How To Tell What Amp Service Is In Your House

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How to Tell If You Have a 200 Amp Service Is In Your House (And Why It Matters)

Understanding your home’s electrical service size is important — whether you’re planning renovations, upgrading appliances, or just need the info for insurance. Today, we’re going to walk you through how to determine if your home has a 200 amp service and why appearances can be deceiving.

Meter Rating vs. Service Size

Let’s clear something up: just because your electric meter says “200 amp” doesn’t mean your home has 200 amp service.

All residential meter sockets are rated up to 200 amps. That’s a utility company standard. It’s what they supply across the board, but that rating is just the maximum. Your actual service could be much lower — like 60 or 100 amps.

So, don’t rely on the meter label alone.

What Not to Look At

Many people assume they can tell by looking at:

  • The pipe coming out of the top of the meter base (called the mast).
  • The size or shape of the meter itself.

These are unreliable indicators. The mast size is often the same regardless of service size, and meter shapes can vary without reflecting ampacity.

The Key Indicator: Pipe Size Coming Out of the Meter

The most accurate way to determine service size is to check the conduit coming out of the bottom, side, or back of the meter base — the pipe that carries wires into your panel.

Here’s how it breaks down:

  • Two-inch pipe = 200 amp service
  • 1 ¼-inch pipe = 100 amp service
  • One-inch pipe = 60 amp service

For most modern homes, 200 amp is standard — but larger than that (like 400 amp) typically involves special setups like dual meter stacks, which are a whole different story.

Older round-style meter bases are another clue. They’re only rated up to 100 amps, never more. So if your home has one of those, you know you don’t have 200 amp service.

What to Check Inside

Head inside to your main panel. You’re looking for two things:

  1. The main breaker rating.
    If you can read it clearly, it should say something like “100” or “200”. This is a strong confirmation of your service size.
  2. The size of the incoming pipe.
    If the breaker isn’t marked or is hard to see, go back to the pipe that enters the panel from the meter. If it’s a two-inch conduit, you’re looking at 200 amp service.

In some cases, especially older homes, you may see two 100 amp disconnects. That still means you’ve got a 200 amp service — just split between two panels.

Another 100 Amp Example

Let’s look at a common 100 amp setup:

  • The conduit entering the meter is 1 ¼ inches.
  • The meter base itself is marked “100 amp max”.
  • Inside, the main breaker is marked “100”.

This confirms a 100 amp service, and is a great example of how visual and label cues work together.

Recap: How to Determine Electrical Service Size

If you’re trying to determine the size of your electrical service for renovations, insurance, or a heating upgrade, follow this checklist:

  1. Start outside. Look at the meter base and follow the pipe coming out of it (not the top mast).
  2. Measure the conduit size.
  3. Go inside and locate the main panel or disconnect.
  4. Look for the main breaker rating.
  5. If unclear, use a flashlight and gather as much info from labels as possible.

Pipe size is your best bet when other details are missing or unclear.

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