A Bryant type BR2100 is a 100amp main breaker. If you need some information
on dwelling calculation trye this link.
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/homew...calc/index.htm

For articles on wiring use this link.
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/homew...2002/index.htm

"Bert" wrote in message
...
Bruce L. Bergman wrote:

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 19:35:14 GMT, Bert wrote:

Adding a welder receptacle in the garage is what I would like to do,
but I'm not sure that's an (economical) option. The main panel has
only one empty breaker slot, but I assume I would need two slots for a
new 240V circuit, correct? That means I would have to add another
panel (at a cost considerably higher than $50), right? Or are there
other options?

Tell us what brand panel you have, the model breakers it takes (or
can take) and what's in there now.

If you still have the label on the panel cover you're golden, it
will tell you whether you can use "duplex" breakers that fill one 1"
slot and give you two circuits, and which slots they will fit in.

Or the "quad" breakers that'll give you one 50A 2-pole for the
welder and two single 15A or 20A poles for the branch circuits you
unplugged to make room. (They also make 250-230 quads that will feed
the welder and dryer or water heater from the same 2" space - but
that's drawing too much power for the bus-bar stabs in most panels,
especially if it's an Aluminum buss panel.)

The panel is a Bryant/Westinghouse Cat. No. 12-24 FN, SN Type 1
Enclosure, Max Mains Rating 125A. The diagram on the label indicates
that all slots can use duplex breakers, though oddly the diagram
doesn't exactly match the panel -- it shows 12 slots but there are
actually 16. There is no indication of quad breakers on the diagram.
The list of breaker types allowed is BR, BRH, BD, BQ, BJ, BJH, GFCB,
GFCBH, BRWH, BRSN. (Is BQ a quad breaker?) The bus panel and bus bars
are aluminum; wiring is copper.

The current configuration is
2 slots occupied by main breaker (Bryant type BR2100)
2 slots occupied by range breaker (Bryant type BR250)
2 slots occupied by dryer breaker (Bryant type BR230)
4 slots occupied by duplex 20A breakers (Bryant type BRD BD20-20)
5 slots occupied by duplex 15A breakers (Bryant type BRD BD15-15)
1 slot open.

Could I for instance connect both the welder outlet and
the range outlet to the same 50A breaker (and still meet code)?

Strict interpretation, no way. If an inspector sees it, he's not
going to pass it. You're not supposed to make splices inside the
panel for openers. And when you add the second branch breaker he'll
insist on a new load calculation, the numbers of which will probably
call for a service panel upgrade from 100A/125A to 200A, or 200A to
300A/400A"...

But as long as you don't try to cook and weld at the same time, and
you make a neat bolted connection in the panel, go for it. (And
remember that "we never had this conversation"...) ;-P

What conversation? ;-)

You'll need to splice the welder leads and the stove leads to a
short chunk of piece-out wire to go into the breaker (split-bolt
puttied and taped, or Polaris insulated splice), and then tuck
everything back in neatly so the cover goes back on.

-- Bruce --