electric? What are your largest electrical loads and what do you forsee using that would require such a large and expensive upgrade? Outbuildings or additions?

I don't want to sound like a nosy second guesser, but I agree with Speedy-400 amps is an awful lot of muscle...
 
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Old 01-24-05, 07:05 PM
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I'm curious too..

I bet 400 amp service comes with an additional monthly fee as well.
 
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Old 01-25-05, 04:50 PM
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I don't think a 320/400 has any extra charges. It still uses a plug in style meter.


I am working on a 15,000 sq/ft 1851 mansion rewire/renovation. My load calcualtions are coming at a 600 amp service.
 
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Old 01-26-05, 07:03 AM
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15,000 SF? Beyond my comprehension. That's even bigger than the Wal-Mart super store! Wouldn't it be easier to put in multiple 200 amp drops strategically placed across the house? I'm visualizing tripping a breaker and having to walk the equivalent of 5 houses like mine away to reset it. Kind of brings new meaning to all the bathrooms on 1 GFCI in the garage too. Guess with a house that big you just call the butler on his cell phone and have him submit a work order to the maint. staff.

Doug M.
 
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Old 01-26-05, 07:44 AM
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Doug, I think you're an order of magnitude off. Wal-Mart superstores are generally about 225,000 square feet.
 
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Old 01-26-05, 08:03 AM
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I live in a small town.

Sorry... Poor attempt at red-neck humor...

Doug M.
 
 

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