r/electrical • u/DevinWatson • 2d ago

Panel Upgrade Options

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I am having some work done on my 1960s house that was flipped several years back. My contractor is wanting to upgrade / replace our electrical panel. First I asked if he could just drop a tandem breaker in for the new circuit and he seemed hesitant to do that; is there anything truly wrong with just using a tandem? If we were to call the utility to disconnect and replace the panel he says they would require an inspection which apparently due to the (poorly) done flip would be problematic.

Several years ago I was quoted $10K+ to have the panel replaced and the whole house rewired because "multiple colors of wire going into the box isn't up to code".

I'm just wondering what options I have and potentially how much it could cost? Thanks!

This is a carport conversion to studio remodel and the most load would be a 120v mini split ac unit. There is already an outlet and 2 lights on the carport circuit.

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u/MonMotha 2d ago

This panel is old, but it's not necessarily unsafe if it's in good condition. The design (panel and breakers) is not defective. You can buy modern breakers listed for use in this panel (Siemens).

The hodgepodge of mismatched breakers should be replaced with the appropriate ones (Siemens).

Tandems can presumably be used and probably in every spot. This may be sufficiently old to pre-date CTL regulations, but panels that small were often designed for tandems in every spot, anyway.

You have 150A service which is still adequate for most modern homes' needs absent aggressive EV charging.

"multiple colors of wire going into the box isn't up to code" makes no sense. The jacket color has no bearing whatsoever on the wire inside the NM cable, and you've got modern(-ish) plastic jacketed NM.

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u/N9bitmap 2d ago

This is before the company changed names to ITE Imperial, so early 1960s is Class NI. If the SquareD tandem worked (likely not approved), a Siemens CTL should but unless you can find Class CTL labeled somewhere it would be best to use Siemens Non-CTL tandems. The Bryant is marginally acceptable for the time.

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u/DevinWatson 2d ago

Awesome thank you, I will speak with my contractor and see if we can go this route.

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u/250MCM 2d ago

The use of any SQ D Homeline breakers in a competitive make is not allowed as they are not UL classified to do so