Does this dedicated circuit quote sound reasonable?

[8BALL_99]

I wouldnt wait till you trip your main before you consider upgrading your 100amp service. By then your well overloaded. What is it suppose to be 80%load. 100Amps just doesnt cut it for most homes now. 50 years ago sure. Like george81 listed above just the basics add up quick..Since you have a reef tank you probably have alot more then the basics pulling juice..

 

[MrSandman]

FYI, like the OP, i live in California, have a smaller 50 year old home, i have a 100amp box, i have most of my breakers split, i have a reef tank, i have a refrigerator, i have a microwave, i have a GAS stove, i have a dishwasher and a garbage disposer, i have dedicated kitchen receptacles, i have a washer AND a GAS dryer, my PC is always on, i have a crazy home theatre system, recessed lights, i have all of those things and never once have i tripped the main. Granted, i don't have an A/C because i don't need one but i have alot of things plugged into the wall. If you look at my tank specs below in my signature you'll see what i run. With most of todays appliances being energy efficient, i just can't imagine it happening. 100 amps is alot. Even 80 amps is alot for a home my size. I'm just saying that it can be done. I've been doing it this way for several years.

We don't even know anything about his living conditions. Is it a small 2BR house? Does he live alone or with a family of 10? All of these things factor into his decision on whether or not to upgrade the panel. It isn't cheap and with the prices of contractors here in California, it is much more expensive than probably 99% of the rest of the united states to have such work done. Sure, its easy to sit behind a computer and tell the guy "just upgrade your panel........" but when it comes down to it, these factors all have to be considered. I also got a couple quotes to upgrade my panel and it was around 3.5k. I was able to put it off because i knew i didn't need it. It would be nice....but we didn't need it. We have a small house, a small family and updated appliances. I'm not saying that everyone is wrong in telling him that he needs to upgrade, but IMO what i am saying is that depending on his lifestyle, he may not even be close to exceeding those limits.

 

[8BALL_99]

But the thing is you have a Gas Stove and dryer and no AC.. So three of the main loads are not a factor for you.. You probably have a Gas Hotwater heater.. So thats another 30-50 amps you dont need.. Sure if you have gas for the above then you probably dont need more then a 100 amps.. I just think the point was If you have all the basics above pulling Power. Then its a pretty safe bet the guy that gave him the quote wasnt' trying to sell him something he doesnt need..

 

[MrSandman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12119489#post12119489 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 8BALL_99
But the thing is you have a Gas Stove and dryer and no AC.. So three of the main loads are not a factor for you.. You probably have a Gas Hotwater heater.. So thats another 30-50 amps you dont need.. Sure if you have gas for the above then you probably dont need more then a 100 amps.. I just think the point was If you have all the basics above pulling Power. Then its a pretty safe bet the guy that gave him the quote wasnt' trying to sell him something he doesnt need..

I totally agree with you. I was just trying to state that it is possible. It just needs to be given some thought. FYI, i do have a gas hot water heater and a gas furnace as well. Electricity costs here in California are crazy and any time i can avoid handing Edison another chunk of my paycheck, i will.

 

[8BALL_99]

lol Here its almost the other way around.. Gas cost about the same if not more then Eletric if you consider the price difference for equipment.. The only Gas we run is for the fireplace.. I just keep two 100Lb propane tanks for that.. But even those run 70-90 bucks each to get filled..

You guys over there do have some super High rates though.. I would hate to see what my Utilitiy bill would be there..

 

[ConsultantERP]

The code today is that if you are within 6 feet or you can reach water and the recptacle at the same time, you are required to use a GFCI. Talking with my engineers here at work, they tell me that if the electrician wires on the load side of the receptacle then he has bypassed that GFCI so 1 GFCI on a circuit can be risky. They also tell me that 1 GFCI on the circuit can cause nusance (spelling error) trips. Another issue, GFCI breakers trip at 15ma and GFCI receptacles trip at 5ma, sounds a little safer to me. I have a pre WWII house and my engineers tell me DO NOT put a 20 amp breaker on the old wiring.

 

[KJB547]

YES PULL NEW WIRE TO ALL REC MOST OLD HOUSES DO NOT HAVE GROUND WIRE AND THE GROUND WIRE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY SYSTEM

 

[Northside Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12064613#post12064613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dave2184
Sounds resonable if he's actually pulling new wire to all those outlets, if just changing outlets your gettin screwed.

agree, this is an incredibly easy thing to do if he's not pulling wire.

also as mentioned you only need 1 GFCI per circuit as long as the first outlet is a GFCI.

get another bid for sure. He should have told you that.

 

[BeanAnimal]

also as mentioned you only need 1 GFCI per circuit as long as the first outlet is a GFCI.

As has been mentioned several times, this is NOT a good idea for a fish tank. Putting all of the equipment on a single GFCI is asking for a tank crash. A single faulting piece of equipment or a nuisance trip will bring down the entire tank.

It is a MUCH better idea to place several paralleled GFCI receptacles on the circuit and then segregate the critical equipment between those GFCIs.

 

[jay24k]

It's a good idea only if you have seperate circuits run near your fish tank. Most aren't that way .

I'd still go to 200 amp. Some people do not like gas appliances and if you sell the house, you will have a better chance of selling it. Also, gas prices still aren't that cheap so if you ever switch to electric, you will be better prepared. The cost of doing that now will be much cheaper NOW then 10 years from now.