new house for mike

[etk300ex]

you should have a service disconnect after your meter, unless this is some sketchy 70 year old installation. 

[M4wdFab]

none i can find.   Ill pull cover and report back tonight. 

[M4wdFab]

looks like breakers above have no main.  60 amp disconnects breakers below. 


on house, left is street feed, right goes to barn.

[M4wdFab]

havent seen any birds for 4 days in the lower barn after i closed up the wide open window they were using. 


removed about 40 birds nests all vacant. 

[Wingman]

Seeing that "newish" house panel, there must be a disconnect somewhere between meter and panel (like Eroc said).

[M4wdFab]

unless its hiding in the wall behind the meter, no. 

[luvmyxj]

i like breaker #5, we dont know wtf it does but it requires 20 amps

[etk300ex]

There appears to be many issues here

[etk300ex]

So they made a junction in the weather-head for the barn feeder?  (Multiple violations lol) 

Cable going to barn looks pretty small for 150A? 

Is it the same (whitish) colored cable that we see at the weather-head terminated in the house panel?

You need a main or maximum 6-handles per code.  The 6-handle rule may not even apply to residential I'd have to look it up.

Whats that unterminated, stripped wire chillin at the bottom?  Clip that off.

Who made that sweet panel schedule?  Don't tell me it was home inspector?

[Wingman]

Ha, didn't even look at the weather head pic 

Do you suppose they ran the barn wire back up the conduit from the panel?

sMike, you might want to start thinking of starting over right at the house...

[Wingman]

New 200a service, meter box, panel, and sub-feeds. Go underground with the barn feed.

Get that sketchiness out!

[gif]

Here is what I would do.

If your occupancy plan is >5 years, think about long term effects of having sub-par electrical.

IF the feed wire from the utility pole to the meter is rated for 200A.
1)   Upgrade feed wire from meter to house panel and  the panel to 200A
2)   Upgrade the meter to 200A
3)   Do away with the split node to the barn

IF feed wire to barn is rated for 150A.
1)   Bring wire into the house 200A panel with dedicated 150A breaker
2)   Upgrade barn panel to larger 150A panel to support ALL current and future needs.


You have a generator that you can use to operate “must haves” while reworking the electrical.
I think your quote of “doing something right the first time never exceeds the cost of redoing something many times poorly..”  (or something like that) applies.

[Wingman]

Utility Co is responsible for triplex from pole to weather head. They will upgrade if needed.

You could feed the barn wire from the meter box and put another 150a or 200a main panel in the barn instead of making it a sub panel off the house.

[etk300ex]

That is not allowed.  Your disconnecting means must be at the nearest readily accessible location at the point of entrance of the service conductors.  And also your service entrance disconnects means (up to 6) must be grouped in one location.

[Wingman]

What isn't allowed? Having a second main panel in the barn? That is done often, including at my last house.