Replacing my Electrical Panel

[spifflog]

I want to replace the electrial panel in my cabin in Maine. It's small, has only 4 circuits and I want more options. I have to get the "local municipality" to approve having my power turned back on. SO I have tow questions

1) Is this a job for the standard home improvement guy that has done a fair amont of electical work (I think it is). And,

2) Is the inspector going to bust my balls so much on the inspection that I just should have hired the local guy in the first place?

Thanks much.

[gotpasswords]

If the work is done without a permit, plan on a world-class ball-busting and some penalty fines. It's kinda rare that a breaker panel can be replaced without a permit.

When you enquire about a permit, they should also be able to tell you if you (or some random handyman) can do the work yourself or if they require a licensed electrician to do it.

Now the good news - if it's a remote area, there's a fair chance that you will not need a permit if the job is under some dollar amount threshold, and that you can do it yourself. You really need to ask the relevant building inspection department. More good news - small breaker panels are cheap. You can probably pick up a combo pack of a 12-space SquareD Homeline panel and either two or four breakers for under $60. Add another $20 for a main breaker (if the main isn't in a separate enclosure, or if it's a different brand than your new panel) and you're looking at under $100 and maybe two hours time.

[Sparky812]

I want to replace the electrial panel in my cabin in Maine. It's small, has only 4 circuits and I want more options. I have to get the "local municipality" to approve having my power turned back on. SO I have tow questions

1) Is this a job for the standard home improvement guy that has done a fair amont of electical work (I think it is). And,

Check with the municipality, you may be able to do the rough-in or even all the work yourself, if you have licensed electrician inspect it. You can find this out when you take out your permit.

2) Is the inspector going to bust my balls so much on the inspection that I just should have hired the local guy in the first place?

He shouldn't, as long as you have a permit. When applying for your permit you will probably have to submit a plan, drawings, and a description of the work.
As long as you don't stray too far from this, the inspector shouldn't have a problem.



May I suggest that this is a great opportunity to upgrade to 200-Amp service?