200 amp panel?

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McLintock

McLintock

Senior Member
Location
USA
Occupation
Electrician
Was at a job today adding lights and replacing a 2000w heater. Took panel cover off and said why do they do that!
63eaf3dddd7746545e859903a9836138.jpg

Meter is right on the other side of the panel and the service coming in is UG 4/0 from the transformer.

The home is adopt 1,400 sq, all electric heat. Pulling 55.4 amps without range or hot water heater running. Suggested to get it fixed.


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They definitely didn’t know what they were doing. I would guess they had a temporary tied to the breaker that the poco is on now, someone at a helper level was sent in to finish it, and just put the utility on where they took the temporary off. I would say it was a cookie cutter house, where they train a crew to wire the first one, then they go gangbusters on the rest. Problem is, if something is changed, they are lost and just wing it. Happens a whole lot in Atlanta by the big residential wiring companies.
 
What is that cutout for underneath bottom of load center. Looks like some kind of cylinder feeding wires thru much smaller 1/2" KO, perhaps a surge protector?
 
Several questions remain before changing anything with the service connections. What is the meter rating? What size is the SE from POCO? What is POCO set up for from the Xfer?
Most likely both are only 100A rated thus the use of the backfeed breaker on this 200A panel. If meter and SE is adequate for 200A then to "correct" would only require bringing in a properly sized feeder for the 200A panel. There is however Issue visible even if 100A correct is the lack of a hold down screw for the backfeed breaker. And the lack of contact barrier on the feeder terminal.
 
Fred B said:
Several questions remain before changing anything with the service connections. What is the meter rating? What size is the SE from POCO? What is POCO set up for from the Xfer?
Most likely both are only 100A rated thus the use of the backfeed breaker on this 200A panel. If meter and SE is adequate for 200A then to "correct" would only require bringing in a properly sized feeder for the 200A panel. There is however Issue visible even if 100A correct is the lack of a hold down screw for the backfeed breaker. And the lack of contact barrier on the feeder terminal.
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We would need to know under which NEC this was installed.
Looks new enough for the hold down but the barrier, maybe not.
What the POCO feeds the meter with is not my problem. Rural areas, I have seen 200 amp sockets fed with 100 amp wire in the past. Now everyone gets a 200 amp loop, even if I put in a 400 amp service.
 
The cabin was doubled in size about 10 years ago. The meter can is a 200amp bypass, I assume upgraded at that time, knowing POCO rules, most likely 4/0 feeders from the POCO, underground , but I could be wrong. Clearly a load calculation was not done when they added on to the place


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And I assume that's a surge arrestor cut out too?! I prefer to land those w the feeders personally. Why kill spaces in the panel?

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KnightPower said:
And I assume that's a surge arrestor cut out too?! I prefer to land those w the feeders personally. Why kill spaces in the panel?

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land them on an existing 2 pole breaker, water heater breaker is pretty common one to share them with.
 
Fred B said:
Several questions remain before changing anything with the service connections. What is the meter rating? What size is the SE from POCO? What is POCO set up for from the Xfer?
Most likely both are only 100A rated thus the use of the backfeed breaker on this 200A panel. If meter and SE is adequate for 200A then to "correct" would only require bringing in a properly sized feeder for the 200A panel. There is however Issue visible even if 100A correct is the lack of a hold down screw for the backfeed breaker. And the lack of contact barrier on the feeder terminal.
Click to expand...
OP did say meter was supplied with 4/0 conductor, so chances are pretty high it is at least a 200 amp meter socket. Not many 100-125 amp meters even have room to manage that large of conductors.
 
electrofelon said:
Either providing a 200A panel for future upgrade of the entire service to 200A, a lack of enough panel spaces available in a common100AMB panel, and product availability.
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OK. I can buy into the lack of product availability scenario and maybe even the lack of spaces in the breaker panel IF the 100A breaker is a temp. installation. However, IMHO if you are going through the trouble of installing a new 200A MB panel, how much more effort and expense does it take to changed the service conductors to 4/0-4/0-2/0 to the meter pan ? The conduit connector to the meter pan looks like it's 2". While you may be doing your customer a favor you're not really doing them a service. Just my 2 cents worth. :cool:
 
goldstar said:
OK. I can buy into the lack of product availability scenario and maybe even the lack of spaces in the breaker panel IF the 100A breaker is a temp. installation. However, IMHO if you are going through the trouble of installing a new 200A MB panel, how much more effort and expense does it take to changed the service conductors to 4/0-4/0-2/0 to the meter pan ? The conduit connector to the meter pan looks like it's 2". While you may be doing your customer a favor you're not really doing them a service. Just my 2 cents worth. :cool:
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Something that was intended to be temporary and never got changed maybe??

Is definitely pointless otherwise IMO plus it needs a hold down on top of everything else that don't make sense about it.
 
goldstar said:
OK. I can buy into the lack of product availability scenario and maybe even the lack of spaces in the breaker panel IF the 100A breaker is a temp. installation. However, IMHO if you are going through the trouble of installing a new 200A MB panel, how much more effort and expense does it take to changed the service conductors to 4/0-4/0-2/0 to the meter pan ? The conduit connector to the meter pan looks like it's 2". While you may be doing your customer a favor you're not really doing them a service. Just my 2 cents worth. :cool:
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There are situations where it is a can of worms to fully upgrade, such as a flush meter socket, 1 1/4 mast, financial restraints.....OP has added that in this case it is a 200A socket so who knows what the installer was thinking....
 
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