i have a screw in type main panel in my barn....i think it is probably a 60 amp panel....i want to run a subpanel for my welder.... can i just run it from the main feed terminals coming into the screw in type panel?????
thanx in advance jamie
No
You can set another breaker in your main panel and feed your subpanel or if the main panel is a feed_through sub feed it that way.
Is there are gutter to make a tap off the Service entrance conductors?
Andy writes: Well, it would work OK to do that, but bear in mind that if you have
60 amp capacity you might not be able to run your welder at the same time as all of the main panel subcircuits...I am assuming that what you have is the power company to the meter base to the barn main panel, which uses screw-in type fuses..... Probably installed 30 years or more ago...... If you hook onto the main panel input terminals, the lines will be hot unless you pull the meter. The power company doesn't like that, especially by non-licensed electricians, and they may make a stink when they see the seal broken... If you make the connection with the lines hot, be damned careful.... I don't advise it......
Another approach would be to increase the fuse size in one of the main panel subcircuits to 60A , disconnect the circuit that went to it, and run this 60A output to the new subpanel. The new subpanel would then feed both the welder and the subcircuit that was disconnected..... I like this approach better......Mainly because you don't have to pull your meter to work with dead lines....And you have a subpanel with breakers in it instead of screw fuses....
In fact, for a couple more bucks, you can use the subpanel to feed ALL of the barn circuits. Just use a 60A fuse in the existing main panel and disconnect everything except the feed to the subpanel...
I'm not sure of your local codes, tho, cause some places are more anally retentive than others. In rural Texas, the owner can do almost anything without a required inspection. The only problem is that if you screw it up, and it causes a fire, the insurance company might not pay off.....
Good luck,
Andy in Eureka, Texas
Not properly, unless you have conditions like Tazz mentions. It might make more sense to replace the fuse panel with a breaker panel that's large enough for everything
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.