I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there? I
assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do some
servicing in the 2nd panel.

Thx
Gary

change: i think the 40a supply must match a 40a wire,and the subpanel
must have not 100a but a 40a breaker.
but first see:
http://www.selfhelpandmore.com/homew...rage/index.htm

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-wiring/part1/

Gary wrote:
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there? I
assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do some
servicing in the 2nd panel.

Thx
Gary

In article 2Omhh.501373$R63.440567@pd7urf1no, "Gary" wrote:
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there?

Sure. Any overcurrent would trip the 40A breaker feeding the subpanel.

You *do* plan on running a 4-wire feeder cable to the subpanel, don't you?
(Black, red, white, and bare wires) Also make sure that (a) the subpanel has
two separate bus bars for neutral and ground, (b) they are not connected to
each other, (c) the neutral bus is NOT connected to the chassis of the
subpanel, and (d) you connect the white feeder wire to the neutral bus, and
the bare wire to the ground bus.

I assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do some
servicing in the 2nd panel.

Correct.



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article .com, "buffalobill" wrote:
change: i think the 40a supply must match a 40a wire,and the subpanel
must have not 100a but a 40a breaker.

Why? As long as the wire will carry _at_least_ 40A, the 40A breaker provides
all the overcurrent protection needed. What would be wrong with leaving the
100A breaker in the subpanel?

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Gary" wrote in message
news:2Omhh.501373$R63.440567@pd7urf1no...
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there? I
assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do
some servicing in the 2nd panel.

You bought a main panel instead of a subpanel. That was a small mistake
since you are paying for a breaker you won't be using (but won't do any harm
either) and will have to buy a separate neutral bus.

Take it back and buy the right thing if you can. If not, you can use it,
but don't forget the neutral bus.
I just bought a real nice GE subpanel from Lowes for $30 with 4 breakers
thrown in. I wish my main panel was as nice. But I see you are up North...

Yup thanks I'm going to use one gauge up from what the amperage is rated
for. I am also going to isolate the neutral from the ground in the
subpanel. I just don't want to look like an idiot for the inspector. Code
here says I do not even need a main breaker in the sub because I have a
feeder breaker in the main. I thought I might as well put the sub with the
100A breaker in because it comes with a ton of assorted breakers including
an arcfault breaker for only $19 more than a smaller 60A subpanel that comes
with 4 regular breakers. Go figure.

Gary :-)


"Doug Miller" wrote in message
. ..
In article 2Omhh.501373$R63.440567@pd7urf1no, "Gary"
wrote:
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to
run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has
a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there?

Sure. Any overcurrent would trip the 40A breaker feeding the subpanel.

You *do* plan on running a 4-wire feeder cable to the subpanel, don't you?
(Black, red, white, and bare wires) Also make sure that (a) the subpanel
has
two separate bus bars for neutral and ground, (b) they are not connected
to
each other, (c) the neutral bus is NOT connected to the chassis of the
subpanel, and (d) you connect the white feeder wire to the neutral bus,
and
the bare wire to the ground bus.

I assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do
some
servicing in the 2nd panel.

Correct.



--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , "Toller" wrote:

"Gary" wrote in message
news:2Omhh.501373$R63.440567@pd7urf1no...
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there? I
assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do
some servicing in the 2nd panel.

You bought a main panel instead of a subpanel. That was a small mistake
since you are paying for a breaker you won't be using (but won't do any harm
either) and will have to buy a separate neutral bus.

Actually, it already has a neutral bus. If he has to buy anything, it will be
a grounding bus -- and it probably already has one of those too.

If he had bought a subpanel, he'd certainly have to buy a separate bus, and
might have wound up spending *more* money.

Take it back and buy the right thing if you can.

Phooey. There's nothing wrong with what he has now.

If not, you can use it,
but don't forget the neutral bus.

Grounding bus.


--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
t...
In article , "Toller"
wrote:

"Gary" wrote in message
news:2Omhh.501373$R63.440567@pd7urf1no...
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to
run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has
a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there? I
assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do
some servicing in the 2nd panel.

You bought a main panel instead of a subpanel. That was a small mistake
since you are paying for a breaker you won't be using (but won't do any
harm
either) and will have to buy a separate neutral bus.

Actually, it already has a neutral bus. If he has to buy anything, it will
be
a grounding bus -- and it probably already has one of those too.

If he had bought a subpanel, he'd certainly have to buy a separate bus,
and
might have wound up spending *more* money.

Take it back and buy the right thing if you can.

Phooey. There's nothing wrong with what he has now.

I just bought a subpanel with two buses. The main panels had one bus. But,
I am sure you are right everwhere but the Lowes I was in. Eventhough it
doesn't make sense.

In article , "Toller" wrote:

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
et...
In article , "Toller"
wrote:

"Gary" wrote in message
news:2Omhh.501373$R63.440567@pd7urf1no...
I want to connect a second electrical panel in my house. I am going to
run
it from a 40 amp breaker in my main panel. The second panel I bought has
a
100 amp main breaker in it. Is it code to keep that breaker in there? I
assume it is redundant and would only act as a switch if I wanted to do
some servicing in the 2nd panel.

You bought a main panel instead of a subpanel. That was a small mistake
since you are paying for a breaker you won't be using (but won't do any
harm
either) and will have to buy a separate neutral bus.

Actually, it already has a neutral bus. If he has to buy anything, it will
be
a grounding bus -- and it probably already has one of those too.

If he had bought a subpanel, he'd certainly have to buy a separate bus,
and
might have wound up spending *more* money.

Take it back and buy the right thing if you can.

Phooey. There's nothing wrong with what he has now.

I just bought a subpanel with two buses. The main panels had one bus. But,
I am sure you are right everwhere but the Lowes I was in. Eventhough it
doesn't make sense.

Here's an example, described as a "Main Breaker Load Center", i.e. a main
panel:

http://contractorservices.homedepot....ts/ProductInfo.
aspx?cid=851951&pid=7b777006-021b-4a01-91bb-63b93a569c5d

You might need to click on "Enlarge" to see it... but there are definitely two
buses there.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On 12/18/06 10:05 am Toller wrote:

I just bought a subpanel with two buses. The main panels had one bus. But,
I am sure you are right everwhere but the Lowes I was in. Eventhough it
doesn't make sense.


My 200A Cutler-Hammer CH panel came with two buses installed and a
removable link between them: bond the two buses together if it's a main
panel, but remove the link if it's a subpanel.

Perce

In article , "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:
On 12/18/06 10:05 am Toller wrote:

I just bought a subpanel with two buses. The main panels had one bus. But,
I am sure you are right everwhere but the Lowes I was in. Eventhough it
doesn't make sense.


My 200A Cutler-Hammer CH panel came with two buses installed and a
removable link between them: bond the two buses together if it's a main
panel, but remove the link if it's a subpanel.

I was just at Menard's an hour ago -- every main panel on display had two bus
bars installed, and every subpanel had one.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.