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Electrical service panel door mismatch...how to fix?

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Electrical service panel door mismatch...how to fix? lgerhardx 03-03-2007
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Posted by HeyBub on March 3, 2007, 9:12 pm


lgerhardx@hotmail.com wrote:
>
> I'll take a picture and post either tonight or tomorrow, thanks
> everyone.
>
> How hard would it be for me to shut off the main breaker, have the
> power company pull the meter, and me swap meticulously from this old
> box to a new one, if I have to replace everything? Is it something
> that a somewhat-savvy individual can do and then get an electrician to
> inspect, or am I flirting with disaster?
>
> Thanks again for the input!

It's a three to five hour job for one or two inexperienced people. That
includes trips back to the big-box store for stuff overlooked.

You can get a breaker-box "kit" containing the box, hardware, and an
assortment of breakers for ~$250.00. You'll need all manner of other stuff
like wire nuts, grounding wire and clamps, perhaps a hole cutter, beer for
the celebration and passing of the smoke-test, etc.

I'd encourage you to give it a go.

As to whether the power company needs to get involved, whether you need a
permit or an inspection, that's entirely up to your local jurisdiction and
the union/communist influence over your local politicians.



Posted by Steve Barker on March 3, 2007, 8:16 pm


the last thing you should have to do is replace the panel just because you
don't have a cover. make one of good stiff poster board, then take it to
your local metal fab shop and have them make one if you can't order one.

jeeeeeze.... replace the panel...... <SIGH>

--
Steve Barker




> Hello all.
>
> The past owners of the older home which I live in now had tried
> 'fixing' things throughout the house (most notoriously venting a
> bathroom exhaust directly into a sealed attic space...*sigh*). One of
> these problems which I am now trying to undo involves them mismatching
> the electrical breaker box and the panel that covers it.
>
> The box itself takes some odd-looking, older toggle (push in, push
> out) breakers, square in shape. The panel cover has the knockouts
> knocked-out for the newer, wide rectangular breakers.
>
> I was warned when I purchased the house that this would have to be
> fixed, because it is dangerous--there is a major gap between the
> actual little square breakers and the holes from the knockouts for the
> other type of breaker.
>
> Basically, my question is this: can I get *just* the panel for the
> existing breaker box? I'd rather do that if at all possible, instead
> of incurring the additional expense of having to replace all of the
> breakers to put in a totally new system.
>
> Can anyone point me to a place where I can get just the cover? BTW, I
> can take pix, if that would help. Thanks so much in advance!! :)
>



Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on March 3, 2007, 10:12 pm



> the last thing you should have to do is replace the panel just because you
> don't have a cover. make one of good stiff poster board, then take it to
> your local metal fab shop and have them make one if you can't order one.
>
> jeeeeeze.... replace the panel...... <SIGH>
>
> --
> Steve Barker

Replacing the panel will probably be cheaper than a "one off" of a panel
cover with the proper knockouts.



Posted by mm on March 3, 2007, 11:27 pm


wrote:

>
>> the last thing you should have to do is replace the panel just because you
>> don't have a cover. make one of good stiff poster board, then take it to
>> your local metal fab shop and have them make one if you can't order one.
>>
>> jeeeeeze.... replace the panel...... <SIGH>
>>
>> --
>> Steve Barker
>
>Replacing the panel will probably be cheaper than a "one off" of a panel
>cover with the proper knockouts.

I assume the new one won't have knockouts.

I have a short memory, so I don't know if the cover has to be inset or
not from the level of the place where the cover screws on, to the
level of the breakers, but assuming it doesn't, it would be just a
sheet of metal with a number of holes for breakers and four little
holes for screwing it on. If he ever wants to add breakers, he'll
take off the cover and use tin snips or a sabre saw to cut a bigger
hole.

If the breaker level is different from the level of the place where
the cover screws on, I would go back to my other post and just patch
it with sheet metal. To the OP, PC-70 is a very good kind of epoxy
glue, but other glues might work well also.

Posted by RBM on March 4, 2007, 7:56 am


Covers for pushmatic panels would probably be the easiest to fabricate. It's
just a flat sheet of steel with one or two large vertical rectangles in it,
depending upon how many breakers it holds, and one small rectangle for the
main, if it has one. They didn't use knock outs, the panel came with blanks
for dead spaces.



> wrote:
>
>>
>>> the last thing you should have to do is replace the panel just because
>>> you
>>> don't have a cover. make one of good stiff poster board, then take it
>>> to
>>> your local metal fab shop and have them make one if you can't order one.
>>>
>>> jeeeeeze.... replace the panel...... <SIGH>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Steve Barker
>>
>>Replacing the panel will probably be cheaper than a "one off" of a panel
>>cover with the proper knockouts.
>
> I assume the new one won't have knockouts.
>
> I have a short memory, so I don't know if the cover has to be inset or
> not from the level of the place where the cover screws on, to the
> level of the breakers, but assuming it doesn't, it would be just a
> sheet of metal with a number of holes for breakers and four little
> holes for screwing it on. If he ever wants to add breakers, he'll
> take off the cover and use tin snips or a sabre saw to cut a bigger
> hole.
>
> If the breaker level is different from the level of the place where
> the cover screws on, I would go back to my other post and just patch
> it with sheet metal. To the OP, PC-70 is a very good kind of epoxy
> glue, but other glues might work well also.



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