Main Disconnect needed for electrical panel?

For the cost of installing a main disconnect or a new panel I think the piece of mind would be worth it.

What brand is it? If it's Federal Pacific or Zinsco, you should replace it in my opinion. (Has nothing to do with the split bus, but they are fire hazards)

Bob

But I don't think the seller is obligated to pay for it since split bus panels are certainly code compliant.

It seems way to common anymore for "home inspectors" to decide that everything should be as if it were done last week according to current practices.

Sorry for replying to my own post, but I realized that last sentence was ambiguous. Zinsco and Federal Pacific boxes are fire hazards. Split bus is unusual these days, but OK.

Bob

Last time I heard the US was in a buyers market. Whether the home owner "has" to replace it or not does not mean it can't be negotiated in the selliung price.

Here's a thought. Tell the current owner your concerns and that you want a new panel installed. If it's to much offer to settle on a main disconnect, installed, either inside or outside. Once the disconnect is installed it's simple enough to swap in a new panel down the road.

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Like always, that depends on "location, location, location". The major metro areas are all in the news now with the subprime lending fiasco (where the rest of us are getting ready to be soaked to subsidize the fools and greedy who signed up for all these mortgages they couldn't afford :( ), but in other areas things are pretty much as they've always been...

That said, it's a negotiating point, agreed...

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Does it matter what it is? We always pay for the fools... Maybe we are fools for not being fools

Problem is, it wasn't all "fools and greedy" signing up for mortgages they couldn't afford per se, a lot of it was predatory lending. The bulk of the people in trouble now were indeed making their mortgage payments just fine when the interest rates were reasonable and only had trouble when the greedy lenders raised those rates through the roof.

All that is necessary to eliminate the so called sub prime meltdown is to implement an interest rate freeze / cap to punish the greedy lenders while helping the consumer victims by allowing them to continue paying their mortgage at sane rates.

The greedy lenders get slapped, but stay afloat due to the fact that they'd still be receiving payments and still making a more reasonable profit, the market stabilizes and the victims who had been making their mortgage payments regularly get to keep their homes and not be further victimized.

Bullshit...

The terms were all published and nobody held a gun to their head and forced them to sign up for zero-percent balloon mortgages.

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James,

You have some concern about the lack of a main breaker and the seller has agreed to remedy this by installing a main breaker. What else do you need to know? Are the sellers refusing to honor their word?

Dave M.

The problem with split buss panels is that at the time the NEC allowed up to

While you are doing major electrical, go with a new panel.

The NEC still does. I could install a split bus panel tomorrow.

The house has a main disconnect, it's called a meter. Pull the meter and the power goes off. I've heard of firefighters doing it with a fire ax. One or two whacks and the power is off.

attacking a meter with a fire ax is in itself a major fire shock hazard.

way better and easier to break seal pull meter. I have done it a couple times for good reasons

a free fall of the housing market will kill our economy, way better to change the law and prop up the bad lenders till things recover.

unless you want a major recession??

Firemen do exactly that with the point of the fire axe. It lets them be far away when that meter arcs as it comes out under whatever load is on the system. They still prefer a disconnect.

Hmmm, Yet, I never ran into a HI who are competent in anything, electrical, plumbing or sutructual matters overall. Piece of paer saying certified HI, whatever hanging on the wall does not mean much.

Hi, Last year here, people were buying houses without even seeing it. Price was going up by the day. Most were paying over the list price just to get it. No time for inspection or such. Now that craze is cooling off. My neighbor's house, ~2400 sqf 2 story built in 1994 at a cost of ~250K was sold for 1.25 million 2 months ago. That is what hot economy brought us, high inflation, high wages, extreme housing shortage, population influx, increased crime rate, etc. I don't see anything exciting in it.