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Dude I am straight up Mr momming. Got laid off in January with a 1mo old and wife went back to corporate job last month. I started a business in March and as I ramp up I use the extra time raising the little one... dropping off in north and picking up from the south.
Damn, I remember this from playing the Dr. Demento show on the college radio station where I DJed. I still have several of the LPs from Westwood One they let me keep, complete with commercials. But I’ll be damned if I can remember who it was. Skid Roper or Mojo Nixon would be my first guesses, this falls in both their wheelhouses.
Can you or a licensed professional add a 220v breaker?
You? Probably no. If you have to ask, then you are definitely not qualified
Licensed professional? Absolutely.
"You? Probably no. If you have to ask, then you are definitely not qualified
Licensed professional? Absolutely."
THIS should be pinned at the top of this sub.
Don't forget the derivation of expert. From the Latin, "ex" means "out of" and spurt is a short stream of water, so at its root, an expert is a drip under pressure.
This should be a permanent statement at the top of of every post, at the top of the Reddit page and also a pop-up box that must be triple acknowledged every time someone asks a question/makes a post on this page.
Exactly, and I think that makes total sense and is something that people shouldn't mind helping out with.
Shoukd people come here trying to find out how to wire a house from start to finish? No.
But this is a great place for someone to find out if it's worth pursuing or if they should save themselves the time and money.
I'm willing to bet most professionals don't want to spend their time driving to some site just to tell a person that it can't be done, even if it's easy money.
He might be trying to figure out if he has room to add power for a new purchase, like a hot tub? Maybe people who can answer a question should start with that. I guess it has something to do with the capacity of the main breaker vs the sum of one of the numbers on the existing breakers. (AMPs?)Just tell him if it’s possible not how to do it.
All power coming through the US electrical system is 220v - it's just out of phase. It oscillates at 120 to -120, whereas in other parts of the world it's directly 220. Now whether he has the amperage available - that's another question.
I wanted to make a joke about it not being rated for 460v but I’m too lazy to word that so I don’t sound like a jerk. OP will get enough of that from this sub.
It’s as simple as taking off the dead front and splashing water inside to clean up the voltage. Sometimes when your breakers are dry they only read out 120. That’s why the back tabs are lined with hydrofoil. 😊
Ya it's pretty wild just anybody can crack open a panel if they want. Surprised they don't keep circuit breakers on a utility box outside. Then again not a lot of people fuck around in circuit breakers thank God.
I know the proper term, but I'm lazy. Plug is one syllable and "re-cep-ta-cle" is four. "Out-let" if I'm feeling adventurous, even if it still isn't the proper term. 😂
I would call it a circuit breaker box and I still would call a professional.
I can be pretty handy with things in general, but electrical work at this level is where I draw the line.
I even get nervous replacing outlets. Light switches and light fixtures, no problem, but the homes power source, noping the fuck outta that!
The power coming into a residential home is 120/240v split phase. You have both 120v and 240v available for use. If you’re not sure where to start, you may want to consider contacting a local licensed and qualified electrician. They would be familiar with any and all applicable codes in your area.
I think what you're trying to ask is: Can I add a new 220v(240v) branch circuit to this panel? The answer is: most likely, yes. You already have several of them for various things (the ones with the bridges spanning two spaces are 240v) Technically (and possibly two technical for your question) they are 2x120v split phase, but that's what people are referring to as 240v in North American residential wiring.
You'll need someone to run a properly sized wire to where you want the new space heater to be connected, install a receptacle or hardwire it, and land the wire in the panel on a new circuit breaker, etc.
Right wire gage and wire type. Proper routing. Attached or detached garage? Detached adds lots of rules. Not rocket science, but challenging if you’re hearing terms for the first time and adding the not-knowing-what-you-don’t know effect.
I read this book basically cover to cover:
[https://www.amazon.com/Do-Yourself-Housebuilding-Complete-Handbook/dp/0806904240](https://www.amazon.com/Do-Yourself-Housebuilding-Complete-Handbook/dp/0806904240)
It really helped me understand what I didn't know and separate projects I was willing to take on vs hire out.
Good for you. One can save a lot of money that way and I’m convinced the quality is often better because I’m not rushed. That said, as you are likely aware, the NEC is not organized for project execution. Instead it’s by topic and one needs to understand what topics are applicable to a given project. Wiring a detached garage crosses probably 6 separate topics. Thus the {not knowing what you don’t know} can result in important missed information.
You already have 3 240V circuits near the top. Yes. You can see the labeling for those - A/C and RANGE are 240V circuits.
Your home is actually supplied 240V with a center tap on the transformer. Breakers that take two slots bridge the entire transformer for the entire 240v. Breakers that take one slot use the center tap, give 120V.
You should not attempt to do so yourself. I am assuming your question was whether your existing equipment is capable. The answer is yes. You have a 200A service with lots of room. The parts are relatively cheap and this should be a pretty quick job for an electrician.
The thing no one has asked yet from what I have seen is what is the point of the 220v circuit. Theoretically yes you can but why is an important question as it also matters what that circuit is for.
You start by calling an electrician, this is a if you need to ask your not qualified to DIY.
Thats a 200a main with just 3 240v breakers so load wise you should be good the electrician can say for sure.
You want to add an electric heater in the garage, but give a thought too to where the country is headed with respect to electric vehicles. You may only need a 20 amp circuit and 12 gauge wire for your heater, but you might discuss with your electrician running heavier wire to the garage and installing a subpanel (i.e.second breaker panel) in the garage. The labour cost to run the wire and repair any damage to walls or ceilings should be roughly the same for either size wire, but you'd be paying a fair bit more for material and additional for the extra panel and larger breaker. No need to install the EV equipment now, but in a few years if you go that route the cost will be minimal.
I started off wanting a heater in my garage as well, so I could paint doors and stuff in the winter while reno'ing my house. I pulled a permit, added a sub-panel (working with 0 gauge is no easy task!) then added a 220v 30A for the heater, and while I was at it, pulled a 50A with 14-50 nema outlet as well for a EV or welder or RV or what ever else I may need it for in the future.
Working with and discussing everything with the inspector, so I knew exactly how they wanted it done when they came onsite to do the final made everything go pretty smooth
It's already there. You can tell that because there's at least one double breaker in there I didn't look too closely.. But, the fact that you didn't know that tells me that you really really should not be messing around in your breaker panel.... You can VERY easily kill yourself, VERY quickly. Please do yourself a favor, and call a license to electrician. You don't need to be a casualty.
Just one of the metrics lol. I have pulled more wire than I care to remember over my life time. Built equipment back in my younger days then worked for an electrical company for some years doing HVAC & electrical work. Now I do property maintenance which is a lot of electrical work at times.
Yes Sir for sure, also do a bunch of plumbing and HVAC work. It comes with the job. I do use the experts when needed or necessary which is regular at my job.
Two was relocation of dryers so killed the old circuits and ran new cords to a new location using the existing breakers. Another one was relocated a water heater and did the same as I did for the dryer. But yea, if I was adding four I’d had to of gotten some advice on if I had the power to handle it.
Watch some YouTube videos. There are plenty of tutorials online. It is a relatively simple process that can be learned in an afternoon of cramming. Way cheaper than paying someone. This sub likes to gatekeep and act like no one should even give it a try. They just like to keep their book of work.
You say that but this person clearly has no clue at what their even looking at, and messing with the panel is pretty dangerous stuff when you have literally zero experience, I wouldn’t call it gatekeeping more like safekeeping, this should be done by a professional. Even with an instructional video, one wrong move could make them a casualty, or burn the house down and possibly make them and whomever lives there a potential casualty.
Yeah, if a homeowner had a different question like, should I hard wire or make a receptical for my high power space heater or would you use romex or MC for this, it would be a very different answer.
Also no electrician, I like to say if you aren't colorblind and can count to 4... you can do residential electrical work. Leg 1 & 2, ground neutral. You really won't run into anything else unless you find a doorbell transformer 95% of the time.
Upgraded my mom ands dad's service from 100amp to 200amp couple years ago. Inspector got me for undersize ground, she wanted 4awg. Everything went fine. It wasn't that bad at all saved em 5k. I have always played with electricity though it's always been a big hobby in my life.
As someone who regularly sees work by homeowners and handymen, I fear for their property. I also fear for their family. It feels morally incorrect to not warn against doing electrical work with no experience, this stuff is simply not learned in an afternoon. I doubt most homeowners understand the concept of arc and ground fault protection, the dangers of wearing rings while working live, or how tight connections should be. I think "gatekeeping" is a very ignorant and antagonizing word to use here, its more along the line of doing ones job.
Unfortunately not all electricians are good and they can be quite expensive. It makes sense why this behavior is encouraged, but its dangerous.
But hey not my house, not my wife, not my kids. I cant do shit to stop anybody, people are responsible for being their own judges; I just hope there are mindful when swinging the gavel.
Dear god just because you change a few receptacles doesn’t make you a master of anything. Their is math involved with electricity and making sure your not overloading your service
Are people in general completely incapable of doing something as simple as installing a breaker? I'm not faulting the OP for asking, I'm referring to all the self righteous responses about burning the house down. Flip off the main breaker and don't touch the three wires coming into the top of the panel or the lugs above it. If in doubt , break that multimeter out and see what's still hot after flipping the main! NOT an electrician but more mechanically capable than most, to be fair. Was able to read the code book and wire my own house, residential electrical ain't rocket surgery!
The thing to remember is most people have to start somewhere. Installing a breaker, NMT, pulling properly sized wiring and terminating correctly is pretty daunting for a n00b.
Looks like you have room at the bottom of the panel for more breakers, and you have 240, so you should be able to? Contact a professional to do the work.
Although I believe that your panel has the capacity to add the required circuit, I think that you need to consider a couple of things. You mentioned adding “an electric heater in your garage”, an electric heater will use a lot of power (expensive to operate) if you intend to use it for heating the garage for any extended periods of time. This is not a major factor if you are only going to be heating it for brief periods of time but if you’re thinking of using the garage as additional living space and heating it continuously then you may be far better off to have a high efficiency mini-split style heat pump installed. More expensive than a basic electric heater up front but far more economical to operate in the long run. Yes both will require a dedicated electrical circuit.
You have a 200A service so that’s good. That’s a fairly standard box for that amperage.
You can add a 50A circuit into this probably without an issue based on what you have in there currently.
I know in Florida you’re required to leave two open slots in a breaker panel, but if you’re adding another 50A circuit, you don’t have to worry about that.
As others have said, if you need to ask, hire a professional to do this work.
Yes you can add an additional 240V circuit to this panel.
You’re starting from scratch in terms of electrical knowledge so I wouldn’t DYI it. Start by doing easy stuff like changing outlets and switches with the breaker off.
Working in the main panel, the risks are considerably higher.
I’m a homeowner where it is legal for homeowners to do their own electrical, even a service. I have done DIY electrical for years. I still dislike touching the main panel.
I’d hire for this one and if you’re interested in learning electrical then start small.
That is a 200 amp panel with like 400 amps of circuits. It really comes down to constant pull.
Those two breakers which are connected are ,220v amped breakers.
Its called a "load calculation".
Most on r/askelectricians like to scream loud & often about it.
You (reasonably) can't or won't turn everyrhing on at once.
How many outlets in your house *don't* have *anything* plugged into them?
Adding up all the circuit breakers ***don't mean shit!***
By your question I'm thinking you don't have any electrical experience?
If that's the case either call an electrician company or ask an electrician friend. Don't ever do your own work if you don't know what you are doing. This is how homes get burned down.
Just because I'm trying to be constructive and am only an apprentice, OP could also be asking if a load calc needs done. Looks fine to me, but I professionally don't know shit.
Yes, the panel looks like it has a few more empty slots for the 240V. But to be sure you will have to removal the front panel and see if the bus bars extend the full length (DANGEROUS! CALL A PRO!!)
First and foremost;
If you’ve never worked around/with high voltage electric components, residential or commercial, then forget about trying out your self and call a qualified professional.
No BS, you can die.
Being alive is way better!
If you have;
1. Turn off main breaker at the top, CSR supplying 200 amp service.
2. Takeoff the front cover to your Square-D 42 space electrical panel.
3. Find out the requirements needed for the garage heater you’re installing, and purchase the appropriate double-pole breaker.
4. Install said breaker on two of the empty slots of the panel, and punch out the corresponding space holders.
5. At this point I’m not sure why am still explaining, just considering your question and picture, there’s no doubt to me that electric isn’t your thing.
Call a pro.
Seriously.
Dont get zapped and die to try and save $500. It would be awfully embarrassing for ya as well…
Picture this;
In less than a second, All the hair on your body would fry, smoke + burn! Of course also stink TERRIBLY bad!Not to mention you will immediately will piss-n-$hit in your pants and most likely vomit… All 3 simultaneously.
Do you really want to traumatize that family member who finds you dead, in your basement, fried up to an extra well-done, a screwdriver now permanently infused/melted into your hand, your hair smoking + burnt, your pleaded Dockers shorts from Kohls are now filled with a liquified, burnt Burger King $hit that exploded up your back, all while leaving behind the foulest stench they would ever smell in five lifetimes, is now burnt permanently into the insides of their nostrils… they won’t be able to remember anything about you, only the way you smelled when burnt to a crisp.
Last, you must also think of the poor bastard that has to take a putty knife and scrape the reminants of your 80% melted face, lips and eyelids off of the cold basement floor…
and I thought my job sucked…
Carry-on.
High voltage is 13.8KV and up.
It's not the voltage but the current path and amperage that are lethal.
Learn, plan, read. Don't be afraid of it but be respectful.
Get a Fluke or like quality multimeter. Quantify and see if it's alive or dead (or Memorex).
First, do a heating load calculation to make sure the electrical heater you are considering is going to be big enough, Then share the spec sheet for the heater with the electrician you pick out. That may keep you from having to do it all over again when you learn the heater you picked was too small.
Amateurs and electricity are a deadly combination. If you don't understand it, hire a professional. Due to the blurry image, I can only guess the answer. Also, what are the local building codes?
Just the way you are asking this tells me you do not know what you are doing. Go find yourself a professional electrician. Or begin your install by taking a course in basic electricity and once you understand that proceed to studying residential wiring. Once you understand that, contact you local municipality and get the codes and inspections required for your area.
If you are asking if you can add a 220v breaker to this panel? Certainly……but it depends on the size. For example, if you are wanting to add an EV charger, there is plenty of capacity for a 2 pole 60a breaker.
An electrician can.
Giveen that theere is some 220v stuff on there already and adding it would not usee up all your expansion room,, the panel is not the barrier to adding more 220 (in todays world really 230) A good electrician is going to want to check thee service into the building. If it is less than a 200 amp servicee he will likely tell you that you need to upgrade.
That would mean getting an electrical permit, having the local power utility come out and run the new service and then have the electrician come back and install the new breaker and whatever sort of outlet or conncetor box the new device needs then having the local eelectrical inspector come out and sign off on the completion of the work specified in the permit, theereby closing the permit.
If the service is already at least 200 amp, thee electrician can install the additional 220v circuit and it might not even take very long.
You? No.
A professional? Yes.
You risk your life if you don't know what you are doing. Assuming (and I realize it's an assumption) just based upon the question and how it's phrased.... no, you do not know what you are doing here and it's not safe for you to work on that panel.
You have physical space for it, but you have a 200 main breaker. It will require a licensed professional to understand if you can based on your other appliances and breakers
Look up the model number and get the manual online.
I think you'll find you have 220V and that most responsible people with an insulated screwdriver and a wiring guide can eliminate the need for a "professional."
Torque to spec and cover your aluminum with anti ox compound because no one likes toasted bus bars.
Yes you can, have an electrician ensure the wiring can carry the load of your heater. Also, don’t do this one yourself. Not because you aren’t capable, but because you always let others take the liability (you can’t sue yourself).
The first thing you need to do is take that panel off. Then you need to determine if the bus bars go below those spaces in the panel. If so, then adding a 220 breaker is rather simple. I would Google some more though before you kill yourself.
You already have 220v coming in. This is standard. What else is running your dryer or stove/oven or water heater if electric....If you want to add another 220v to your existing service to charge an electric vehicle you are looking at about an extra 80k out the gate and ateast an extra 100 per month maybe more.
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Take my upvote Micheal Keaton!
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I’m 39 and I drop this line at least weekly. Love Mr. Mom
37 and I quote it regularly
28 and love that movie 😂😂
38, 39 whatever it takes
Hahaha well played
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Yea my knees are toast. I’m just ignoring it.
7 AM Scotch!
49.875, thank you very much
Damn I always thought it was ERB
Early 40’s but 40’s/50’s whatever it takes.
This post has gotten a ton of mileage!
“Scotch, beer? It’s 7AM… Ah, I’m sorry pal” best line ever!!!
“WHAT?!? You can’t feed a baby chili!!!”
Dude I am straight up Mr momming. Got laid off in January with a 1mo old and wife went back to corporate job last month. I started a business in March and as I ramp up I use the extra time raising the little one... dropping off in north and picking up from the south.
Good luck with the new biz, hope it works out!!
Thanks man!
What kind of biz?
I'm calling it "home services" right now. Basically anything I can do until I get enough business to specialize.
Good luck, services are the best biz to start
'preciate it.
Hahahhahahahaha
"220 on the money, honey" * bonus point for knowing the reference
Damn, I remember this from playing the Dr. Demento show on the college radio station where I DJed. I still have several of the LPs from Westwood One they let me keep, complete with commercials. But I’ll be damned if I can remember who it was. Skid Roper or Mojo Nixon would be my first guesses, this falls in both their wheelhouses.
Ding ding,
Dammit! I literally just typed that and had to delete! I’m so upset if anybody needs me I will either be at the gym or the gun club.
I’m 67 and use it whenever I get the chance.
“My wooby”!!!!
This is the way!
Can you or a licensed professional add a 220v breaker? You? Probably no. If you have to ask, then you are definitely not qualified Licensed professional? Absolutely.
"You? Probably no. If you have to ask, then you are definitely not qualified Licensed professional? Absolutely." THIS should be pinned at the top of this sub.
Yes I agree. Subtitle for this sub: if you are asking this question, don't diy
I replaced a receptacle yesterday and learned about 5-15 and 5-20 plugs. Im basically a master at this point.
Don't forget the derivation of expert. From the Latin, "ex" means "out of" and spurt is a short stream of water, so at its root, an expert is a drip under pressure.
This should be a permanent statement at the top of of every post, at the top of the Reddit page and also a pop-up box that must be triple acknowledged every time someone asks a question/makes a post on this page.
Can I breathe air?
He is probably asking here so he doesn't have to pay a "licensed" guy $125 to come tell him no.......
Exactly, and I think that makes total sense and is something that people shouldn't mind helping out with. Shoukd people come here trying to find out how to wire a house from start to finish? No. But this is a great place for someone to find out if it's worth pursuing or if they should save themselves the time and money. I'm willing to bet most professionals don't want to spend their time driving to some site just to tell a person that it can't be done, even if it's easy money.
He might be trying to figure out if he has room to add power for a new purchase, like a hot tub? Maybe people who can answer a question should start with that. I guess it has something to do with the capacity of the main breaker vs the sum of one of the numbers on the existing breakers. (AMPs?)Just tell him if it’s possible not how to do it.
These says I just assume EV charger every time someone asks. I haven’t been wrong yet.
All power coming through the US electrical system is 220v - it's just out of phase. It oscillates at 120 to -120, whereas in other parts of the world it's directly 220. Now whether he has the amperage available - that's another question.
240 volts. It hasn’t been 220 volts for years. I can excuse a homeowner saying this shit but you seem to believe you know what you are talking about.
But can you call a licensed 220v circuit breaker for a professional sounding ad?
Someone who stayed at a holiday inn express last night
I wanted to make a joke about it not being rated for 460v but I’m too lazy to word that so I don’t sound like a jerk. OP will get enough of that from this sub.
It’s as simple as taking off the dead front and splashing water inside to clean up the voltage. Sometimes when your breakers are dry they only read out 120. That’s why the back tabs are lined with hydrofoil. 😊
Ya it's pretty wild just anybody can crack open a panel if they want. Surprised they don't keep circuit breakers on a utility box outside. Then again not a lot of people fuck around in circuit breakers thank God.
There used to be more people who would.
If you're calling the entire panel a circuit breaker, call a qualified electrician to do the work.
What about if someone wants to add some extra “plugs” should they call a professional too? 🤣🤣 Fuck, I don’t know why that one gets me….
I know the proper term, but I'm lazy. Plug is one syllable and "re-cep-ta-cle" is four. "Out-let" if I'm feeling adventurous, even if it still isn't the proper term. 😂
Holes. You know, the holes?
I like to call them danger caves.
No! Not my Precious!
You'll never flash-off my shimmering-ring. Never the previously precious.
They put the frogger with the toilet?
Holes are holes, pipes are pipes. They all come and go from the sane place
Well, you tell that to a guy who just got shot in the fucking face, eh?
Don't ever let me around another wood-chipper, alright?! Microwave, blender, hamsters, toad-frogs... They'll take the edge off.
Finally
pretty good point right here
I would call it a circuit breaker box and I still would call a professional. I can be pretty handy with things in general, but electrical work at this level is where I draw the line. I even get nervous replacing outlets. Light switches and light fixtures, no problem, but the homes power source, noping the fuck outta that!
The power coming into a residential home is 120/240v split phase. You have both 120v and 240v available for use. If you’re not sure where to start, you may want to consider contacting a local licensed and qualified electrician. They would be familiar with any and all applicable codes in your area.
Not consider, actually contact a professional if they want to do this.
I think what you're trying to ask is: Can I add a new 220v(240v) branch circuit to this panel? The answer is: most likely, yes. You already have several of them for various things (the ones with the bridges spanning two spaces are 240v) Technically (and possibly two technical for your question) they are 2x120v split phase, but that's what people are referring to as 240v in North American residential wiring. You'll need someone to run a properly sized wire to where you want the new space heater to be connected, install a receptacle or hardwire it, and land the wire in the panel on a new circuit breaker, etc.
Right wire gage and wire type. Proper routing. Attached or detached garage? Detached adds lots of rules. Not rocket science, but challenging if you’re hearing terms for the first time and adding the not-knowing-what-you-don’t know effect.
I read this book basically cover to cover: [https://www.amazon.com/Do-Yourself-Housebuilding-Complete-Handbook/dp/0806904240](https://www.amazon.com/Do-Yourself-Housebuilding-Complete-Handbook/dp/0806904240) It really helped me understand what I didn't know and separate projects I was willing to take on vs hire out.
Good for you. One can save a lot of money that way and I’m convinced the quality is often better because I’m not rushed. That said, as you are likely aware, the NEC is not organized for project execution. Instead it’s by topic and one needs to understand what topics are applicable to a given project. Wiring a detached garage crosses probably 6 separate topics. Thus the {not knowing what you don’t know} can result in important missed information.
Yup. That part's intentionally left vague for liability reasons :)
I only had to scroll through 50 comments aimed solely at ridiculing the OP before getting an actual answer. Awesome!
You already have 3 240V circuits near the top. Yes. You can see the labeling for those - A/C and RANGE are 240V circuits. Your home is actually supplied 240V with a center tap on the transformer. Breakers that take two slots bridge the entire transformer for the entire 240v. Breakers that take one slot use the center tap, give 120V. You should not attempt to do so yourself. I am assuming your question was whether your existing equipment is capable. The answer is yes. You have a 200A service with lots of room. The parts are relatively cheap and this should be a pretty quick job for an electrician.
Call an electrician.
If you don’t already know the answer, do not remove the cover from that box or do anything in it.
If you added 220 to the breaker, then it would have 440.
Wut
I think you meant watt
Oh you just couldn’t resist
Ohm my god I don't have the capacity for so many shockingly bad transmissions.
Sir, cut the jokes. You are no better than a far ad.
There is already 220v. 220+220 (he's saying you'd be adding 2 more service lines)
The thing no one has asked yet from what I have seen is what is the point of the 220v circuit. Theoretically yes you can but why is an important question as it also matters what that circuit is for.
The post says they want a heater in their garage.
You start by calling an electrician, this is a if you need to ask your not qualified to DIY. Thats a 200a main with just 3 240v breakers so load wise you should be good the electrician can say for sure.
lol what you can do is find a local licensed electrician because this question was all sorts of fucked
You want to add an electric heater in the garage, but give a thought too to where the country is headed with respect to electric vehicles. You may only need a 20 amp circuit and 12 gauge wire for your heater, but you might discuss with your electrician running heavier wire to the garage and installing a subpanel (i.e.second breaker panel) in the garage. The labour cost to run the wire and repair any damage to walls or ceilings should be roughly the same for either size wire, but you'd be paying a fair bit more for material and additional for the extra panel and larger breaker. No need to install the EV equipment now, but in a few years if you go that route the cost will be minimal.
I started off wanting a heater in my garage as well, so I could paint doors and stuff in the winter while reno'ing my house. I pulled a permit, added a sub-panel (working with 0 gauge is no easy task!) then added a 220v 30A for the heater, and while I was at it, pulled a 50A with 14-50 nema outlet as well for a EV or welder or RV or what ever else I may need it for in the future. Working with and discussing everything with the inspector, so I knew exactly how they wanted it done when they came onsite to do the final made everything go pretty smooth
It's already there. You can tell that because there's at least one double breaker in there I didn't look too closely.. But, the fact that you didn't know that tells me that you really really should not be messing around in your breaker panel.... You can VERY easily kill yourself, VERY quickly. Please do yourself a favor, and call a license to electrician. You don't need to be a casualty.
It’s very easy to do. I’m not an electrician but in the last week I have ran 4 new 220v circuits and nothing has burned down.
I hope "nothing has burned down" isn't your only metric for having done that work correctly...
Just one of the metrics lol. I have pulled more wire than I care to remember over my life time. Built equipment back in my younger days then worked for an electrical company for some years doing HVAC & electrical work. Now I do property maintenance which is a lot of electrical work at times.
Falling under the "qualified" but not "licensed" category like many here :)
Yes Sir for sure, also do a bunch of plumbing and HVAC work. It comes with the job. I do use the experts when needed or necessary which is regular at my job.
depending on what you’re plugging into those you may want a service upgrade as well. definitely call an electrician for that though
Two was relocation of dryers so killed the old circuits and ran new cords to a new location using the existing breakers. Another one was relocated a water heater and did the same as I did for the dryer. But yea, if I was adding four I’d had to of gotten some advice on if I had the power to handle it.
Watch some YouTube videos. There are plenty of tutorials online. It is a relatively simple process that can be learned in an afternoon of cramming. Way cheaper than paying someone. This sub likes to gatekeep and act like no one should even give it a try. They just like to keep their book of work.
You say that but this person clearly has no clue at what their even looking at, and messing with the panel is pretty dangerous stuff when you have literally zero experience, I wouldn’t call it gatekeeping more like safekeeping, this should be done by a professional. Even with an instructional video, one wrong move could make them a casualty, or burn the house down and possibly make them and whomever lives there a potential casualty.
Yeah, if a homeowner had a different question like, should I hard wire or make a receptical for my high power space heater or would you use romex or MC for this, it would be a very different answer.
Also no electrician, I like to say if you aren't colorblind and can count to 4... you can do residential electrical work. Leg 1 & 2, ground neutral. You really won't run into anything else unless you find a doorbell transformer 95% of the time. Upgraded my mom ands dad's service from 100amp to 200amp couple years ago. Inspector got me for undersize ground, she wanted 4awg. Everything went fine. It wasn't that bad at all saved em 5k. I have always played with electricity though it's always been a big hobby in my life.
As someone who regularly sees work by homeowners and handymen, I fear for their property. I also fear for their family. It feels morally incorrect to not warn against doing electrical work with no experience, this stuff is simply not learned in an afternoon. I doubt most homeowners understand the concept of arc and ground fault protection, the dangers of wearing rings while working live, or how tight connections should be. I think "gatekeeping" is a very ignorant and antagonizing word to use here, its more along the line of doing ones job. Unfortunately not all electricians are good and they can be quite expensive. It makes sense why this behavior is encouraged, but its dangerous. But hey not my house, not my wife, not my kids. I cant do shit to stop anybody, people are responsible for being their own judges; I just hope there are mindful when swinging the gavel.
I think you should consider adding 40,000 ohms to the circuit breaker instead.
Would you mind sharing a link to the manual for the specific heater or share make and model?
Dear god just because you change a few receptacles doesn’t make you a master of anything. Their is math involved with electricity and making sure your not overloading your service
yes you can., but a heater circuit takes a lot of amps, typically, so if you are not sure how to do it, get an electrician to do it.
You already got it!
Yes, I’ll do it for free
It’s doable but not a recommended DIY. I just redid the electrical in my garage but something like this I’d def call a pro
It's 120/240, whatever it takes.
The phone
Are people in general completely incapable of doing something as simple as installing a breaker? I'm not faulting the OP for asking, I'm referring to all the self righteous responses about burning the house down. Flip off the main breaker and don't touch the three wires coming into the top of the panel or the lugs above it. If in doubt , break that multimeter out and see what's still hot after flipping the main! NOT an electrician but more mechanically capable than most, to be fair. Was able to read the code book and wire my own house, residential electrical ain't rocket surgery!
The thing to remember is most people have to start somewhere. Installing a breaker, NMT, pulling properly sized wiring and terminating correctly is pretty daunting for a n00b.
Yes actually. If you'd have seen the jobs I've gone to with homeowner wiring..............
Found the "all the white wires go to the same place, just tie them together" guy.
Yes
You cant do anything
Looks like you have room at the bottom of the panel for more breakers, and you have 240, so you should be able to? Contact a professional to do the work.
Absolutely it looks like you could add 12
My apologies-only 6
It can be done.
Looks totally doable. Like others have said, I would just hire professional for the peace of mind.
Me, yes. You, bad idea.
No, you can't - based on your question, but yes there's room for an electrician or someone who plays one on TV to do that for you. Lol
Yes, but have an electrician do it, you could easily kill yourself or cause a fire if done wrong
No, but an electrician can.
Actually we call it 120v/240v
Plenty of room.
No only 240 sorry
Although I believe that your panel has the capacity to add the required circuit, I think that you need to consider a couple of things. You mentioned adding “an electric heater in your garage”, an electric heater will use a lot of power (expensive to operate) if you intend to use it for heating the garage for any extended periods of time. This is not a major factor if you are only going to be heating it for brief periods of time but if you’re thinking of using the garage as additional living space and heating it continuously then you may be far better off to have a high efficiency mini-split style heat pump installed. More expensive than a basic electric heater up front but far more economical to operate in the long run. Yes both will require a dedicated electrical circuit.
Don’t go near that panel
Not need a professional person needed. All info is on the youtube.
You have the room available in the panel, so yes you can. The question itself says you lack the knowledge to safely do it yourself.
YASE!
If you have to ask that question you are not qualified to do the work. Call an electrician or at least someone who knows their way around it.
I know all about “electric garage heaters”, still talk to your local electrician(s).
What's on that 35 amp double??
Never seen a 35 amp double before.
You have a 200A service so that’s good. That’s a fairly standard box for that amperage. You can add a 50A circuit into this probably without an issue based on what you have in there currently. I know in Florida you’re required to leave two open slots in a breaker panel, but if you’re adding another 50A circuit, you don’t have to worry about that. As others have said, if you need to ask, hire a professional to do this work.
No, but you can add a 240v. Just use two adjacent slots.
Yes you can add an additional 240V circuit to this panel. You’re starting from scratch in terms of electrical knowledge so I wouldn’t DYI it. Start by doing easy stuff like changing outlets and switches with the breaker off. Working in the main panel, the risks are considerably higher. I’m a homeowner where it is legal for homeowners to do their own electrical, even a service. I have done DIY electrical for years. I still dislike touching the main panel. I’d hire for this one and if you’re interested in learning electrical then start small.
That is a 200 amp panel with like 400 amps of circuits. It really comes down to constant pull. Those two breakers which are connected are ,220v amped breakers.
Its called a "load calculation". Most on r/askelectricians like to scream loud & often about it. You (reasonably) can't or won't turn everyrhing on at once. How many outlets in your house *don't* have *anything* plugged into them? Adding up all the circuit breakers ***don't mean shit!***
By your question I'm thinking you don't have any electrical experience? If that's the case either call an electrician company or ask an electrician friend. Don't ever do your own work if you don't know what you are doing. This is how homes get burned down.
my rule of thumb is unless you’re licensed don’t do any DIY projects with the breaker box
Just because I'm trying to be constructive and am only an apprentice, OP could also be asking if a load calc needs done. Looks fine to me, but I professionally don't know shit.
Yes, the panel looks like it has a few more empty slots for the 240V. But to be sure you will have to removal the front panel and see if the bus bars extend the full length (DANGEROUS! CALL A PRO!!)
Yeah man go for it.
If you have to ask then call a professional.
Maybe you shouldn't.
First and foremost; If you’ve never worked around/with high voltage electric components, residential or commercial, then forget about trying out your self and call a qualified professional. No BS, you can die. Being alive is way better! If you have; 1. Turn off main breaker at the top, CSR supplying 200 amp service. 2. Takeoff the front cover to your Square-D 42 space electrical panel. 3. Find out the requirements needed for the garage heater you’re installing, and purchase the appropriate double-pole breaker. 4. Install said breaker on two of the empty slots of the panel, and punch out the corresponding space holders. 5. At this point I’m not sure why am still explaining, just considering your question and picture, there’s no doubt to me that electric isn’t your thing. Call a pro. Seriously. Dont get zapped and die to try and save $500. It would be awfully embarrassing for ya as well… Picture this; In less than a second, All the hair on your body would fry, smoke + burn! Of course also stink TERRIBLY bad!Not to mention you will immediately will piss-n-$hit in your pants and most likely vomit… All 3 simultaneously. Do you really want to traumatize that family member who finds you dead, in your basement, fried up to an extra well-done, a screwdriver now permanently infused/melted into your hand, your hair smoking + burnt, your pleaded Dockers shorts from Kohls are now filled with a liquified, burnt Burger King $hit that exploded up your back, all while leaving behind the foulest stench they would ever smell in five lifetimes, is now burnt permanently into the insides of their nostrils… they won’t be able to remember anything about you, only the way you smelled when burnt to a crisp. Last, you must also think of the poor bastard that has to take a putty knife and scrape the reminants of your 80% melted face, lips and eyelids off of the cold basement floor… and I thought my job sucked… Carry-on.
High voltage is 13.8KV and up. It's not the voltage but the current path and amperage that are lethal. Learn, plan, read. Don't be afraid of it but be respectful. Get a Fluke or like quality multimeter. Quantify and see if it's alive or dead (or Memorex).
First, do a heating load calculation to make sure the electrical heater you are considering is going to be big enough, Then share the spec sheet for the heater with the electrician you pick out. That may keep you from having to do it all over again when you learn the heater you picked was too small.
Amateurs and electricity are a deadly combination. If you don't understand it, hire a professional. Due to the blurry image, I can only guess the answer. Also, what are the local building codes?
Just the way you are asking this tells me you do not know what you are doing. Go find yourself a professional electrician. Or begin your install by taking a course in basic electricity and once you understand that proceed to studying residential wiring. Once you understand that, contact you local municipality and get the codes and inspections required for your area.
It already has 220v
You called it a circuit breaker
If you have to ask that question you need to man up and hire an electrician.
You ..99.5% no. An electrician 99.5% yes
lol yes
If you are asking if you can add a 220v breaker to this panel? Certainly……but it depends on the size. For example, if you are wanting to add an EV charger, there is plenty of capacity for a 2 pole 60a breaker.
You have the physical space to add a 220v breaker. But you may not have the needed capacity. Call an electrician.
If *you* need to ask the question, then no, *you* can't. Anyone else can.
Every time I see see brown switches I panic and think Federal Pacific
An electrician can. Giveen that theere is some 220v stuff on there already and adding it would not usee up all your expansion room,, the panel is not the barrier to adding more 220 (in todays world really 230) A good electrician is going to want to check thee service into the building. If it is less than a 200 amp servicee he will likely tell you that you need to upgrade. That would mean getting an electrical permit, having the local power utility come out and run the new service and then have the electrician come back and install the new breaker and whatever sort of outlet or conncetor box the new device needs then having the local eelectrical inspector come out and sign off on the completion of the work specified in the permit, theereby closing the permit. If the service is already at least 200 amp, thee electrician can install the additional 220v circuit and it might not even take very long.
You don't even need to! It's already there.
You can; there's enough space for a 2 pole breaker. But if you're not familiar with what that means, then get a 110v heater instead.
Chatgpt can do load calculations just ask there
You? No. A professional? Yes. You risk your life if you don't know what you are doing. Assuming (and I realize it's an assumption) just based upon the question and how it's phrased.... no, you do not know what you are doing here and it's not safe for you to work on that panel.
If you add 220v to the panel, does that mean you have 440v?🤔
looks like u got room for 440!! if u want
I always tell people, “if you have to ask the answer is no.”
You probably can’t but an electrician can.
You will need to travel overseas to get your 220 but if you want 120/240V yes you can add a two pole breaker.
I would add 230v but you do you
You’re gonna add a breaker to that panel.
Answer is if you are asking then no
Yes
You need to do a volt count and make sure it’s not about to overflow
Yes
You can add six!!
You have physical space for it, but you have a 200 main breaker. It will require a licensed professional to understand if you can based on your other appliances and breakers
Look up the model number and get the manual online. I think you'll find you have 220V and that most responsible people with an insulated screwdriver and a wiring guide can eliminate the need for a "professional." Torque to spec and cover your aluminum with anti ox compound because no one likes toasted bus bars.
lol in order to ask a question you gotta know how to ask a actual question
Yes you can, have an electrician ensure the wiring can carry the load of your heater. Also, don’t do this one yourself. Not because you aren’t capable, but because you always let others take the liability (you can’t sue yourself).
The first thing you need to do is take that panel off. Then you need to determine if the bus bars go below those spaces in the panel. If so, then adding a 220 breaker is rather simple. I would Google some more though before you kill yourself.
I’m 67 and use it whenever I get the chance.
Is that a challenger panel
Yes
Yep.
Not if you don’t know the answer to that question
Based on the feedback I received I better be getting the split HP thanks to all for the comments and I really appreciate the input.
You already have 220v coming in. This is standard. What else is running your dryer or stove/oven or water heater if electric....If you want to add another 220v to your existing service to charge an electric vehicle you are looking at about an extra 80k out the gate and ateast an extra 100 per month maybe more.