KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

so with all the rain we had last week, i discovered puddles of water in my basement... traced it back to the breaker box that was on the wall right above it... water + electricity is no bueno... so i took off the panel and looked inside, the main lines coming from the outside were soaked and water was dripping off of them...

when the rain stopped, i went outside to look at the meter... the casing was rusted and there was condesation inside the meter... the weatherhead was all rusted and the line was exposed and looked like it was deteriorating..

called an electrician out this weekend, and it will be $1200 for a new service... the line will be put in a pipe like it should, new meter, new panel inside, etc... wat pisses me off is when i bought the house a few years ago, i had the previous owner replace the panel already... what a waste!!!

anyway, the guy kept trying to sell me on having it upgraded to a 150 amp service for another $300... house is currently 100 amp... i don't plan on staying in this house for a long time, but it got me thinking... thoughts?

cM3go

Call the power company, they own the meter, tell them to fix it.

chill_dog

^Agree. The power company is responsible for everything up to your house; you are responsible for everything inside your house (unless you have that warranty they offer to cover the inside stuff, which is a waste). They'll cover the meter; you'll cover the panel. If you're moving, don't upgrade.

doopstr

My understanding is homeowner is responsbile for the following...
Weatherhead
Attachment hardware
Riser
Meter box

Utility is responsible for...
Service line - overhead or underground
Electric meter

combat mediC

iTrader: (1)

What is this "basement" you speak of ?


Do we have these in Texas?

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

already tried to call PSE&G, they said im SOL... yes they own the internal meter, but the actual lines that connect to and from the meter and the casing are your responsibility...

all the utility company did was come out and put some caulking around the joints... and that apparently was a courtesy.. doops right - they only care about the overhead line and meter... everything else that touches your house is yours... at least that is the way it is in NJ...

stogie1020

https://www.getflexseal.com/?tag=he|...cd057&data1=35

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Are you maxed out on the 100 amp box/ Do you have a need to add additional circuits?

If I were upgrading I would go to 200 amp. I can't say I've ever seen 150 amp.

Scrib

^^^^^^^

This. Go 200 amp.

dallison

200 amp is a much better selling point also.

fsttyms1

Id get a 2nd opinion. Is there any reason that you need a new service panel other than its "wet" There really isnt much to the panels, Breakers, ground block and the power. It may be something as simple as resealing it or running the wires thru a sealed conduit as should be? Disconnect the meter outside to kill power, dry panel, remove wires, run thru pipe from meter into service panel (sealed on out side of house), reconnect. When i installed a 200amp panel last year did it the way it should have been. (or at least have electrician do that)

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Kris, seems like since they have to disconnect the main lines coming into the box it' fairly simple to just replace it.

Since it sounds like you're selling sometime I would just have it done.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

nowhere near maxed out on the 100amp box... before i closed on the house, the original box only had 6 breakers, so this 100amp box was plenty... house is only 1500 sq ft already with an extension, so i think it is ok..

if i could have done it myself, this is exactly what i would have done... except the guy was very adamant about putting in a new box to have everything new and clean...

had it done yesterday... he did a good job.. nice and clean... i'll try to take some pics tomorrow... it has been raining here today... the old meter housing was rusted to hell... the utility company came and couldn't even open it with the key, so they ended up cutting the meter out...

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Now onto the next project.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

inspector came by yesterday to give the sticker of approval... that is all done... i'll have some pics up of the basement reno i have been working on

dallison

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Scottman111

I know this thread is old, but did he give you any other reason on having the panel replaced? Do you have any pictures of the old and new?

Mr Marco

This issue occurs often in exterior boxes. Many exterior meter boxes come with a top feed hole sealed with a flimsy gasket. These are the source of most leaks. I have personally seen it twice. I sealed the top and sides (not the bottom) of every exterior box and light around my home with silicone sealant (regardless of whether or not it already has a seal).

coykiam

pics?

cM3go

That explains it right there. PSE&G is terrible.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

he did a really clean job... took his time... but to be honest, the breaker box really didn't need any changing... when i bought the house in 2008, this was a brand new breaker box which was installed as part of my inspection finding... i think he just wanted more work to do... a new box is like $60 plus new breakers... double that for his labor... he did me a few favors on the inside wiring too since i was finishing up the basement at the time... he checked the wiring for the new potlights and outlets before i put the sheetrock up... it gives me some sense of security and i know everything is new and clean... when taking off the old meter, it was so rusted, they couldn't use the key so they disconnected the line from the overhead and just sawzalled the meter out... he said if i waited another few months, i could have had a fire...

my sister's house across the street just started developing a similar leak to the one i had... she called a different electrician and just to replace the weatherhead, meter and line into the breaker box is $700... they will keep everything inside the same i'm guessing that they will reuse the ground etc... my guy drove two brand new 8ft stakes into the ground and wired up new ground lines... ill try to get some pics this weekend since it is dark now when i get home from work...

amen brother... i wish i had a choice...

Scottman111

That sucks man, I can't believe he would even suggest replacing that panel, unless there's something I'm not thinking of. Like you said, sounds like he wanted extra money out of ya. Same with the grounding...were there no grounding rods in the ground already?


An old friend recently bought a rental and had to have the meter replaced (meter and panel failed inspection). Guy she hired told her he'd have to replace both of them completely.

She called me to take a look...meter was legit, but the only thing that needed fixed on the panel was the previous owner had a wire ran through one of the side holes without a little connector. Couldn't believe he suggested replacing it

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

Scotty - there was a grounding rod there but it was placed in the middle of my lawn... i used to have to watch out for it when mowing the grass because i would sometimes trip over the exposed line to the house... he didn't charge me extra to do it, but he did clean it up by removing the old line, and doing new ground blocks on the house with two new rods away from traffic...

here are some pics i snapped this weekend...











i'll try to find some before photos if i have any.. but the weatherhead did not have a drip loop on it or any type of elbow... on the pic of the new weatherhead, you can see the rust on the siding that the old one left... the old line didn't have any type of PVC casing around it, even where the line came into the house it was just the line with silicone around it... so it was no wonder water was seeping into the line and eventually into the box...

honestly, i really think that i could have fixed this myself... but i'll write it off as helping support the economy and not having to deal with getting zapped with a 100A line... at least i can sleep at night knowing that the house won't burn down...

Scottman111

He did a good job


I always find it funny how different codes are in different areas. Between your pictures, Scrib's all conduit through the house in his thread, and other stuff I've seen in person and online, it never ceases to amaze me.

The county I live in and did the majority of my electrical work in didn't require any grounding rods or grounding blocks or anything like that. Yet the county directly below mine required two grounding rods and a bunch of other rules throughout the house.

Rock2534

Good to see you have it resolved. I work for an electric delivery company and will agree that it is not the responsibility of the EDC to build out your external equipment. We bring the line to the house and to the meter. The piping and external parts attached to your house is your responsibility. The fact that you did not have that before is poor design by the electrician who installed the wiring. You should be all set now.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i was satisfied when he finished... if you take off the cover on the panel, each of the wires going to the breakers are also labeled... he left it for me to label the cover myself because he was afraid his handwriting wasn't neat enough... not to mention he could barely speak english yet he was fully licensed so i guess all that matters is that he can speak electrical...

i never understood why there isn't a standard for electrical... structure i can understand vary based on freezing zones and elevations... fine... but a wire that carries current i would think can't be much different between here and Texas... i'd agree as technology moves on, standards may improve... but still...

all the houses built in my development originally did not have their service lines encased in piping... hence why my sister is now having a similar issue to mine... so you can def tell who in the neighborhood has changed their service... apparently that was the standard 52 yrs ago...

Mr Marco

Holy Jerry Rig, Batman.

Happy to see you got this resolved.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

cookie cutter houses in the 50's not so good? asbestosssssss

Rock2534

Ha, yeah that is the key right there....lot of things were done differently 52 yrs ago. My aunt/uncle had me come over one time to see why their electric bills were so high. Back when their house was built, electricity was cheap so baseboard heating was fine. I turned on a few of their heaters and went out and showed them how their meter disc was spinning like a cd. Your setup looks good now.