How do I connect another wire to my main breaker?
Question:i am running electricity to my pole barn. is there a part i can use to connect the new 100 amp wire to the 200 amp breaker so i would have the main service going to the house, then the 100 amp barn wire going out of the same breaker? i tried to stuff the 100 amp wire in the same slots, but they wouldn't fit.
Answers:
The 200 amp box on the pole is not a breaker box, just a disconnect. You can't run both a 200 amp panel in your home and a 100 amp panel for your barn from this 200 amp service panel.
I doubt that you would have a load problem unless you are already pushing things with the panel in the house. Still, as you have noted there is not room for additional wires in the disconnect box besides the fact that you are loading for more amperage than the service is rated for.
Your best bet is to have your service upgraded to a 400 amp service with a new disconnect with two separate breakers. Place a 200 amp in one slot for your house, a 100 amp in the other to feed the barn.
If you do manage to figure out a way to connect the second set of wires to the existing box, your electric provider may disconnect your service when they figure it out (when they read the meter?).
You need to put in a separate breaker to run the pole barn. You also need to make sure that your current panel can handle this much additional load. Overloads cause fires.
Call an electrician. If you need to come to FindHomeAnswers with a question like that, you have no business messing around in your breaker box. Unless you plan to kill yourself anyway...
David P is right. Although, if it were my pole barn, i would have an electrician take off from the main, and have a separate smaller breaker box put out in the barn. It's just a lot more convenient not to have to walk all the way back to the house...then down into the basement...so you can walk all the way back to the barn, just to have the lights come back on.like I have to do..
WOW, put a 50 amp breaker in the 200 amp box, run wire to sub panel in pole barn.
How do I connect another wire to my main breaker?
You don't!!!!!!!!!...
no, each service must have its own breaker for safety and according to nec,code.what you could do is install a sub panel to the breaker,panel by removing two breakers and using it as your feed to sub panel,the breakers could be 100 amps together or in tandem than that would give you 220 volts, you would need two #2 wire and one #8 copper wire or one #6 aluminum,for your ground wire.
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