New service location

[ccmoore]

I have a home built in 1918. Over the years previous owners have done some crazy things to the wiring. We are now ready to rewire the home. The main switch is in the basement with a fuse box on the main floor in a half bath. I would like to put the new service in the attic. It is accessed by a set of regular stairs, has a 9 ft. ceiling,
is floored with 1x6 toung and groove, and is wide open. The wire from the telephone pole goes right by the attic wall where the new panel could go and there is a chase that wire for a sub-panel in the basement could run. Does this sound feesable? What should I be aware of.

Thanks

[Wgoodrich]

To me a panel should be located on the main floor. Yet the NEC does not care what floor you put it on in a dwelling.

Concern that I would have is that if you had and electrical short that is starting a fire to stop the fire you would have to run upstairs to shut off your main breaker possibly trapping yourself above the fire. Doesn't sound good to me, but if is your choice according to the NEC rules.

Remember that you must set your meter base for the meter about 5' 6" above finished grade outside. This means you will have to run a electrical riser conduit and weatherhead on the outside of your home up to the hieght that the utility compnay wires are located from that 5' 6" high meter base. Then you will again have to run a conduit from the load side of that meter base up to the panel whereever you it is located. Also be aware that your main breaker that shuts off your entire house and is the first form of disconnect and overcurrent device [fuse or breaker] must be located either outside or nearest point of entrance inside the structure. This nearest point of entrance means you must install your main breaker at the point where your service conductors coming from the load sid of your meter enters your home structure's outside wall.

The chase sounds fine unless it is a cold air duct. Remember you are not allowed to run wiring inside an air duct used for ambient are flow.

Below is a link to an article called wiring a service that may be of some help to you.

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/homewiringusa/2002/maindwelling/meter/meter.html

Good Luck

Wg

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply WG.

One thing I didn't mention; the meter. for some strange reason is out on the telephone pole at the street. As far as I know it is the only one in the neighborhood that way. This was the first home built in the neighborhood though. Does that alter anything you mentioned?

Thanks!

[Wgoodrich]

It can make it more expensive. I suspect you are planning on upgrading to a larger main service panel. This would mean that your wires from that meter base at the pole to the house would have to be upgraded also. The cost most likely will be on you. Then the fact that you are the last one on the block that still has this meter at the street leads me to believe either the power company will order the meter moved off their power pole or it will be much cheaper to install the meter on the house letting the power company pay from the street power pole to the new location of the meter.

Before you do anything be sure to contact your Code enforcement division [local electrical inspector]and your local serving utilty company engineering division to confirm what they will require concerning an electrical license and testing, designated location of meter, and other local rules that you may not be aware of beyond the NEC rules.

The second step you should perform is to plan out your total rewire as to whether you want a partial rewire or total rewire. This decision may affect what you do in your construction or refinishing plans also. Remember a room stripped to the stud will require all wiring to be brought up to todays rules of wiring yet you could wire that room in 1/10th the time if the studs were opened up in one or more or even all rooms one at a time. This sounds radical yet it does make good sense when totally rewiring your home.

If you were to make a master plan as to what you want as an end product. Then you can take one room at time and not only update your wiring easily to current standards if the walls were opened to the studs it would allow you to also update any plumbing, heating, communications [phones or cat 5 wiring] then you could refinish that room installing insulation and vapor barrier to meet the R factor of insulation value of todays insulating and heating standards. All in one step.

If you have plaster walls and considering when you try to fish a wire to a new box and cut a hole through your plaster and lathe then you are going to have to patch often where the plaster crumbles around that hole. It would be just about as easy, sometimes faster, and a new construction look and product to strip one room at a time to the studs and install mechanicals and new finished walls. Cost will be about the same considering the weeks it takes to fish and patch having a best you can get with the conditions of your home to new construction standards in half the time and same money spent. Just my thoughts.

If you decide to fish and patch then the second step you should take after you find the local rules is to perform a demand load calculation to find the minimum main service size you are required to have to serve your home. Then you can make an informed decision as to how much more than minimum service size required that you want to install. Go to the following link that will provide you with a format to perform your own demand load calculation to provide your minimum service size so you won't be guessing and regretting later.

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/homewiringusa/2002/definitions/demandcalc02/DwlingDmdCalc02.html

Also to discover what todays standards are concerning wiring a home and finding what can be served by a certain branch circuit try reading the following link.

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/homewiringusa/2002/maindwelling/newdwel/newdwel.html

One last thought on this reply, when you do your wiring project or remodle project you should start at the top floor and wire as you go to each lower floor. That way if you have to damage walls to get new wiring to the top floor you won't be redoing finished walls you just did down stairs. Doing this also allows you to live there as you perform this project with least impact on the family.

Hope this helps

Wg

[Anonymous]

It helps tremendously!

ccmoore

[Wgoodrich]

Good Luck with your project.

Wg