Stupid service amperage question

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

60 amp service, right (not 120)?

[rmaday]

Yes, 60.

[bemelander]

I second that yes, 60 amp

[Wayne B. Wilson]

yes 60

[David P. Valley]

Never add the sum of two cartridge fuses. Two 60's is 60 Amps.

Both fuse cartridges will be the same size and the total amperage is the size printed on the fuse.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Thanks guys.

[jkogel]

I would mention the corrosion as well, and would we call for an electrician?
Another thing, a label on that fuse pull would make the job easier and safer, and you wouldn't have to cut power to get the fuse size.

John Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

[relliott]

Originally Posted by jkogel

I would mention the corrosion as well, and would we call for an electrician?
Another thing, a label on that fuse pull would make the job easier and safer, and you wouldn't have to cut power to get the fuse size.

John Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

If we trusted labels we could just never unscrew the panel cover.

[jkogel]

Originally Posted by relliott

If we trusted labels we could just never unscrew the panel cover.

Bob, we have the panel cover off. "Appears to be 60 amp as labeled, recommend evaluation of older, corroded panel by a qualified electrician."

John Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

[relliott]

Originally Posted by jkogel

Bob, we have the panel cover off. "Appears to be 60 amp as labeled, recommend evaluation of older, corroded panel by a qualified electrician."

John Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

Duh ,I see it is off but I was refering to them having a label.
I would not trust the info to be accurate.

60 amps is awfully low though.

Hope they do not use a lot of hair dryers.

[jkogel]

Originally Posted by relliott

Duh ,I see it is off but I was refering to them having a label.
I would not trust the info to be accurate.

We would use the label info PLUS the wire size, right? Just pulling your chain a bit.

But seriously, since it's an old undersized corroded installation, I'd prefer to call it as above and not even attempt to remove the fuses. Could break something.

Originally Posted by relliott

60 amps is awfully low though.

Hope they do not use a lot of hair dryers.

How many plug-in heaters would they have running day and night?

[jbettencourt]

The only stupid question is the one that is never asked.

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

No one mentioned the missing dead cover or the extremely tight bends in the feeder cables. I would go ahead and recommend an upgrade; 60 amps is insufficient today plus the panel is a piece of antiquated crap, but that is me. The missing dead cover though could end up a tragedy if a curious child playing on the side of the house looks inside and gets electrocuted and the home inspector did not point it out in their report.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

The dead front cover wasn't missing. I removed it during the inspection. Here's what I say about low amperage services:

"The service entrance amperage is estimated to be 100 amps or less. Generally speaking, 100 amps is the minimum amperage necessary for today's modern homes. You should confirm the amperage prior to close of escrow and consult with a licensed electrician about the limitations of this size service."

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

Good response to the 60 amp setup. I find many homes missing dead covers and a lot of Realtors and even sellers fail to understand the big deal until I point out to them the potential dangers. You would think they could see it but their eyes are often on the money not on the big picture. I thought you might have removed the dead cover due to the line of crap piled up at the bottom of the box but thought it was worth mentioning, more so for new guys who may have never thought of it being important. Small, seemingly innocuous items like this get missed but are important to the buyers whether they know it or not.