Problem - The Breaker Box is Full!
My Chestnut Drive rehab was a long one. My contractor, well let's just say he was overloaded with other commitments and took a bit longer than I wanted to get this baby done! Heck, I had a tenant/buyer within a week of putting out the first yard sign.
Reminder: The house you are rehabbing is perfect for someone. Maximize your chances of finding who that perfect one is! Always get that sign out as soon as the exterior is painted! |
I'd requested a 220 line be installed in the laundry area weeks earlier (for the dryer), but no action was taken other than to give me a price for the job of $150. (The line came from the breaker box in the kitchen, up into the attic, and over to the laundryroom.) But, once the electrician came over to actually to the job, then the fun started.
Seems the box was full? Question One was; "So you're just NOW seeing this wrinkle?" (In the trenches, you have to ask these questions sometimes...even if only to make a point.) A full box means all the breakers are occupied with wiring.
There was already 220 lines going to the outside AC unit, the inside unit, the stove, and the water heater. That's four 220 lines...wait a minute, there is only room for three 220s in this box! The plot thickens.
We took a look at the main feeding into the top of the box. There was a thicker wire coming into the 100 amp main breaker? Well, through some trial and error, we discovered that the additional line coming directly into the main breaker box connection was for the inside AC unit. Not good!
Notice the "extra" lines tied into the main breaker?
The problem just multiplied on me. This is an unsafe condition because there is no cut off for the inside air handler other than to cut the power to the entire house.
So, instead of having the problem needing to add one 220 line to the already-maxed-out box, we now need to add TWO!
A little crowded?
The solution: My electrician suggested a creative way of thinning down the box. Using this method we essentially purchase thinner breakers, and rearrange the placement of the existing breakers to fit everything we need.
This fix involved buying three double 30amp breakers, some creative placement of others.
This isn't a cheap fix, but the alternative is installing a completely new box for $400-500. Since this box is a Federal Pacific breaker box, the new breakers are expensive new at $60 each, or less used at $30 each.
Federal Pacific is code for "expensive breakers!"
The final step is to talk to my electrician and let him know how much I hate surprises. I told him that I know he's busy, but it would not have taken much time to avoid this surprise that essentially doubled the cost of adding a 220 line for a dryer.
The lesson here is:
(1) Watch out for funny business with your wiring and it's probably a good idea to have your electrician on speed dial for these sort of eventualities. Creative wiring will not get by an inspector if you're planning on selling the house in the near term.
(2) Thinning down a breaker box can be fairly expensive (especially if it's a Federal Pacific box). However, it's usually cheaper than replacing the entire box.
There is another lesson here. Rehabbers are IN THE BUSINESS of solving problems. I didn't foresee this one, but that's okay. I was safe in this property.
When you buy, assume there are unseen problems...assume it! Celebrate if there aren't. When something like this comes up, smile and solve the problem for the next occupants. Plenty of folks out there barely get by in life, mostly because they are afraid to do what you do by being a problem solver and reaping the benefits. So, smile! You've got a problem to solve that will make you a profit!