To extend power outdoors, install a receptacle back-to-back with one inside the house or drill through the wall from a basement or crawlspace and attach a receptacle on the side of a house using an extension ring. Position an outdoor receptacle at least 16 inches above the ground. Hire a local professional or run an underground electrical line into the garden to power an outdoor light. Find a suitable mounting location and plan your installation.
Making out the pattern and using existing architecture is crucial before installing low-voltage light fixtures. Low-voltage lights must be no closer than 5 feet away from the outside walls of pools, spas, or hot tubs. Transformers for low-voltage lighting must be in accessible locations.
Installing low-voltage outdoor lighting is a big-impact DIY project that is safe to use and install, even for beginners. Before installing an outdoor light fixture, call your utility company to check for underground utilities to avoid digging up buried wires and creating an electrical hazard. Turn off the power to the exterior and check for other power sources using a non-contact voltage tester. Secure SWA to your house wall with SWA cable clips and use a junior hacksaw to cut through SWA and pliers to strip back the armouring.
Remove light from ceiling but don’t disconnect the wires. Use a tester to verify that there is no power to any of the wires.
Add up the wattage of all devices plugged into the outlets on the circuit breaker and divide it by the total wattage.
📹 EASILY find the correct breaker switch
Find the correct switch with fewer trips and no yelling with these few hacks. I had a friend die working in a circuit breaker box …
Can I run a light off a plug socket?
In order to incorporate illumination into a power circuit, it is essential to ensure that the appropriate level of protection is incorporated. This may be achieved either by incorporating an additional circuit breaker with a rating suitable for the lighting circuit, or by utilising a fused spur.
How to run electricity to outdoor lights?
To connect outdoor lights to your yard, use exterior outlets, typically located by the front and rear doors of your home. Use splitters or remote plug-ins to control multiple strands of lights simultaneously. However, extension cords can pose a trip hazard and can cause serious injuries to animals and children.
If your home doesn’t have exterior outlets, you can still power outdoor lighting without an outlet by using a combination of lights and extension cords. These options can help you control multiple strands of lights at once without posing a safety risk.
How to power outdoor lights without electricity?
Wire-free lighting options, such as solar-powered or battery-operated lights, can be used to run lights without electricity. These lights can be easily installed without the need for electrical wiring. Wireless outlets exist for powering electrical devices without physical connections, but wire-free lighting is more suitable for outdoor lighting purposes. Solar-powered lights generate electricity from sunlight, while battery-operated lights rely on rechargeable batteries.
How do you keep outdoor lights plugged together?
To ensure a secure connection between outdoor lights, use waterproof connectors designed for outdoor use. Align the plugs and push them together until they click into place. Slide a waterproof cover over the connection to protect it from moisture and debris. Use a GFCI outlet for outdoor lighting to prevent electrical shocks. Working with electricity can be dangerous if not experienced. If you need assistance, the Electricians Service Team is available for outdoor lighting repair or other electrical services.
How to plug in outdoor lights without an outlet?
W Burns and Son (Electrical), a Sheffield-based enterprise, provides Christmas lighting solutions that do not require an outdoor electrical outlet. Other potential solutions include the use of extension cords, solar-powered devices, rechargeable batteries, wireless lighting, and candles. Andrew Burns, the third generation to assume control of the enterprise, extends his wishes to customers for a joyous and serene Christmas in 2021. The company, which has been in operation for over eight decades, was established in 1941.
How to get power to outdoor string lights?
Outdoor string lights can be powered using various methods such as extension cords, solar panels, batteries, or LED lights. The ideal solution is to have as many external power outlets as needed to power the desired number of light strands. However, the main challenge of powering outdoor string lights is the lack of available outlets. Most decks and patios have only one outlet, and if lucky, one on either end.
Despite having one outlet, it may not be enough to power all the lights you plan to string up. To ensure proper illumination, consider using extension cords, solar panels, batteries, or LED lights from LED Lights Unlimited.
Can you wire a light directly to a plug?
The device will maintain illumination until either the plug is disconnected or the switch is deactivated.
Can outdoor lights be wired to a plug?
Two wiring options are available for outdoor lighting: hardwiring to the switch or connecting to an exterior outlet with a transformer. Underground wiring is employed to safeguard cables and disguise them from view. Conversely, above-ground wiring, such as that used for pendant lights, can be concealed. This guarantees that the wiring is not distributed throughout the entire structure and provides a secure connection.
How do you safely plug in outdoor lights?
Outdoor spaces are vulnerable to moisture and water, making them a potential risk for electrical outlets. To prevent electric shock, it’s essential to ensure outlets are waterproof and moisture-proof. Installing protective covers on outlets is a simple way to protect outdoor string lights. Secure patio lights to sturdy supports or hooks to prevent injuries and tripping hazards. This will not only protect the lights but also ensure their longevity.
How to power external lights?
Garden lights can be powered from a 5 amp fused connection unit and supplied outdoors via 1. 5mm² three-core steel-wire-armoured cable (SWA). It is important to use weatherproof lights suitable for outdoor use and the circuit is RCD-protected. The SWA cores are brown, black, and grey, and green/yellow sleeving should be placed over the black core at every connection to indicate its use as earth. SWA should be buried in a trench at least 450mm deep under a path or driveway, or 750mm deep below unpaved areas.
Electrical route marker tape should be run above the cable at a depth of about 150mm. SWA cable clips should be secured to the house wall with suitable plugs and screws, and the SWA cores should be connected to the 1. 5mm² two-core-and earth cable in a weatherproof adaptable box. The SWA must enter the box via a purpose-made weatherproof gland covered in a plastic gland shroud, and the correct fittings should be used to prevent corroding of the cable armouring. When connecting the cable to the lights, pay attention to earth connections and waterproof seals, as well as glands to protect the SWA as it enters the lights.
How do people power outdoor lights?
To guarantee the safety of individuals and prevent the occurrence of electrical shocks, it is advised that an outdoor outlet equipped with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) be utilized when suspending outdoor Christmas lights.
📹 10 Common Mistakes DIYers Make In Circuit Breaker Boxes
How much do you know about your circuit breaker box or electrical panel? Learn what not to do! CHECK OUT THESE …
YOUR FRICKEN GENIUS!!!! 😂 ILYSM RIGHT NOW!! im a 31 yr old single mom with no job so NATURALLY I’m ALWAYS doing DIY projects myself. By myself…. I’ve rewired and replaced EVERY SINGLE outlet and light fixtures. This whole time I’ve been asking someone to lmk when I hit the right one!! It absolutely ABSURD BECAUSE IVE HAD ONE OF THOSE TOOLS YOU USED THE WHOLE TIME!!! of course I want to make sure I’m not going to fly across the house and possibly die….alone… and be eaten by my cats 😅 so I invested in a very nice line tester and a wand type thst can tell me without actually touching a wire. Just get close to tell me if it’s “live”. So I thank you good sir. You have NO IDEA how much easier you have made my life omg!! Im currently replacing my outside porch lights and restoring a very very old post light by my walk way the house is about 300 yrs old and there are soooo many fixtures and original thing to the house I’ve been going through restoring and deoxidizing… again.. tysvm (tips her hat) 😊
Thank you so much. the Einstein that owned my house before me labelled switches and outlets like this = “Lights” “Plugs” with no indication of which floor it was on etc. Another good one is if you have an apple watch and an iPhone, open up the camera app on the watch and then you can see the lights go off when the switch is flipped!
I have another brand of circuit breaker finder, and I have one receptacle in my kitchen that I absolutely cannot figure out. The detector starts beeping over a general area, I have flipped every one of those breakers and it’s not it. The only one I didn’t flip in the area that “beeps” is the 50 amp that our electric emergency heat is on, and there’s no way in hell this 15 amp outlet in a totally different room is connected to it, is there?
The safety tips were very helpful but I’m still not sure which breaker controls my wall heater. There isn’t a control knob on the wall heater itself. There’s nowhere to plug anything in to see, nothing is labled and I’m afraid to just go randomly flipping at the breaker box. There is no dial on the heater itself so I’d have to shut it off at the breaker box. I can’t find a brand name on the breaker box to research it online. These wall heaters I don’t know why they even use them. They get searing hot and it just dosen’t seem safe with pets and small children, toddlers in particular running around.
I’m perusal this because I need to replace smoke detectors in my Dads house. Even though I’ve never actually changed a hardwired smoke alarm before, but I know how to change it. The first thing I need to do is learn the circuit breaker so I can turn the power off to the alarms to avoid electrical shock before I begin. Unfortunatly, no one wants to teach me in the real world for some reason.
Hi, newbie here and not really that handy. I like the wireless camera option to use when changing a light fixture. However, if you’re using a plugged in article camera, you may see that the article stopped working and then think that the light fixture is also off. However, you may have only killed the power to the outlet powering your article camera and not the power to the light switch. I’m thinking of using the Blink battery powered article camera, which should do the trick. Thanks again for taking the time to make this article for us newbies.
I liked the long extension cord method to the upper level since the 2nd half of it nearest the breaker box would never have to be moved and the other end could be just moved from room to room. Someone commented what about a water heater, well that going to be a double 220v breaker for that application only and should have already been marked to begin with like a air handler, air conditioning unit, a range, well pump, etc. other that that this is mainly used for identifying multiple outlets, lighting, etc. After I retired I had so much free time on my hands that I took the time one day to identify every single item’s location on each of the 15 or 20 amp circuits even down to outlets on which walls, inside lighting, front or rear outside lighting, flood lighting, doorbell transformer etc. I could never stand those small little standard identification labels in the box so I created a master sheet using Excel on the computer using single space for 15-20a, or double space for 30-50a rows and printed out a easy read large full size 8 1/2″ X 11″ sheet (resembling the actual panel) and fastened it to the inside of the breaker box door, it has highlighted colors and matching color coded breaker larger number labels (also easy read) for each room. It was a great rainy day project with nothing else to do and was definitely worth all the time and trouble, if I ever need to work on something now I just go to the panel box and switch that breaker off confidently, but for safety I always take the time to confirm that the circuit is dead using testing equipment.
I’m trying to put in a ring doorbell The instructions say to put a jumper cable on your original doorbell chime. However on both breaker boxes one I have inside and the one I have outside there is no spot that says doorbell. 🙄🤪🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️ So does this mean I have to turn off each individual one or the whole house which I really don’t want to do? I mean literally there is no switch and either breaker box that says specifically doorbell chime. 🤪🙄 So what would I look for? It is in a hall upstairs… That will help some of you figure this out for me. LOL
You kidding me? Close your eyes when flipping the circuit breaker. This is so over board and making this task a dangerous one. You need to calm down and not put the fear of God into every home owner……hell everyday you sit on a gas bomb driving. Does this mean we need to get a 4inch plate behind me. Everything we do everyday fixing things can go wrong. Get to the task and tell people how to id there breaker and use sensible saftey measures. No homeowner should remove a panel unless they have knowledge of electric. If in fact you believe everything you did explain to the viewers and your that scared of the panel, higher an electrician to label it.
A few points: If you home is pre-2001, you won’t see a yellow jacket on 12ga wire. That started becoming available in 2001, and older wire jacketing will be white, or possibly gray. Most new panels come with covers for the primary lugs. If your panel has a master breaker and it’s turned off and the covers are in place, it becomes VERY difficult to accidentally ground those out. They’re also available as an option for some older panels. It’s within NEC code to have two ground wires under a single screw, but NOT for a neutral. The reason you see that in the example panel is because some bus bars don’t come with all the screws populated. Of course, you should always check with the jurisdiction having authority. NEC is a top-level thing. A state, county, or city can have more stringent requirements than the NEC. Lastly, it’s always wise to remove jewelry when working in a hot panel. If your ring or watch manages to bridge a hot and neutral or ground, it’ll turn to molten metal pretty quick.
I love turning chaos panels into art! I done a panel during COVID shutdown when I was on layoff from my 9-5 and let me tell you it was the worst I’d seen, made the rats nest panel showed in this article look like a work of art. Well 2 days later a fully upgraded panel that looked beautiful, a fully rewired basement, and several changes in the main part of the house were complete and I was totally satisfied with my work. More so impressed was my buddy who hired me to do the work, he knew I had an electrical background but didn’t realize I was that good. I just wish I could share the pictures here so you too could see what I walked into and how great it looked when I left. Oh and I didn’t mention this place had more junction boxes than any 25 houses I’ve seen. I done away with as many as I could but to save money most of the old wiring stayed but I got it up to par as best I could with the budget he gave me to work with. Sparky for life.
Sir, you need to be super, super clear that the mains hardware in the breaker box will be hot even if your breakers are switched off. If newbies follow your example in the article, they would feel safe touching the mains connections and bus bars. You should make it crystal clear that those are no-touch areas unless you are absolutely sure the power is disconnected to those mains (often requiring the power company to remove the electric meter from your service entry).
You forgot mistake #11 that you demonstrated in the article: Waving your hands cavalierly around a panel with the cover removed and then tightening the screws on the hot lead of a breaker without switching it off. Even with an insulated screwdriver this is an unnecessary risk, particularly for a nonprofessional. And waving your hands around the lugs where the entrance cable connects is just asking to touch a hot lead by mistake.
As a DIYer, I use a P-Touch labeler to stick labels onto the breakers (makes it easy to see what’s what even with the cover off) and onto each cable coming out of the panel. Saves so much headache down the line and 3rd party p-touch tape is available in a wide variety of colors and sizes (6mm tape is the perfect size for labeling romex)
There are lots of comments here about dangerous DIYers, but the two potentially disastrous wiring problems I have experienced were caused by so-called professionals: utility line workers. For 30-some years I have owned a second home on the Oregon Coast. Twice in that time I have replaced the SEP. The first was to update an obsolete 125-amp panel to a 200-amp Square D. One night I arrived during heavy rain to find the lights flickering or inoperable. Upon inspection in the basement, the entire panel looked and sounded like an arc welder. I didn’t dare touch the thing to flip the main breaker, so I poked at the breaker with a wooden broom handle during arcing (so I could see) until I killed the power. The next day I realized what had happened: wind-driven rain had entered the SEP mast, flowed past the meter and entered the box, where it began destroying its guts, all without tripping the main breaker. And all because the line crew that connected the house to the utility system had pointed the weather head at the nearby ocean, allowing wind-driven rain to reach the SEP. On another occasion when I arrived at the house every light burned out as soon as I tried to turn it on, and the refrigerator was not functioning. I soon determined that every outlet in the house was supplying 240 volts. All because inadequate work by another line crew had allowed the supply lines to short and double the voltage throughout the building. The utility worker who responded to my call shook his head, redid the connections and said something about colleagues who insisted on doing work the old-fashioned way.
The guy that wired my house used the wrong screw on my neutral wire to my sub panel, I came home one day and walked by my panel and thought it was awful warm as I walked by, I removed the cover and sparks was flying out and the plastic clip that was holding the neutral bar was melting as well. The house was 7 years old at the time. It took that long for it to happen. The sad part was the correct screw was lying in the bottom of the box. I had to relocate the wire and up higher due to the damage threads and 10 years on still working great.
Just had a new 200A panel installed. The inspector checked the torque on every fastener in the panel and also checked the backing nuts were tight on all the connectors. Checked wire size matched the breaker size. Then outside the panel, he checked the set screws were tight on on every EMT connector in sight. Very thorough inspection, glad I had an electrician who knew the inspector and what he would be looking for so that there weren’t any rejections.
Although wiring a residential main panel to look like a machine tool panel with tight bends and labeling each conductor looks sharp I have always thought of the person that might have to work in the panel down the road. For this reason I forgo the form for function and provide a service loop when landing the hot/feed conductors! When done correctly it will look nice and allow for moving a circuit’s location without having to break out the cumbersome wire stretcher tool 😋
I’m not an electrician; I just get called to fix their mistakes 😁. Was mildly curious about your article that popped up, so skimmed through – VERY impressive. Simple explanations packed with clear info, no fluff. If I were JUST a stupid homeowner, I’d think I could rewire my house after seeing your articles!
Thank You sir ! As a retired Journeyman Electrician with more than 50 years of experience in the field I saw more than my share of the “rats nest” type of panels, gasoline stations that had been remodeled several times. I couldn’t always make them look perfect, but I tried. Any of the new Installations that I worked on, looked like the 3 phase panel you showed. When I upgraded my own residence from 70 amp Zinsco to a 200 amp Homeline all my wires were formed and marked. When the city inspector came for final inspection he was taken aback and had to take a picture of the work. It is sad to say that too many tradesmen do not take pride in their work and only do the minimum.
Decades ago I took a studio engineering and sound reinforcement course at the local community college. The instructor did sound for hotels and arenas and other venues. He said that he always ran into tripping breakers because in most places like banquet halls and hotels, everybody uses the circuit breakers like a wall switch, and every time they manually trip the breaker to turn the power on and off it slightly reduces the friction or resistance necessary to trip it. So over years and years of being flipped open and closed, a 15 amp fuse might only be able to handle 12, or 13 amps. So he always carried a hand full of breakers in case he ran into one that would refuse to stay closed.
It’s worth mentioning that back in olden in the old days (say 25 years ago), All NM Romex style cable had the same white color sheathing, regardless of its gage. When checking for over fusing of circuits what appears to be an over fused 15 amp (14 gage) circuit may actually be correctly fused 20 amp circuit with white sheathed 12 gage wire.
Nice vídeo, Just one comment, breakers don’t “push” ampers through the wires. Actually, the reason we want breakers and wires matching is rather the opposite. If you have a short in a 14 gage wire, if the breaker is set for too high current to break the circuit, because of the wire thickness that current may not be achieved until it’s too late. You may have a fire started if the wire is allowed to burn hot for long. Remember, current is required by the load, not pushed by the source. Thank you for the article!
Oohhh: That perfectly organized loom of wiring in the circuit panel was VERY satisfying. I noticed and commented at a friend’s house that all of her cover plates’ screws were all perfectly aligned vertically, and she then showed me her circuit panel – it was just like this one. I try, but I can never seem to get them this neat and organized. Thank you for that gratifying picture.
The panel at 13:09 is beautiful. Personally, I always leave extra length on the hot wires, because you never know when in the distant future things may have to be rearranged, or a panel upgraded. I usually run the wire down to near the bottom of the enclosure and back up to the breaker. I still make it nice and pretty, but that extra length can be a life saver in the future. I’ve personally thanked quite a few electricians who came before me for doing this, as I’m sure some electricians in the future will thank me long after I’m dead.
Nice article, very informative! I’d really like to see you put in some disclaimers about where you’re putting your fingers. Is this panel de-energized? A novice might feel OK about touching those big, silver lugs. After all, they look so innocuous right up until you land a grounded finger on one. Same for the output of the breakers.
Way back I apprenticed for a couple of years before changing careers and have always done my own electrical since, and one common thing I’ve seen…. most (not all) of the worst electrical work I’ve seen has come from licensed guys, in a hurry to make those profits. Most diy’s are somewhat paranoid so they research to death then generally take the extra steps.
Thank you for creating this vid and the knowledge that you are sharing. I have a breaker that is charging 4 outlets. The daisy chain goes to the front room outlet then goes to a room and powers two more outlets then goes to one more outlet in the next room where it ends. The first outlet is fine, powering one power strip that charges the internet, sometimes Xmas lights. Then the circuit went into my son’s room where he had too much connected to one of the outlets and melted the other outlet that had less connected to it but too much still. So glad the house is still standing. My concern is that the romex that caried the power to the outlet also melted and now the wires may be exposed along the route. Is there a way to test these wires to check if they are now all exposed. New wires may now have to be pull from the breaker box to these outlets. I will have to cut into the sheet rock due to unknown nails the wires could get snagged on and to set the wires into place. Just trying to understand the whole picture. Also, these outlets are from the 50’s with thick gauge romex and hardly to no wire to work with. No 6″ feed loop on any outlets to work with. What would you do?
A couple of tips for updating your panel schedule. 1) make a layout drawing for your house marking the locations of all outlets and all light fixtures. A drawing thats not to scale is fine. You will turn off all curcuits and only have one circuit on at a time. You will mark on your drawing the circuit number at each location that you detect power. This drawing will be used to help you write a more accurate panel schedule. Any unused spaces with breakers in them can be marked as spare on the panel schedule. Keep in mind that you can have outlets and lights in crawl spaces, attics, and closets. Sometimes you’ll find equipment (water heater, dehumidifier, air handler, etc) in these locations. If you have a hardwired doorbell, don’t forget to check what circuit that is on. 2) they make printer paper that is a sticker. You can print off your own schedule. Alternately, you can print on regular printer paper and use packaging tape to secure it to the panel. One common mistake many homeowners make is storing items in front of the panel or not having a clear path to the panel. You’re supposed to keep the work area and access path clear. The work space extends 3 feet from the face of the panel and is 30 inches wide. The safe access path is supposed to be 3 feet wide. All this is so that you have ready access to the panel in an emergency.
5:51 if you are going to use a wire nut to combine grounds, consider using a green “grounding wire nut” that has a hole on the end allowing one of the wires to continue at full lenght to land on the grounding bar. This way you don’t have an unnecessary extra wire in a “pig tail” to make the final connection to the grounding bar.
For DIYers: if you need to replace a circuit breaker, bring the old one to the store so they can help you find the appropriate replacement. If you haven’t removed it yet, take a close-up picture of the breaker and the box label. Boxes only accept compatible breakers, and even some brands have different boxes.
I have over 40 years experience as an electrician 20 in the Navy and 20 doing residential/commercial new construction and repairing older electrical. I treat all wires as if they are hot regardless of knowing it’s turned off. The worst is finding some DIYer has run all the power for a room to the light and hot legged the light switches. You think the switch is off securing the power to a fan/light and zap. A no contact tester helps but should not be the only way to insure its off. I bought a mountian home built in 1947. There are still “knob and tube” insulators here and there. Aluminum wire used on outlets/lighting and found two circuits tossed into the attic with BX cloth covered wires with outlets, switches, and fixtures still installed and the circuits still hot. The electric company installed new power poles and upgraded my overhead feed to 250 amps feeding a meter base with #8 wire to a double 50 amp breaker that feed my entire house. I could pull my meter and upgrade my panel but the smart meter would tell on me. They and the county want permits and inspections done and only “state licensed” electricians to do the work. Since what I’ve found does not meet code requirements I have to pay an overpriced company to do work I’m qualified to do. 🤷🏼♂️ When in doubt don’t screw with electricity it can injure or kill you or others and an electrical fire caused by DIYer usually isn’t covered by insurance.
A little note about “prettying up” a circuit breaker panel – be careful with your wire bends; the NEC stipulates a minimum bend radius of 8 times the conductor diameter. I once saw a panel that had been rewired by the property owner and it was very neat, but all the conductors had very tight right-angle bends; he was so proud of his work, I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was a code violation. The one you showed in your article would be considered acceptable, the bends are gently curved.
In my early years as a journeyman electrician, I got busted for not having the panel labeled before I called for the inspection. I was going to do it, but hadn’t got around to it first. My boss was pissed! He had to pay for an additional inspection. Lucky he didn’t make me cover it. After that, I started writing the circuit number on the inside of the outlet box with a magic marker, in addition to making sure the panel was labeled correctly.
7:14 most load center manufacturers, like Square D we see here, are OK with doubling up grounding (ground) conductors per grounding buss hole. While NEC doesn’t seem to explicitly allow it, NEC doesn’t explicitly disallow it either. The reasoning is that the grounding conductor is only meant to carry fault current and should not experience the heat/expansion cycles like that of a current carrying conductor like the grounded (neutral) conductor. Though in your case, it looks like you have more than enough terminal spaces on your ground buss and the previous installer really didn’t need to resort to doubling up grounding conductors like that. But overall, agreed with the sentiment regarding Neutrals, NEC 408.21 forbids double tapping grounded (neutral) connections at the buss termination.
This is more personal preference, but I always double stripe my wires when recoding them. Too many times I’ll see what seems like half a roll of electrical tape just to recode a wire. As a point of safety, I always remove the tape to make sure someone wasn’t trying to hide damaged insulation (seen it more often than not). By using a SMALL amount of tape to make two stripes close together, it clearly recodes the wire without making it look like a repair.
In a previous house, I enclosed the carport to have more people space. Did it properly with a permit from the city. When I finished, I had the city inspector out to check it. He had one question: Are you an electrician? No, I’m not, but that’s probably the best compliment my DIY electrical work has ever received. However, I did plan to sleep in that house so I had incentive to learn to do things correctly.
Great article, but in the section covering torquing the wire connections on the breakers you should have noted that the screw lugs on the circuit breakers installed in the breaker panel are hot unless they are switched off or the main panel breaker is switched off. Likewise, a statement should be included that the lugs with the allen wrench style wire clamps on the transformer side of the main disconnect breaker are always hot and should be avoided (they should also have insulating covers on them per code, but I’ve never seen a panel in use that had them). The lugs on the other side of the main breaker are hot if the breaker is on.
Here’s a good one for any of you that are electricians. I’m a retired HVAC contractor and did a medical center in Atlanta about 20 years ago. The electrical contractor had three 200 amp panels in the mechanical room. We had three 5 ton heat pump systems with 15kw strips in each air handler. They put ALL the 240v runs in only one of the panels and had the other two with only lights, receptacles, etc. In addition to our systems, that panel had equipment like a water heater, clothes dryer, and an X-ray machine with a 100 amp breaker. It passed city of Atlanta inspections! We had multiple service calls of tripped breakers when it was cold outside and everything running. The panel was HOT, and vibrating. The voltage on our condensers was down to around 207 volts and ended up burning out one of the compressors. We found that the breakers would trip when everything was running and they energized the X-ray machine. I ended up getting the city inspector to come out to show them what was happening and told the medical center I wouldn’t be back until the loads were properly distributed among all three panels. Oh BTW, I checked the amp draw on the mains of that panel and it pegged my meter! Add to all of that, they made a parking garage directly under them and left the concrete exposed with no insulation, and of course everyone said their feet were freezing! I never heard anything from them after that.
I bought my house in 2005. I spent a lot time determining what each breaker controlled. It was just me vs 3,000 sq. ft. and 2 floors, lots of steps as I was doing it solo. I made a large printed chart. Next was I identified what type of breakers I had, like you mentioned SQ D Home. I went a found a place that sold them and bought two spares. There were plenty of open slots in the panel so I installed them in the bottom slots and marked them spare. That a Murphy’s law move, the idea of hunting down a breaker with a failure didn’t appeal to me. I also knew that it would be easy to forget where the spares were if not in the panel. Of course, since I had the spares, I have never needed them, a corollary of Murphy’s law.
I must admit that I had some bad experiences as a teen working with high voltage and was terrified to do anything in my box for years. Even something as simple as replacing a receptacle made me cringe. But when I realized the cost of adding a circuit for my shed, I decided it was time to get over my fear. I watched a number of YouTube tutorials but yours was the best. Your articles gave me the confidence to do the job and the knowledge to do it right. I’m now working on replacing all the old wiring from the 1950s when the house was built and upgrading my box. I’m nearly done and will have an electrician check my work in a few days before the electric company turns everything back on. Thank you so much for being so informative and straight to the point in all your articles.
Decent article, but like many on YouTube it is full of partial and/or missing information and this only adds to confusion, especially those with no experience or training. One very important thing to mention on a main panel when you open and work on it… the feed coming in is live, so be extra cautious anywhere around those thick feed cables and where they attach. It does not matter if you tun off the main panel breaker, as those lines are always hot. They are shown at the top in your example panel, but may come in on the other sides for other deployments. The panel shown does not appear to have a main shutoff breaker (missing & not located in its knockout slot and those feeds land directly on the panel’s bus bars), so I assume it may be a sub panel off the main panel (and where you’d need to cut power off to this sub panel).
1. You want to add a sub panel so the main panel won’t be overloaded. Well, where do you think the sub panel gets its power from? From 2 spaces in the main panel. So you haven’t changed the load on the main panel. Sub panels only add more breaker spaces. By the way, your panel is already a sub panel. That is why there is a 4th wire as a ground and the grounds and neutrals are separated and the main bonding jumper is not installed. Your main panel is where the main disconnecting means is located. A main panel that contains the main breaker does not need a separate, 4th wire, grounding conductor. That is most likely why you see some cut off. 2. Changing the color of a white wire to be used as a hot requires the entire wire be re-identified every place it is exposed, meaning every junction box it’s in. You want to instruct but you are not qualified.
My grandfather was an electrician from the 1930s – 1970s. NOTHING on earth pissed him off more than no or wrong labeling in a panel! (it’s even WORSE in a commercial setting!) I have religiously labeled mine and relabeled ones in places I rented. This is easiest on day one BEFORE you set up your furniture, so you can check every outlet! Fun fact: When my grandfather had HIS house built (Early 1950s) He wired all of the branch circuits with #12AWG, even on the circuit that were fused at 15 Amps! Then again,, he was a man to changes his car’s oil more often than what the manual said to. Not one to take chances! 👍😊👍
I was trying to change an outlet a while back, upgrading to the deco style and couldn’t find the right breaker. I kept turning off the breakers one at a time but it never lost power. Turns out one 15a breaker was connected to the top, and one 15a was connected to the bottom but the previous installer forgot to break the jumper lug. Gotta love the pros the new home builders use now a days. It should be noted I’m a DIYer who has done lots of electrical work but I won’t touch a panel. Don’t do flooring either, lol.
Nice clear to understand article! Remember, older NM (non-metallic) white plastic covered cable, “Romex” may be 12 gauge wire as well as 14 Gauge wire. It is nice to have color coding of the wire jacket, especially for inspection purposes. I notice the plastic bushing was missing on the incoming SE (service entrance) cable in the circuit breaker panel. On the Square D circuit breaker, you could use the second wire port to hook up the surge protector in the panel. Great job!
Always read the specs on your load center before doing things. Square D allows two wires to be placed in the holes on the neutral or ground bars. They need to be 12 gauge at the max and need to be paired with the same size wire. Yes one wire is ideal but if done properly it is ok. Also know how many breakers you load center can handle, you can put twin breakers anywhere in a Homeline series but a QO series has different rules. Older QOs could have twins anywhere, newer QOs can only have twins on the bottom five spaces on each side, and the newest QOs are being recommended to not use twins at all. Its all in the part number, a HOM4080 has 40 spaces but can have 80 circuits if filled with twins. The sticker on the inside of the door will tell you everything you need to know from spaces to acceptable breaker replacements and parts. Also most loadcenters use generic covers/doors just because you open the door and see two spaces left to knockout to add a circuit doesn’t mean that you have two available slots on the bus.
Overall a good article. A couple of comments – Multiple wires into a single hole on a buss bar is allowed if its the ground bus bar and is rated for it. Some are rated for 1@ #10, 2 @ #12, 2 @ #14. Neutrals by code must each have their own. – If you’re able to calculate loads on each circuit, as much as possible balance the load on the panel. The panel is made to kind of do that, but may not have had the loads applied appropriately for the large load devices, especially when DIYers add things. Balancing the expected loads makes power use more efficient. Unbalanced loads can actually wind up costing more in electrical bills. Safety wise, balancing the loads means the neutral can remain neutral. When the loads aren’t balanced, the neutral will start to carry voltage/current, and that can cause dangerous conditions within your home.
You shouldn’t be using gray neutrals in your standard home unless you have a voltage of 277/480. I guess it’s possible but very unlikely. In that case, all of your wire installation colors will be different except for ground. Smh As I stated in a previous comment. If you need to watch this article you shouldn’t be performing complex and extensive electrical work on your home (especially within the panel) without assistance from a professional. Or just hire a professional electrical contractor all together
I can shorten this list down to one common mistake. Do not work on your homes electrical system if you are not an experienced electrical worker or license Electrical Contractor If you’re perusal this article and other DIY electrical articles on YouTube, you do not qualify to perform extensive and complicated electrical work on your own!!! I recommend that you seek assistance from an experienced electrical journey man/inside wireman/Electrician. This person should have at least 5 years of experience working under an electrical contractor out in the field. As well as extensive knowledge of the NEC. I should have had can electrical course of study in school. If you do not have a friend, family member, or some other individual who is willing to assist you. I strongly recommend that you hire a professional license electrical contractor. I know that having electrical work done on your home by professionals is expensive. However, the price that you will will pay in dollars is much better than the price that you might pay with your life, health or destroying your home.
I recently had a panel added that had a few more spaces than the old panel. Since the house is older, several circuits had outlets & switches from different rooms on one circuit. What I did was typed up a sheet laying out each breaker as shown in the panel and listed each outlet, switch, etc, placed it in a sheet protector and taped it to the outside of the panel.
Double tapping = laziness. As you say, you can get a double-tap breaker, or even a skinny double-breaker and split the two circuits into two breakers. And also LOVE LOVE LOVE it when the runs are dressed nicely. There’s a couple of female electricians on YT and IG that are absolute MASTERS at dressing wires. Makes you want to put a clear acetate cover on the panel. 🙂
Hello, You,re lacking proper ppe . IE full face shield approved for arc flash.. along with clothing that is arc flash rated in CAL. AT LEAST WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. GLOVES RATED FOR VOLTAGE IN PANEL IF WORKING ON LIVE. HENCE, AVOID WORKING LIVE. ESPECIALLY IF YOUR A DYI THOSE WHERE THE RULES IN AN INDUSTRIAL PLANT I ONCE WORKED IN. MISS PAULA WALACH-FORMER INDUSTRIAL ELECTRICIAN-UNION MEMBER IBEW…. LICENSED SINCE 1972.. STILL WORKING FULL TIME AS AN ELECTRICIAN FOR A RAIL PUBLIC MASS TRANSIT AUTHORITY.
The only reason that double tapping a breaker is frowned upon is because ignorant home inspectors like to make youTube articles. There is nothing wrong with doubling up most standard HOM or QO breakers. In fact, sometimes it is preferred, like when the panel is in the middle of a long circuit. Instead of leaving the panel, running one way, then doubling back to get the other load on the other side of the panel, you should split the circuit at the panel to minimize circuit length and voltage drop. Furthermore, using a tandem breaker isn’t really a fix for double taps. A tandem will essentially allow double the current on the same bar tap and phase, and eliminate the ability to use more modern breakers like combination or dual function GFCI/AFCI breakers. I don’t see how that is better. People frequently confuse circuit breakers with some form of metering device. A buildings load calculation is entirely independent of the number of circuits, and you can reach the limit with a mostly empty panel. A 24 space, 125a panel could be overloaded while being mostly empty, if that panel were driving a hot tube, pool equipment, a couple of EV chargers, and a sub-panel. Conversely, a 54 space, 200a panel could be completely full but only be at 10% capacity, if most of the circuits were lighting and general use receptacles. In short, panel fill is not related to panel load, although excess panel fill CAN sometimes be due to an increase in loading, like by finishing a basement. TLDR; Circuit breakers/fuses protect a wire from too much amperage and shorts, period.
Mislabeling was definitely a big point of frustration for me when we bought our home. It took more than half a day to trace out every receptacle and light. Fast forward a few years to last year and we decided to add rooftop solar system and upgrade the 150 amp panel to a 200 amp Span smart panel (already had 200 amp service to the box). Unfortunately, the solar installers did not follow my labeling scheme so I had to go about relabeling everything all over again. 😭 On the bright side, it was a lot easier with the Span panel as I just went from receptacle to receptacle with a high-draw appliance (hair iron), plug it in, and watch the usage spike on the correct circuit in my Span app. I was shocked that Span doesn’t offer some sort of tracing device that can of into the receptacle and have the panel itself label it as you go.
Torquing the screws is the only one of these that have gotten me. We were in a new build home about 2 years and a screw came loose on a breaker. The wire pulled out and shut off the circuit. Of course this only happened to one circuit – the furnace, in Minnesota, mid winter. Probably about midnight. About 2:30 or 3 I woke up due to the cold and realize the furnace wasn’t running, but we have power to the house… Not fun chasing problems half asleep and with a sense of urgency. Found it after a few minutes and got everything working again. One of my best examples of “Murphy’s Law” – wouldn’t happen to an unimportant circuit on a warm sunny summer afternoon. Noooo, of course not…
Like a diy guy knows how to calculate a service load😅 #1 using the wrong breaker for the panel! #2 assuming a guy on YouTube knows what he is talking about. White sheathing does not mean 14 gauge in all cases. Old wires did not color code and could be black depending on age and manufacture. Doubling on a screw was acceptable up until recently. Another problem I have seen with diyers is not understanding load balance.
Finally…You should only use a voltage rated tool when if needing to contact a live terminal in a panel. And #10? It is illegal to zip tie or otherwise bundle conductors together inside a panel. Using the photo as an example…you can see on the right side there are about 20 conductors in a 1 inch clump. Who knows of any installation where you can stuff that many wires into a conduit? NONE! This setup essentially does the same thing…essentially removing the ability of the wires on the inside of the bundle to radiate any heat away into free air.
The number one problem people do ALL the time is using standard screws for the cover, leading to a greater potential to cut a wire. You need to use blunt panel screws. Always check the panel with a noncontact voltage detector before putting your hands on the panel and use the back of your hand first.
Excellent article. Im a homeowner and occasionally will make a simple repair but call in the electrician for real repair needs. About 9 years ago I had the overhead line running to my house replaced with an underground line to my house through a transfer switch and a new pole for my meter with a new meter box with 3 power legs and it’s own shutoff switch. And the inspector was able to inspect it the same day the work was completed. Best upgrade this house had in years.
Excellent article and information. For safety sake, you may want to over-caution your intended audience not to actually touch contacts without and abundance of caution before doing so. This is intended to be constructive and not critical, so please take it that way. My apologies if I missed something, but you may want to point, without touching (or appearing to) to over-stress the importance of this safety practice. Once again, thanks for the excellent article.
As an electrician I think 2 that should be on the list is placing grounds and neutrals on the neutral bar in a sub panel and since you mentioned using tandem breakers. Using tandem breakers to expand the number of breaker when the panel either has a restricted area to place tandems or it is not listed to use tandem breakers.
First, IF this article includes any information that you didn’t already know, I recommend that you DON’T remove your panel cover unless you are at least an apprentice with basic knowledge of how to work safely in a hot enclosure. All the extra tips in the comments are important. You could never include everything in one article. That is why Electricians get 4 years of training before they are eligible to test for a journeyman license. Anyone who skips the training is putting himself at risk. He could also be putting his family at risk. I have recently noticed that many younger electricians/apprentices don’t always know the difference between a simple mistake and a fire hazard. Some of the minor mistakes they think could burn a house down makes me wonder if they would recognize a real fire hazard if they saw one. Then there are the electrocution hazards. Many people would be surprised to know what is most likely to cause electrocution (death caused by electrical shock) in a house. Some people might disagree, but a DIYer with no electrical training and little knowledge should not remove the breaker panel cover. Anyone who thinks it’s okay for someone without a good understanding of electrical theory or at least some supervised, educational experience working on residential electrical system including some knowledge of practical wiring methods to make changes or upgrades inside a breaker panel is just wrong. However, every person is the first and last person responsible for his/her own safety.
Do you have a article, or could recommend a article on how to take a “rats nest” panel and clean it up? I have a 200amp FULL panel and it’s a disaster and I want to organize it. I have ideas but would love to see it from someone who could suggest a plan of attack. There is a couple days this summer where everyone else will be out of the house and it seems a perfect project!
I’ve worked in at least a hundred panels in old homes and always find that many, if not all, set-screws are slightly or extremely loose. Loose neutrals can be very problematic. I’ve had the same problem in commercial buildings. Aluminum wiring (California) is the worst, I guess because of heat-expansion and contracting.
In some older sub-panels from the 50’s and 60’s you will often find that ground and neutrals are combined. This of course, is not acceptable in newer panels and the older panels can be upgraded with a separate grounding buss connected to the main or completely replaced. You might mention that new panels may have an integrated neutral bar, many AFCI/GFCI’s which are wired differently, whole house surge protectors, and designated areas for breakers over 60-70 amps. Finally, I’m seeing more 14/2’s as more newer homes install LED lighting and builders try to cut costs when copper prices are high..
This is a Sub-Panel, and not the main panel. Therefore, as you can see, the Ground and Neutral are isolated from each other. The Neutral bus bar is separate and isolated from the Ground bus bar. The Ground and Neutral are brought in on separate wires. The Neutral and Ground are tied together at one point, at either the Main panel, or at the Main breaker. Notice that the neutral wires from branch circuits are tied to isolated neutral bus bars. There are three insulated incoming cables to the panel, two hots and one neutral (the neutral has a white stripe), in addition to an uninsulated ground cable.
The NEC says hot conductors can be any colors other than white, gray or green….. with one critical exception that you’re very unlikely to come across in a residential setting – with a 120/240V 3 phase 4 wire delta system, the conductor with 208V to ground aka the high leg must be marked orange, or other effective means, at each point on the system where the neutral is also present. Ref. NEC 110.15 for more info.
I live on my sailboat in a small marina and they knew very little about electricity so I wasn’t surprised when I figured out that their main source of electricity wasn’t properly grounded at the main panel luckily I knew that they had a journeyman electrician living on a boat a few slips away from me and if they played their cards right they could get quality electrical work done for close to nothing.
When I built my house, I did all my own wiring, and I didn’t make any of those mistakes, except for maybe the last one, torquing. I didn’t use a “torque wrench” screwdriver. Nothing has come loose yet after 21 years. (And none of the licensed electricians I knew used them either.) Also, items 6, 7 and 8 on your list were likely made by licensed electricians, not DIYers. Double tapping a breaker that is meant to be double tapped isn’t really a mistake. It can be a strategy to save wire, say the panel is in the middle of the house and a row of receptacles up and down the hallway should all be one one circuit.
Good article. One point- Neutral lines can never be double tapped to the bus bar. Grounds can often be double tapped or even triple tapped in some panels. The panel will say how many grounds can be inserted in a single lug. The risk of heating/cooling ( expansion/contraction) is minimal with grounds since they rarely carry current, unlike the neutrals which carry current whenever the circuit is used.
Thank You sir, 5 stars from me. I did my own 200 amp service in a shop/building. I got 100 % according to you. Also I did my ground rod and grounding as well as I could. I couldn’t make my panel wiring as pretty as your example but that is what I was trying for and it is certainly not a rats nest. I am a retired Union pipefitter and in our area of the world that includes the HVAC service world. So glad you included the tightening torque and going back every year to check tightness. . Skip that step and burn a terminal off of a large compressor and you could be looking for a job. It is so important! One last thing, Your presentation and your clean cut appearance make people feel secure when you come to there door. Versus someone wearing their clothes multiple days, hair all over their face, kicking the mud off their boots on your porch and I’m sure from looking at you, you know what I mean. I subscribed and want to see in your other articles what I may have done wrong. Thank You again, It was a pleasure.
As “pretty” as it may look,,im completely against zip tying bundles of wires together…. a home owner DIYed his panel,,looked just like the one you showed,,nice and pretty,,,, needed to add some more wires for house addition,,,had one hand on panel while sniping the zip tie,,,clipped wire,got electrocuted, almost died,,,,,,zip ties don’t belong in a electrical panel
The thing that causes problems with putting 2 wires under the same terminal is if the wires are different sizes because the terminal will tighten on the bigger wire and the smaller one will eventually work loose and have a bad connection. If they are the same size then its fine although still not best practices but if you are really short for available slots then you should add a new bar
Not sure if it’s in the comments anywhere but it should be mentioned that torquing screws on breakers should be done with care. If the breaker is on like it shows when you’re torquing them, and someone uses a tool without an insulating handle, they’re going to get a very unpleasant surprise. Yes, it’s common sense that’s 120v when the breaker’s on but there’s the chance that someone will watch that and not consider that fairly obvious fact.
You can put more than one wire under a termina screwl in a neutral or ground bus. You also can use a smaller ampacity wire under a larger breaker to feed a motor load like an AC unit or Heat pump. You can also use a smaller conductor as a tap,depenibg on the length. There are times when it is necessary especially on grounding lugs. One other thing. I cringe when you are waving your arms about a live panel. That is bad form and a habit you should avoid
Few things to note: I’m sure you already know this, but viewers may not. If you are working in an older home, all NMB was naturally colored (White) till the mid-1990s when NMB 12 (Yellow) and 10 (Orange) were introduced. Also – 04:08 Romex is a trade name for Southwire. Cero, Encore, and Republic Wire all make NMB in the united states. (Calling NMB (Non-Metalic Building Wire) Romex is like calling all jeans Levis) Very well thought-out article. I will share this article with others. for sure! You also have a new subscriber! 🦅
Most jurisdictions require that you are a licensed electrician or get special permission from the AHJ/local inspector before you get into a service panel. Do not assume that just because you think you know how to DiY your electrical that you are permitted to do so. If a fire would occur, even if it has nothing to do with the work you did, insurance can use it as a reason to deny your claim. Also, if the inspector later has reason to inspect your panel and finds work not covered by a permit on file, they could fine you. Properly torquing the connections in your service panel is the best practice, however, IME virtual no residential electrician torque their connections except perhaps in the meter can outside the house or perhaps the main disconnect, if there is one.
the bigger problem with two neutrals under one screw, is that it makes it more likely for someone to create arcing if they need to remove one of them but not the other. you must switch off ALL breakers connected through loads to all neutrals under a lug before loosening that lug. But its easy for a novice to focus only on one breaker for the circuit they are intending to work on and to assume that neutrals are ‘safe’. They are not.
Hold Everything!!! You told us №4 was about balance. What about balance of voltage for each buss bar? It’s one of the most important, I’m not starting a fire today, important! You can have 120/240 single phase and buss bar A could be @ 120 amps and buss bar B could be @ 75 amps. Those need to be balanced by perhaps a professional and have my panel infrared tested every 24 months. I caught an HVAC compressor trying to kill itself, I saved it’s life. The compressor alone was $1500 nevermind installation.
As an English Journeyman Electrician it is really fun working with 240v single phase on a 30 amp ring main. 2.5mm cable comes out of the breaker circum navigates the house then the far end goes back into the same breaker, Servicing 13 amp mostly dual switched outlets available for 3 pin plugs each with its own fuse. 1 breaker for downstairs and 1 breaker for upstairs. Water heaters, cookers, etc have their own breaker. The I.E.E. Regulations are very interesting.
I can attest that double or triple tapped neutrals can be an issue, and I’m pretty sure this was done by a licensed electrician when the building was built. I own an apartment building built in I think 1965. One of my tenants was having an issue with one of his receptacles. Fortunately I have labeled the box so I knew which wire it was in the box. When I opened the box there were not 2 but 3 neutrals going to one lug on the buss bar. One of the neutrals had gotten so hot that it had burned the insulation and reduced the gauge of the wire to probably 16 or less. Fortunately there was enough wire where I could trim the wire back to good wire and salvage the situation. I have since checked the other boxes in the building and found that this was a common practice. I have since separated all of the neutrals and they are now on their own lugs. Kind of scary when you think about it. Keep the good stuff coming.
Providing there is no disconnect between the panel and the meter the “ground” wire on an SERVICE ENTRANCE WIRE “SER” would not be used and cut off. Perhaps the contractor was being frugal and using up scraps of SER or the panel was within 6’ of the meter location but “back to back” meter and panel wouldn’t work.
You can have 3 grounds to a single lug. Twist them together at the end and clamp it down under the lug. No need for a wire nut. Nuetrals are limited to 1 per lug. Obviously there is no reason to double tap grounds if you don’t need to but if you are out of space, it is an option. Though adding an extra bus bar is a better choice.
Just a note of interest. In europe, terminals are filled not a single wire, voltage is 240 no 120. I have found that a single wire can be cut if over torqued and the wire can be found to move to the side of the screw so the threads cut into the wire and not the end of the screw. I bend the solid wire over you find it fills the terminal and makes a better secure connection.
M.E. here. Nice article, well explained. I got a chuckle out of the clean organized panel you showed at the end. I LOVE clean work, THAT’S the guy I want on my crew or doing service calls. But then I looked closer, and saw the circuit wires labeled in numerical order from top left down, then top right down, rather than odd circuits left, even circuits right. I know this was probably from the pull, labeling the romex as each home run was pulled to their location – but then you need to have a pull drawing to know exactly where everything went, if their numbering isn’t going to match the panel cover. Hardly the end of the world, just gave me a little chuckle. It’s the little things, sometimes. 🙂
Nice article, mostly good points, however… Was this panel de-energized (Meter pulled) before removing the dead front? I sure hope so with how close you were getting with no PPE. Also, where is the main breaker? or is this a sub panel? The “pretty” wire management was a 3 phase panel but you don’t want to zip tie bundles (heat) and service loops would be greatly appreciated by future service folks.
My house used to be 100-plus years old, knob-and-tube wiring still used for a lot of circuits. I say “used to”, because an electrical fire made it not a house anymore. Squirrels are not my friends right now. The previous owner was a “fixit” guy that didn’t really know what he was doing, and he brought in some of his friends to do some fixin’ and have some beers and snort some white powdery substance in the basement, and most of it was good. Now it’s being rebuilt and stepped up to current code compliance. It’s going to be a while, but redoing from the bottom up helps make me feel safe again, and my hyper-awareness of electrical and general infrastructure has me both planning for the future in my own house, nut also checking everything in the temporary rental. Found some electrical issues. Open grounds, not/neutral reversed, and no hot at all. I think we’re up to ten outlets, one showing 30 VAC, and that scares my poop out. AC compressor is irredeemable, furnace may last through the winter, if we’re lucky. Bought a CO detector just in case. Upstairs bathtub/shower leaks into the basement, from the underside, the blackening shows it’s been going on for a while, HVAC filter was last changed in 2015. I want my place to be safe from the ground up. No shenanigans, no surreptitious bottles of Modelo being uncovered when we had to move stuff. Solid infrastructure first, make it pretty later.
1. The SER needs a bushing on the connector 2. This is a sub panel with an outdoor disconnect 3. A modern SQ D homeline allows you to make that entire panel tandems (24spaces/48circuits) 4. 2 same size #12 & & #14 wires per lug are allowed under each lug (manufacturer and ul listed to do so with this panel)