What is up with all the recent meter upgrades I’ve been asked to do? I did 5 during the week before and up to the 2nd of July. Then, on the 3rd, I was asked to do another 200 amp meter upgrade and a new 20 amp kitchen refrigerator circuit. I finished that job on Monday the 5th of July. I actually took Sunday off the watch some of the firework shows around town. After the 5th, it became very busy again as another customer needed a 200 amp upgrade. We did that one Tuesday the 14th and Wed. the 15th. Now, Friday, July 17th, I began another one on Pt. Loma. I had to hire a new electrician. One of my electricians is off getting married in No. CA and has left me short handed! Okay, he has a good excuse. So, I hired a 3rd electrician on Monday. I have another meter upgrade to look at tomorrow (Saturday) for the underground utility conversion program. Did I mention that we do meter upgrades??
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Hey there!
I was just wondering………….do you do meter upgrades?
No really, can you explain exactly what IS a meter upgrade and why would anyone need one? How do I know if I need to have my meter upgraded?
A meter upgrade is a job that involves removing the old electric meter box and replacing it with a new meter box that is rated at a higher ampacity and is built to accept larger wires from the utility company. It connectes by cable directly to the power company wires from the utility pole. In the southwest, the meter box is a self contained breaker panel as well. The meter section consists of one half of the box and the breaker section takes up the other half. Typically, an older home will be fitted with a “meter base” where the meter is on the exterior of the house and a separate fuse box, or circuit breaker panel is located indoors, usually in a bedroom closet. That is no longer allowed. When I do a meter upgrade in San Diego county, once the power company accepts the requested location, I install a combination meter / breaker panel on the exterior of the house . If there is a sub-circuit panel inside, I try to eliminate that and bring all the house circuits to the new box outside, utilizing the full 100 or 200 amp capacity. Sometimes, a sub-circuit panel has been fed with a smaller wire from the meter box which leaves extra unused amperage capacity outside and leaving all the house circuits still operating on a smaller panel than what has been upgraded outside.
Meter, or “Service Upgrades”, are usually needed in older homes when the home owner wants to install additional circuits for kitchens, bathrooms, computers or entertainment systems, spas, etc. The old panels are usually full, and usually overfilled with tandem breakers. Anytime a home has an electric dryer (30 amps, 240 volts), electric range (40-50 amps, 240 volts), electric water heater (30 amps, 240 volts), I recommend a 200 amp service upgrade. A home that has all gas appliances can usually get by with a 100 amp service. However, a 100 amp service will limit future needs as it only contains so many breaker spaces, usually 12 full size or 24 tandem breakers. A 200 amp service panel will hold up to 40 full size breakers.