On Thu, 02 Mar 2006 03:14:26 GMT, "FDR"
wrote:
"John Grabowski" wrote in message
news
"FDR" wrote in message
...
I have an old Wadsworth panel (circa 1964) in our house. I recently got
a
quote from an electrician to upgrade the panel to Square D circuit
breakers.
He proposed to leave the old Wadsworth box in place, including the wiring
entering the box, removing the existing circuit breakers and bus bars as
well as the main fuses, and installing the Square D bus bars, main
circuit
breakers and new circuit breakers. This would result in less labor to
remove the old box and rerunning the wires in the new box. Total cost
would
be about $600 (parts and labor) to approximately 30 breakers in a 200 Amp
service. Does this sound like a reasonable approach?
Thank you.
Although this sounds like an economical means and as someone else said "A
box is a box", this is most certainly NOT the way to go. When Square D
has
their equipment tested to get a UL listing it is with the entire package.
Removing the guts from a Square D panel and installing them in a Wadsworth
panel will void all warranties and would not pass inspection. I am
surprised that a licensed electrical contractor would even suggest
something
like that. Make sure that you get an insurance certificate from him
because
you will need it.
I understand that you want to save money, but the liability in such an
installation is not worth a few dollars savings on a hatchet job. I
suggest
that you get a few more quotes from other electrical contractors and I
also
sugest that you have the installer get a permit and inspection for the
job.
I didn't say anything baout saving money. The guy happened to be at my house
doing electrical work and I asked him about the Wadsworth panel; if it was
dangerous being old and fact that breakers are hard to come by. He
mentioned they aren't UL certified and I asked him to quote replacing it.
He came back with the idea of just repacing the guts. I'm just trying to
see if it really makes that much of a diffierence.
I'd first ask your local authority whether it's permissable, before
worrying about whether it will work. It shouldn't save you more
than a couple hours labor, and maybe $100 on the case, though,
as long as the new box has entry holes in the same places.