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Don Y[_3_]

On 12/3/2015 8:10 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 03 Dec 2015 18:17:46 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

If it's the "Old CH" I'm thinking of, I'd be replacing it. It
wouldn't stand a chance of passing code up here as a new install. NO
conductors from the "switched" side are allowed into the "main" side
of the panel. None. Period.

In addition to the expense and inconvenience, that opens up a whole
can of worms. House is block so you can't move the box "an inch
or two" to accommodate breakers in the new loadcenter being some
different distance from where the wires come through the block.

That's where you have to do your homework. I made sure the panel I
purchased would fit. A few applications of the greenley punch - I
didn't have to move a single wire - and all the wires were long enough
to reach, after sorting out what went where.

Of course it's do-able. The question is one of where that sits on the
list of things that *must* get done and *should* get done.

The decorative lintels over the garage and all windows will need to
be replaced. Cracks in the stucco need to be patched. Both of these
before I can paint the house.

We'll need to give some serious consideration to replacing the roof
in the next year or two.

SWMBO wants to replace some more windows in the front of the house.

I want to install a french drain along the back side of the house
to harvest rainwater -- and a large cistern to store it.

We've yet to select the water softener.

And, I still have a lot of automation to design and install.

Replacing an electric panel that isn't causing any problems
sure seems like ASKING for work!

If I had let the electrician supply the panel he usually uses there
would have been a few junction boxes involved - and that I did NOT
want!!!!
Neighbor enhanced his service some years ago. A nightmare for
him to "stretch" the wires to reach the new locations of the
breakers. You roll the dice; if the wires don't reach, you're
SoL (have to rerun the branch circuit).

Or install a "stretcher box" - a surface mounted junction box to
splice the wires. Nasty - but it works, passes code, and is not
difficult.

Another neighbor had his panel catch fire (corroded mains).
Same sort of issue -- can't just find "drop in" replacements
for these sorts of things! (And, you're without power
for the time it takes to tear down, install, rewire AND
get inspected!)

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

This is where I differ. I say fix it while it is fixable - and on your
schedule. Letting the panel decide when it has to be replaced never
works out in your favour.

We've seen one panel "fail" in the neighborhood -- due to corrosion
on the feed. Every other panel-related activity has been "elective"
or mandated by tariff changes from the utility. All the homes
were built within a year or two of each other so all "suffer"
the same sort of wear. If there was a pending problem, it;s
likely we'd be seeing some signs of it *somewhere* in the
neighborhood.

[I walk the entire neighborhood -- 3.8 mile loop -- daily. So,
interact with folks in enough different areas to have a pretty
good feel for what sorts of problems people are having. I can
tell you who's had plumbing problems, who's had their furnaces
replaced, who's had problem with their PV arrays, who's water
meters have failed, who's had pipes freeze, etc. While some
folks are interested in the salacious trivia, I'm more concerned
with things that are likely to cause me problems down the road;
things I can anticipate before they force me to act! : ]