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Electrical Panel Cost Fuses To Breakers

Electrical Panel Cost Fuses To Breakers

There are a number of reasons why you would want to upgrade your electrical panel from fuses to breakers. This article will show you the electrical panel cost fuses to breakers. We also offer important tips on how to reduce the price at the end.

The electrical panel cost fuses to breakers is $1000 dollars 100 amp and $1500 dollars 200 amp. This includes all permits, labor, materials and breakers. The price may vary depending on the brand name used.

There is often more to it than that so read on.

1.Electrical Panel Cost Fuses To Breakers Tips

The best thing to do is get more thank one price from your local electrician. It is always a good idea to have your fuse panel replaced. The prices may vary buy area however you should see as little as $ 1000 dollars USD to change out a 100 amp fuse panel to breakers.

A 200 amp fuse panel can be a little more involved to change so it could run and high as $ 2000 for a panel change, generally we do then for about $1500 dollars. This it providing you do not have any other obvious electrical work that need s to be done around the panel area.

electrical panel cost fuses to breakers

2. Can You Replace A Fuse Box With Circuit Breakers?

No you can not install circuit breakers inside your fuse box. The design of the enclosure is completely different. Some older fuse boxes have a main breaker and some have main fuses. It really depends on the age of the box.

A fuse panel can still be good but it also can be very difficult to add circuits too. It can also be very hard to change a fuse because you never really know which one is blown. Fuses sometimes look like they are fine but that is not the case.

A breaker panel also has a main breaker or shut off. This different types of panels can have an affect on cost.

3. How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Breaker Panel?

As mentioned above the prices we quoted are just guidelines. If you have a fuse panel with the main fuses or breaker right in it then it will cost you more.

The meter and power must be disconnected by the power utility to perform the work. There is not electrician in their right mind that would try to do it live. At least none I would want to have working on my home.

By having the power company disconnect the power to do the job safely will cost an additional few hundred dollars. Worth the money.

Some fuse panels will have a completely separate shut off or disconnect. This makes it easy for the electrician to do the panel change to breakers. They can easily just shut the power off from the switch which will save you money by not involving the power company.

4. Should I Upgrade My Electrical Panel?

A common question we get is about upgrading the amps on a panel from 100 to 200 amp. While this is an excellent selling point on resale value. You should be careful on the costs.

Some power utilities require a minimum list of electrical upgrades inside the home in order to increase the amps coming in from the street. A little ridiculous I know however we would have a job if they didn’t make code upgrade now would we.

To replace the whole electrical service with the breaker panel it can cost upwards of $7000 dollars. This cost is pretty much guaranteed to add the same resale value to your home though. As soon as home buyers here 200 amp service they start thinking things like adding a hot tub or garage.

5. Should I Replace My Fuse Box With Circuit Breaker?

It really depends on how handy you are with changing fuses. If you are comfortable with it then there is nothing wrong with a fuse panel that is in good shape.

The problem lies when people start installing larger fuses because that’s all they had at the time. A 15 amp fuse is rated 15 amps for a reason. It also blows for that reason so you shouldn’t be installing a 30 amp fuse in a 15 amp fuse slot.

So by all means in these cases you should have you fuse panel changed to circuit breakers.

6. Do I Need A Permit To Change To Breakers?

Short story yes you should. An electrician might tell you you do not need a permit however one should be required. This will give you prof that a proper job was completed by an inspection authority.

You can use this inspection report to get a reduction on your insurance policy once completed. Besides I would want a reputable electrician doing work on my house instead of a guy working out of the back of his or her car.

7.Top 5 Tips To Save You Money On Your Fuse To Breaker Change

  • Know what you are looking for
  • Choose the right brand name
  • Fix up shock hazards yourself
  • Mechanically protect your wires
  • Mark your own panel

Know what you are looking for when you call an electrician. Tell then exactly what you want before you call them. Remember electricians are business men so they will try to tell you a bunch of stuff and use big works you don’t understand to get more money out of you.

If you know your terminology that will set them off and be more likely to give you an honest price. One thing you should do is say you will supply your own materials. This will shy off most electricians as they make some of their profit on a mark up. It’s business so you have to understand that.

Choose the right brand name believe it or not brand name matters when it comes to price. Watch what brand the electrician is trying to sell you or if they tell you it’s what they prefer installing.

8.Looking For Your Own Equipment

Here are some of the panels we recommend…..

Fix up shock hazards yourself.When the inspector comes in to inspect the job the electrician has done. They will most likely look around for shock or fire hazards so they call it. These are extra things that the electrician will charge you for in order to have the inspection pass.

The best thing you can do it have these done before the electrician even comes in to give you the initial price. Some thing we are talking about would be missing plug or switch plates. Broken light fixtures with missing shades. Wires just hanging in the basement that need to be stapled up.

Mechanically protect your wires. Another thing the inspector will be looking for will be surface mounted wires they are under 5 feet or subject to mechanical injury. The electrician would have to protect theses wires somehow costing you more time in labor.

You can simply protect these yourself with a piece of wood strapping to cover them or installing a piece of drywall over them.

Mark your panel. This is the single biggest time consumer for the electrician and it has to be done for inspection. Rather than paying him or her to run around your home to figure out what stuff is you can do this yourself.

Simply take a radio and crank it. Plug it into a circuit and go to the basement and start unscrewing fuses until you hear it go out. Clearly mark next to the fuse what it is. This will save you money on you fuse to breaker change.

You can find out more of the products we recommend and use here.