Replace main panel

[Unregistered]

I want to replace my panel, and having talked to a few licensed electricians (informally), I've heard two ways of doing it without spending $200 to have the power co come turn off the power, then waiting another week before they can make a service call to come turn it back on.

1) Tape up the enterance wire and pull the panel off
2) Pull the meter out

Obviously, being the DIY'er, I don't have a whole lot of faith in electrical tape, not to mention my ability to yank off the panel without chewing through the electrical tape on the wire, so I'm opting for #2. I figure as long as there is no load (turn off the main), it shouldn't be a big deal.

I suppose it's a two part question.

1) I can't find any regulatory information regarding a home owner changing their own main panel themselves (in N.B.). For the record, I do plan on having it inspected by a licensed electrician to keep my insurance company at bay. Does anyone know if this sort of thing is permitted or not?

2) Do power companies usually have a hissy fit when a homeowner removes their tag from the meter box? Isn't the homeowner responsible for everything from the splice at the weather head down?

TIA

[joed]

I don't know how it works in NB but in Ontario you set up an appointment. They come first thing in AM cut power. You do the work. Inpector comes at prearranged time and gives OK. They come back later in day and reconnect. You don't need to have all circuits connected in to panel. Only mains and proper grounding and maybe one panel plug.

[Mr T]

I would not try to pull your meter yourself. It can be very dangerous to you and your house. And there is a numbered tag on it for a reason.

If your meter is out of calibration, gets damaged as you pull it, ect...and they see the seal was cut, they might suspect that you wanted a cheaper electric bill in a bad way. (I'm sure that little adjustment screw that is labled F-S (fast-slow???) intrigues many people.)

I called my power company to check on getting my meter pulled when I switched over my service panel. I ended up having a contractor who was in the neighborhood on a big utility project doing it and the service panel. But I dont recall my electric company mentioning a charge to do it but its been a few years. Is the time table that you mentioned what they told you? If not, I'd call them up and find out.

[Unregistered]

Ah yes, that little screw... humm! :)

I called back the power company this morning and had a chat with them regarding the timetable they previously told me. Seems I was talking to a trainee who thought I wanted a new enterance.

So anyway, the new fee to have a tech come and pull the meter for me is $37, and he can wait around the 5 minutes until I get the service wire hooked to the main lugs then plug back in the meter, all I have to do is book a few days in advance.

However, joed brought up a good point. Do I have to have the new panel inspected? I seems like a waste of money to have someone come to look at 2 wires and go "yep, you tightened the lugs enough".

[mdshunk]

However, joed brought up a good point. Do I have to have the new panel inspected? I seems like a waste of money to have someone come to look at 2 wires and go "yep, you tightened the lugs enough".
You might not have a choice where you live. Call the building department or whoever is in charge of this and ask them. If your house ever burns down (for whatever reason), you don't want any uninspected electrical work to raise any possible questions with the insurance company. This can delay insurance repairs for months and months.

[joed]

How do you figure 5 minutes? After the meter is removed you need to remove the panel and install the new one. Or maybe you are planning to install a complete new service and then they just need to move the feed to the new service and install the meter into the new meter base.