cost for upgrading to 200amp


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Old 01-19-06, 05:40 AM
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cost for upgrading to 200amp

Does anyone have a range of costs that I should look at for upgrading from 100amp service to 200amp service. I live in Rockland County NY. I am kinda of looking at an idea so I don't get ripped off.
 
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Old 01-19-06, 05:46 AM
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Is your service overhead or underground? Is the main disconnect on/in the house or on a pole? Is the panel next to/under the meter or behind it? If not, how far removed is it?

UNK
 
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Old 01-19-06, 05:50 AM
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My electician quoted me roughly $800.00 for the change from 60 amp to 200 amp. That includes parts and labor. However, I have heard that people have got quotes up to 3500.00 dollars. I live in Colorado, and this is an electrician who is doing side work on the weekend, perhaps that's why his quote is so low. Also, I think he is giving me a real price break on all the materials. Hope that gives you something to go on.
 
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Old 01-19-06, 06:07 AM
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Brian,

Your question is too open ended for anyone to give you an answer. Upgrading the service may mean new entrance wires, a new meter base, etc. Or you may get lucky and the entrance wires may already be large enough to handle the added load.

I suggest that you get at least three quotes from reputable electrician and compare them. Ask them to detail exactly what they will do in the quotes. You will then be able to compare the quotes.
 
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Old 01-19-06, 06:08 AM
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200 amp

The meter directly above it (panel is in basement) probably about 1 foot below. There is a main shut off on the panel but I assume they would have to change the meter and so forth and shut it off at the road.
 
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Old 01-19-06, 09:51 AM
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The standard answer to this is $1,000 to $2,000. However there are a lot of details that can only be seen in person by the contractor, and local codes may place additional requirements on your service. Get three specific bids from reputable contractors. Ask them what brand of equipment they install and what specifically the quote covers; for example, some contractors may include permit fees in the quote and some may not; some may want to charge extra for a 42 circuit panel instead of a 30. Use this information to pick the best one.
 
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Old 01-19-06, 09:52 AM
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Nope, Usually the Meter/Panel Replacement is done with live wires. Super Dangerous. But you should give some more details. Is the Meter connected to a pipe going in to the ground, or is it attached to a pipe going up to lines attached to house with a big "drip loop"? You also need to know if the Meter box needs to be replaced to handle the upgrade. If your house has a cable or a pipe going up to the drip loop I know most maycharge in the vacinity of $1200 give or take. If he is doing side work, he may have additional parts or cable that he doesnt have to front. So $800 could be good, but do you know if he is reputable? Ask for references and/or ask him to explain what needs to be done a bit and relay it to this forum. Its really hard figuring out the price range without seeing it visually.
 
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Old 01-19-06, 10:10 AM
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How much can you limit the scope

The related question I always come up with is how much is it reasonable to limit the scope? I know my wiring has issues but I can't afford to take care of it all at once. Does the code or a reputable electrician require more than I might want?

Some examples I come up with immediately might be like:
- I know my bedroom outlets are not on an AFCI, but can we just put it back on a breaker as is for now?
- I know some of this wiring looks like it was done by someone without a clue, but unless it's an immediate danger, can we just put it back the way it is for now?
- Please don't look at that subpanel some moron installed, just make sure the wire to it is big enough for the load and put it back the way it was for now.
 

Last edited by wgc; 01-19-06 at 10:11 AM. Reason: oops
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Old 01-19-06, 11:38 AM
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Originally Posted by wgc
I know my bedroom outlets are not on an AFCI, but can we just put it back on a breaker as is for now?
National code does not require bedroom circuits to be retrofitted with AFCI; only new construction and major remodel. Some localities require AFCI during service upgrades, but this is atypical.

I know some of this wiring looks like it was done by someone without a clue, but unless it's an immediate danger, can we just put it back the way it is for now?
Please don't look at that subpanel some moron installed, just make sure the wire to it is big enough for the load and put it back the way it was for now.
Most inspectors will only care about the specific work for which the permit was pulled, i.e. the service upgrade. However, if he saw something that was clearly dangerous he would probably take action to red-tag your house until it was fixed. Likewise, a reputable electrician would notify you of any serious problems he encountered during the course of a service upgrade and not re-energize any circuits which he found to be a safety hazard.
 
 

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