BETA-32 wrote:
"Photon713" wrote in message
news:0W24h.2051$Lt4.915@trnddc08...
Find an electrician on the up-and-up who can answer your questions.
You are much better off by following the code and having it
inspected both for personal peace of mind and insurance
reasons. . . .

Thanks. I probably worded things wrong but I definitely do not want to have
done without a permit, the required inspection that goes with that, etc.

But what I was trying to figure out is if I just have new (say 200-amp)
service brought in, will I be able to just get a permit for that, have it
done, and have the existing wiring connected to the new service panel
without rewiring the whole house? If I can, I would like to have that done
and then have the rest of the wiring done later, possibly in stages.

I would also investigate either full or partial AC.

I have been thinking about doing that, which is partly why I am thinking of
200-amp service. The house itself will present a lot of problems trying to
make that possible, such as no attic. I probably should have said 3-story
instead of 2-1/2 story because the 3rd floor is finished with 3 rooms and a
hallway -- just all of the rooms have sloping ceilings. One option may be
to provide central air for just the first and second floors, but whatever I
do in terms of AC won't be happening for a while.


My two cents:

You can very likely have the panel upgraded to 200A without having to
bring the whole electric system up to current code. But, if you later
then replace all the old wiring, part of the work is going to be
redone, as they have to rip all the wiring from the breakers out of the
panel again and replace it. Unless there is some compelling reason to
upgrade to 200A now and put off the rest, I'd do it all at the same
time, whenever that is.

How old is the wiring? What type is it? Grounded/ungrounded, etc.
What real shortcomings are an issue with it right now?