Electrician types- does this look right?

Oneofsix

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So, we have an older home and as part of my planning to replace the electric service line to the barn I've been looking over the existing service in the house as well. The barn is fed by a single 20amp breaker, imo not really enough.
I'm also planning to turn a semi- complete room in the barn into my home office.
So, my question is does the main breaker look to be enough for the house with the current breakers it has, or did the former owner do something sketchy? He was supposed to be a GC.

The labels aren't entirely correct...
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How big is the main breaker? This is going to be size limited by the feeder wires from the meter in terms of ampacity. The NEC has a formula for computing the load for the house. It’s a combination of continuous loads, heating or AC (whichever is larger), loads such as freezers and ovens, and x watts per square foot for lighting and outlets.

No 20A is probably not enough for your barn.
 
How big is the main breaker? This is going to be size limited by the feeder wires from the meter in terms of ampacity. The NEC has a formula for computing the load for the house. It’s a combination of continuous loads, heating or AC (whichever is larger), loads such as freezers and ovens, and x watts per square foot for lighting and outlets.

No 20A is probably not enough for your barn.
Main is 100amp

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Main is 100amp

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That's not enough for the house. Let alone adding more draw for the barn.

Appears 3 30 amp double pole breakers would almost max out the existing service if all 3 would be drawing at the same time.

Are there breakers at the meter as well ?
 
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Looks from here like that breaker panel is about 40-50 years old. 100a is almost certainly insufficient for the home depending on configuration -- but that's absent any hard data. If it were I, I'd up the service, re-do from the meter in, and run at least 40-60a to the garage, depending on what you plan to do in there (one 20a breaker is maybe good for lighting, but definitely not for power tools, etc.
 
That's not enough for the house. Let alone adding more draw for the barn.

Appears 3 30 amp double pole breakers would almost max out the existing service if all 3 would be drawing at the same time.

Are there breakers at the meter as well ?
Ding ding!

I had forgotten about the outside box, which there are actually 2-
Meter connects to a panel outside with 2-100amp breakers, 5 or so 20amp and a 30 double.

Another small box has a 60 double and a 40 double labeled as heat and A/C

So, the inside one is a sub-panel of the one next to the meter?

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You're fine... That's plenty of power. Don't listen to the naysayers. Money is better spent in LED bulbs, efficient appliances, and higher seer inverter driven HVAC than upgrading the panel.

If you need more than lights and a few outlets in the barn run a second 20amp out there. Cheap and easy. No point in a sub panel unless you really have a power need.
 
Ding ding!

I had forgotten about the outside box, which there are actually 2-
Meter connects to a panel outside with 2-100amp breakers, 5 or so 20amp and a 30 double.

Another small box has a 60 double and a 40 double labeled as heat and A/C

So, the inside one is a sub-panel of the one next to the meter?

f849f4d46349faf70375c42baed1254b.jpg
4f5e7d424f16502c57906d3ee141624f.jpg
d2b07a08c6a898bd8f249c53017a91d0.jpg


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With the outside breakers you have plenty of available power. If it were me. And it was just a few months ago. I'd pull 50 amp 240 out to the barn Unless you run ALOT of stuff at once you should not need to worry with it again.
 
A main panel outside at the meter is such a good thing to have prior to (and feeding) the inside house panel. Then outside stuff like AC units, well pumps, and shop sub-panels can be fed from outside too. It's a much more sensible distribution plan.
 
Feed your barn from your outside panel. There is plenty of capacity in it for a double pole breaker plus it’s a 200A panel. Before making a recommendation regarding breaker size and wire, what do you plan to use the barn for?
 
Feed your barn from your outside panel. There is plenty of capacity in it for a double pole breaker plus it’s a 200A panel. Before making a recommendation regarding breaker size and wire, what do you plan to use the barn for?
It's an old barn, we mostly use it to store the yard equipment and as my workshop- I don't really do any specific or special there. I have a small 110v MIG I've played with very little, it's probably the most power hungry item in the barn. Most any other time I might use a drill, grinder or sawzall but not 2 things at the same time.
It has a semi finished room I'd like to clean out and start using as my office.
Currently there's a single 20a circuit fed from the house panel- I was thinking to replace the wire from the house to barn with direct burial grade 10/2. I'd like to add a small window AC unit for summer, and electric space heater for winter. Other than that the only addition would be my laptop, 3 monitors and a small coffee maker.

I also plan to put in a small service box at the barn, so I can cut off power at the barn without having to come back to the house.

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Depends on if you want to meet code and what service you want in the barn. There is not enough info here for anyone to make that decision. You’ll know for sure like most people after you take the easy route, have guest and cook at holidays like most people when the fire trucks arrive.
 
It's an old barn, we mostly use it to store the yard equipment and as my workshop- I don't really do any specific or special there. I have a small 110v MIG I've played with very little, it's probably the most power hungry item in the barn. Most any other time I might use a drill, grinder or sawzall but not 2 things at the same time.
It has a semi finished room I'd like to clean out and start using as my office.
Currently there's a single 20a circuit fed from the house panel- I was thinking to replace the wire from the house to barn with direct burial grade 10/2. I'd like to add a small window AC unit for summer, and electric space heater for winter. Other than that the only addition would be my laptop, 3 monitors and a small coffee maker.

I also plan to put in a small service box at the barn, so I can cut off power at the barn without having to come back to the house.

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How far a distance from the outside panel to the barn? The longer the run, the more voltage drop and this impacts wire sizing.
 
How far a distance from the outside panel to the barn? The longer the run, the more voltage drop and this impacts wire sizing.
My memory sucks, but I want to say about 150'.
I've already been pricing 8/3 and 6/3

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My memory sucks, but I want to say about 150'.
I've already been pricing 8/3 and 6/3

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When you get into wire that size 99% of the time it's way cheaper at an electrical supply place.
 
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