friery wrote:
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

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