Steve Barker wrote:
On 5/9/2010 9:47 PM, Hat wrote:
I have installed CB sub-panels many a times with no problem because I
can disconnect the live wires at the main panel. In the old house I
am fixing, I need to replace the all-fuse MAIN panel with a new CB
panel. Do I need to contact the power company to disconnect the
juice, or is there another way of doing it? I do not want to mess
with the 240 volt supply because it may hurt a bit (i.e., kill me).
BTW: how do certified electricians go about disconnecting the live
wires before doing a similar job? Thanks

pop the seal, remove the meter from the can, then when you get it all
back together, put the meter back in, and hang the broken seal on it.
Chances are, they never come out to read the meter anyway, and if they
do, they'll just put a new seal on it.\

Or, if you want to be real radical, you could call the power company and ask
them how they prefer to handle it. They want to make it happen. They don't want
to block these updates. They may just tell you to cut the seal, and remove the
meter as you need.

When I did it, they removed the seal. I did the work, got it inspected, and they
came back, installed new wires to the new head, removed the old wires, and
connected up the meter and seal.

IIRC, I disconnected the old bex from the wall, pulled it out of the way,
installed the new head, conduit, meter box, wires to the head, and breaker box.
I wired jumpers from the old box mains to the new box. Then I transfered wires
for each circuit from the old box to the new when I had the time. Power was down
for a minimal time. When they installed the new power, I removed the jumpers and
the old box.