w33b8t1
New User
- Location
- New Mexico
Hi, I am new here and have been struggling for a couple days on how to wire my detached garage and am searching for an answer. I have read several things on here in the past and thought maybe I could sign up and ask something.
I have a house with a service panel on the outside. it is a 200A panel with no main disconnect/breaker....Meter on one side feeding a bus on the other side with 6 spaces. Currently the house is fed from a 200A breaker on this bus. There are then three wires that go to my main load center in the house. That load center has no main breaker. All of this is fine by me...
Additionally there is a 15A breaker in the service to feed a pump for the septic system. So in total there are 215A worth of breakers in the service panel. This is all existing when I bought the house.
Now for what I want to do:
I would like to add a 125A breaker to the service panel and feed my detached garage I am building. The panel in the garage has a 100A main. I bought 2/0 aluminum for the run as it is 100' and the 125A beaker will accept 2/0 aluminum, thus it is larger than the main in the subpanel. I also will run a #2 copper ground from the sub panel to the service panel. All of this seemed pretty straight forward also.
Problem??:
The service panel has a small section that reads "Use only G.E. type breakers THQP,THHQP, ……, and THQDL Breakers. Combinations not to exceed 200 AMP total C/B rating".
Does this mean the panel is already in violation as it is loaded with 215A worth of breakers? Can I not add the 125A breaker also? There is room, but this phrasing has me quite worried on what to do.
The only protection for the panel would be upstream provided by the power company. The service panel as I said does not have a main breaker.
From all my reading I gather two things:
Yes you can install the new breaker as nothing in the code prevents this from being done and it is common practice.
No you cannot as the 6 disconnect rule says the ratings cannot exceed the panel designation.
If I cannot install the breaker, I have no idea what to do. It will suck. I will post images in just a few seconds.
I have a house with a service panel on the outside. it is a 200A panel with no main disconnect/breaker....Meter on one side feeding a bus on the other side with 6 spaces. Currently the house is fed from a 200A breaker on this bus. There are then three wires that go to my main load center in the house. That load center has no main breaker. All of this is fine by me...
Additionally there is a 15A breaker in the service to feed a pump for the septic system. So in total there are 215A worth of breakers in the service panel. This is all existing when I bought the house.
Now for what I want to do:
I would like to add a 125A breaker to the service panel and feed my detached garage I am building. The panel in the garage has a 100A main. I bought 2/0 aluminum for the run as it is 100' and the 125A beaker will accept 2/0 aluminum, thus it is larger than the main in the subpanel. I also will run a #2 copper ground from the sub panel to the service panel. All of this seemed pretty straight forward also.
Problem??:
The service panel has a small section that reads "Use only G.E. type breakers THQP,THHQP, ……, and THQDL Breakers. Combinations not to exceed 200 AMP total C/B rating".
Does this mean the panel is already in violation as it is loaded with 215A worth of breakers? Can I not add the 125A breaker also? There is room, but this phrasing has me quite worried on what to do.
The only protection for the panel would be upstream provided by the power company. The service panel as I said does not have a main breaker.
From all my reading I gather two things:
Yes you can install the new breaker as nothing in the code prevents this from being done and it is common practice.
No you cannot as the 6 disconnect rule says the ratings cannot exceed the panel designation.
If I cannot install the breaker, I have no idea what to do. It will suck. I will post images in just a few seconds.
