When someone refers to 100A service that means per leg, right? Or is it summed?
Here's the issue. It said in the local paper today that my town is upping the code requirement to 100A service and existing homes must upgrade when they change hands. Naturally the article didn't go into greater detail.
What we have is a setup with two main breakers (two pairs). One is a double-50A that feeds the rest of the panel. The other is a double-30A that feeds just the dryer outlet. I presume that is considered 80A service, not 160A.
The panel itself is a "Stab-Lok" from Federal Pacific, circa 1957.
There's a pair of connector blocks in the top half and another pair in the bottom half. Incoming power from the meter goes to the bottom two blocks. Main #2 (2-30A) is plugged into the bottom right position and as described goes to feed the dryer outlet. Main #1 (2-50A) is in the bottom left position and the output consists of short jumpers going from the breaker terminals to the upper connector blocks of the panel. Up there there are places for 4 single pole breakers (2 to each side) off the top block and off the bottom block. One leftover space on the bottom block. And then there is space between for two pole breakers that will plug into both top and bottom blocks. The left side double pole space has the 2-pole for the A/C condensing unit. The right side previously held a 2-pole for a large room A/C but I removed the wiring and breaker long ago.
The panel is rated 125A so that sounds like it ought to be good for 100A service but does that mean each connector block is only good for 50A?
Can one just have the utility give us a new drop, replace the 2 ft of wire from meter socket to panel and the internal jumper (assuming it's not already correctly sized, pop in a 2-100A breaker and that's that? Or is a whole new panel a necessity? I don't want to make a small job into a major one unnecessarily. (Moot for now as the house is not for sale but good to know and maybe take care of in advance.)