Replies

1. 
   edlee | Oct 21, 2007 03:29pm | #1

   Your existing panel sounds a little scary to me, what with aluminum wiring and sections of bad busses, in addition to its' location near flammable stuff.

   Is it the main panel? Who's the manufacturor?

   So I don't really like the idea of your keeping it.  Would you consider turning it around into the living room (with a new box of course) and hanging a centerfold over it?

   Anyway, the answers to your questions:  in my area , and my read of the NEC, would not allow replacement of the existing panel in the same location; your plan for a 60a subpanel sounds legal, check the spec's for breaker ratings as other poster said; you don't need a main disconnect in the subpanel; and yes if a man speaks in the forest where there is no woman to hear, he is STILL wrong.

    

   Ed

1. 
   alwaysoverbudget | Oct 21, 2007 06:06pm | #2

   i'm with you in that first the alum wiring isn't good. in looking at the box i see no problems with the connection at  the breakers. i did go through the house a couple years ago checked and tighten all the connections,and everything seem fine except 1 plug in,i would love to snap my fingers and have new wiring ,but would guess that 5k might not be enough to get it done.

   the breaker box brand is general switches,125 amp. theres no doubt that if the laocation of this box was somewhere else i would replace it,now!

   i have gave it some thought about moving it and using it as a junction box for all the single circuits,but that would entail makeing a  alum/copper connection to get to the new box. thanks larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?

1. 
   brucet9 | Oct 22, 2007 01:57am | #4

   You said, "have gave it some thought about moving it and using it as a junction box for all the single circuits,but that would entail makeing a alum/copper connection to get to the new box. thanks larry"I would not be concerned with the Al/Cu connections in a J-box. The aluminum wiring problems have been with 10ga and 12ga connections to outlets that were not Al/Cu or CO/ALR rated, and with wire-nutted connections to copper wire. Circuit breakers connected to aluminum wires with set screws have not been a problem. There is now a connector for copper to aluminum that uses set screws, so it avoids the wire nut problems. http://www.alcopstore.com/To solve your problem of bad bus bars, you might check out replacement load centers offered by Eaton Cutler-Hammer for old boxes. http://www.inspect-ny.com/electric/Zinscoreplace.htm#Zinscoreplace1
   You might even be able to increase the load capacity if the feeder wires are big enough.BruceT

1. 
   alwaysoverbudget | Oct 22, 2007 04:46am | #5

   thats very interesting way of fixing this and may be a answer.i'm going to do some checking to see if i could make this work because it would fix the buss bar but i think would still let me stay in present location being as it is a repair not a replacement.   thanks larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?

2. 
   wrudiger | Oct 21, 2007 08:11pm | #3

   we had a similar situation; fliped the panel from the coat closet to the hallway and hung a picture over it - worked great & passed code