Power Up? Upgrading home electric service?
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at
2:07 pm
I want to rewire my home. It is over 100 years old and has a fuse box with 4-20 amp fuses. The power comes in through a line which splits into four insulators attached to a board.
I spoke with an electrician and he said the first thing I need to do is call the provider (Virginia Power/Dominion) and ask for a "Power Up".
Before I call, I’d like to understand what I’m asking for. It’s a small house in which I have lived in for 27 years. I have learned to live with the circuits (no microwave while the computer is on). I don’t plan on doing anything big-just would like more outlets.
Will this "Power Up’" cost me money and what do I need to know before I call?
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It is really called a service upgrade. Call the power company and tell them you wish to upgrade your service to 100 amps or whatever you want. They will know what you are talking about and will advise you. It will cost nothing for that part. Write down what they say and then call the electrician with the information. Get 2 prices from electricians for the work.
If you plan on doing this yourself, you can go to a Home Depot and speak with a certified electrician there. He will give you everything you need. Then you will have to install a new service entrance and service panel. This will have to be inspected by a power company representative and approved before they will Power Up. Then you can run new wires throughout your house. I did this with my house and Home Depot supplied everything that I needed and some good advice. I had everything approved and inspected and I am glad I did it.
I’m not sure how Virginia Power does it, but in NM we ask the power company for a ‘survey’ to determine if their system has enough extra power in it to give the house in question more power. If it does, the electrician can do his work. If it does not, the power company gives you an estimate for their system upgrade at the transformer level. This can be several thousand dollars in addition to what you are going to pay the electrician.
Once there is enough power in the power company’s system, the electrician procedes with his work.
In NM, the survey doesn’t cost anything, but the answers from this survey let the electrician give you a more accurate estimate on the work that will have to be done.
Hope you have some money. A rewire isn’t cheap, to start with,the National Electric Code requires a" minimum of a 100 amp service, for a single family residence",and your provider may have to upgrade in order to accommodate, and or "comply with" a new, 100 amp service, (even if you don’t use more power ) at their cost. It sounds like you’ve got "knob and tube" wiring,and your right to want to rewire, for many "safety issues" that your existing system is"sure" to have.( if its that old cloth covered rubber insulation, the life expectancy of that type is/was 4 years, no kiddin’.) its still OK, (probably) IF, it hasn’t been disturbed, but it needs to be replaced anyway. What you should do, is, find a GOOD electrician, one that will take the time to explain the whole situation, and what needs to be done. And, don’t pick the" first one" in the phone book, shop around.
lotsaluk