On Sat, 20 Jan 2018 14:45:42 -0500, micky
wrote:

A neighbor asked me about upgrading her breaker box.

I used to know what it is. However now, to see the value on my main
breaker would require climbing on the dryer and using a mirror but I do
know that the box has 4 duplex breakers (for the oven, water heater, AC,
and clothes dryer), 12 15-amp breakers and it has 6 empty slots before I
used one. One breaker is a GFI.

Does that imply how much amperage the house is wired for?

They were built in 1979-80. 3 floors including basement, 3 bedrooms.

It seems to me there is nothing a normal person could want to add that
would require a bigger box. Maybe an electric chair would need more.

??


Back in the day oid incandescent lighting and electric heat, 200 amp
and larger services were relatively common - and required. Back then,
people used electricity to heat their pools. Refrigeration and AC were
pretty inefficient. Large screen CRT TVs sucked power.

Today, with LED lighting, Natural gas or heat pump heating, high SEER
AC, LED TVs, etc, a 200 amp service is pretty much overkill for the
average home.

If I turned on EVERYTHING in the house at once, I might get 100 amps
of draw, unless I started welding at the same time.

That's running my lathe, clothes dryer, 4 stovetop elements AND the
oven, with the AC running and all the lights on!!! - if I turn on the
toaster, the crockpot, and the power cooker - as well as the microwave
and the central vac, and my skill saw, I MIGHT be able to hit my 125
amp panel limit.

I just upgraded from100 to 125 amps when I replaced the fuse panel
with a breaker panel a few years ago. (house built in 1974)

Now - If I buy an electric car, I MIGHT get myself into a bind if I
want to use the "fast charge" - but my old electric Fiat charged on
120 volts, and was not an issue on a 15 amp fuse - - -