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Converting fuse box to circuit breaker

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Feb 1, 2009
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Converting fuse box to circuit breaker

Has anyone gone through the process of changing a fuse box to a circuit breaker? Will definitely hire a certified electrician, but just wanted to know if anyone has done this for their own home?

I imagine I will have to contact our hydro company (in this case Toronto Hydro) to shut off the electricity to our home first before anything else is done. Not sure how this works entirely either.

Any advice or testimonials of the process would be nice to hear :) .
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Sep 20, 2008
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I replaced my fuse box for a breaker box last fall. I always had it on my to-do list since purchasing my 40+ year old townhouse. The HWT fuse would always burn out. I stocked like a dozen 30AMP fuses as there was a faulty wire that kept on blowing the fuse. I got frustrated to the point where I tried to fix the wire connection, but KO'd it all together. Switched it out and never looked back. Very pleased.
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Mar 21, 2006
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Contact a licensed electrical contractor.
They will take care of everything to do with getting the proper permits, inspections and disconnects with your hydro company.

They will also ask you all the questions they need answers to in order to provide a proper estimate.
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May 10, 2005
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I had this done a few years back. A qualified licensed electrician will get all the permits and inspections required.
You may want to consider upgrading the panel to a higher rating thereby allowing more circuits and safety if adding any more circuits. It is not a cheap endeavor. It can easily cost $1000 or more if you upgrade and add GFCI and AFCI breakers..
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Jul 4, 2004
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A panel change is highly technical really only if it also involves a service upgrade. A strict change over with the same service isn't difficult.

You submit a form to Hydro for a disconnection. They pull the meter. You do your work and have ESA inspect that same afternoon and issue a connection authorization to Hydro to put the power back on. If you hire someone to do it, try to find someone that is ACP - they DO NOT have to wait for an ESA inspection and automatically have a connection authorization issued to hydro.

Re service upgrades. Not sure what your current service is (read the value of the main fuse or disconnect switch) or if it's overhead/underground. Overhead services are cheap or cost nothing to upgrade as far as hydro is concerned. If you want to upgrade an underground service, hydro may charge you upwards of $10k for the upgrade ON TOP OF the fact that YOU have to trench and pipe from the street up to your meter - all they do is pull their wires through your pipe and hookup to the meter base.

Typical overhead 200A panel/service change will run around $3k in Toronto. You are grandfathered as long as no changes are being made to your branch circuits and can get by with regular breakers. DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT use tandem breakers - you have to use full space breakers. Why? Any change in a branch circuit now requires AFCI protection so if you do a reno or change something down the line, you'll have to swap the breaker for an AFCI - those don't come in tandem format.
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Aug 23, 2006
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Faemow wrote: I replaced my fuse box for a breaker box last fall. I always had it on my to-do list since purchasing my 40+ year old townhouse. The HWT fuse would always burn out. I stocked like a dozen 30AMP fuses as there was a faulty wire that kept on blowing the fuse. I got frustrated to the point where I tried to fix the wire connection, but KO'd it all together. Switched it out and never looked back. Very pleased.
What about old wire? Did you replace them?
Pete_Coach wrote: I had this done a few years back. A qualified licensed electrician will get all the permits and inspections required.
You may want to consider upgrading the panel to a higher rating thereby allowing more circuits and safety if adding any more circuits. It is not a cheap endeavor. It can easily cost $1000 or more if you upgrade and add GFCI and AFCI breakers..
+1
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Jul 4, 2004
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sandeeS wrote: What about old wire? Did you replace them?



+1
Why would you need to replace the wire? Unless it's knob and tube there's no reason to.
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Drew_W wrote: Why would you need to replace the wire? Unless it's knob and tube there's no reason to.
Isn't old wiring is supposed to be aluminum ones? They create arc at junction with new copper ones. Not up to the code right?
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sandeeS wrote: Isn't old wiring is supposed to be aluminum ones? They create arc at junction with new copper ones. Not up to the code right?
If you're looking to rewire as well as upgrade the panel, you've just expanded the scope (and cost) of your project 5-10 fold.

Aluminum and copper can co-exist provided they're connected with noalox..
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sandeeS wrote: Isn't old wiring is supposed to be aluminum ones? They create arc at junction with new copper ones. Not up to the code right?
Aluminum was used only for a brief period of time. It was copper before that and copper after that. More often than not old wiring is copper. And there's nothing wrong with aluminum unless it's mishandled.
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sandeeS wrote: Isn't old wiring is supposed to be aluminum ones? They create arc at junction with new copper ones. Not up to the code right?
Drew_W wrote: Aluminum was used only for a brief period of time. It was copper before that and copper after that. More often than not old wiring is copper. And there's nothing wrong with aluminum unless it's mishandled.
There is an entire mythology around aluminum wire.
The entire problem with aluminum in homes was poor workmanship and installation by using the improper plugs and switches. Lots of companies and individuals really blew the issue out of proportion and profited grossly by the misinformation. The fact is that the aluminum does not need to be pig-tailed by copper, just replacing the switches and plugs with the proper aluminum approved ones will fix the issue. If that is not done, the connections need to be checked every once and a while to ensure they are tight.
Lastly, aluminum wiring is not banned. It is still very much in use in commercial construction.
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Pete_Coach wrote: There is an entire mythology around aluminum wire.
The entire problem with aluminum in homes was poor workmanship and installation by using the improper plugs and switches. Lots of companies and individuals really blew the issue out of proportion and profited grossly by the misinformation. The fact is that the aluminum does not need to be pig-tailed by copper, just replacing the switches and plugs with the proper aluminum approved ones will fix the issue. If that is not done, the connections need to be checked every once and a while to ensure they are tight.
Lastly, aluminum wiring is not banned. It is still very much in use in commercial construction.
Good to know. Thanks
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Sep 20, 2008
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Pete_Coach wrote: There is an entire mythology around aluminum wire.
The entire problem with aluminum in homes was poor workmanship and installation by using the improper plugs and switches. Lots of companies and individuals really blew the issue out of proportion and profited grossly by the misinformation. The fact is that the aluminum does not need to be pig-tailed by copper, just replacing the switches and plugs with the proper aluminum approved ones will fix the issue. If that is not done, the connections need to be checked every once and a while to ensure they are tight.
Lastly, aluminum wiring is not banned. It is still very much in use in commercial construction.
I never replaced the aluminum wiring in my home. I don't have that kind of money. But the electrician replaced my existing receptacles with tamper proof ones AND pig-tailed the aluminum to copper connection. I guess he grossly profited, but it was like $10 per receptacle and switch. I also added some potlights which he tied back into the original grid. I heard rumors that insurance companies ask what kind of wiring is used. Is this true?
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Faemow wrote: I never replaced the aluminum wiring in my home. I don't have that kind of money. But the electrician replaced my existing receptacles with tamper proof ones AND pig-tailed the aluminum to copper connection. I guess he grossly profited, but it was like $10 per receptacle and switch. I also added some potlights which he tied back into the original grid. I heard rumors that insurance companies ask what kind of wiring is used. Is this true?
My home is also aluminum wiring and I did a significant amount of research on aluminum wiring because I had concerns. I bought the house ta time when aluminum wiring did not need to be disclosed to the buyer. I realized that there was an issue but in the end I was certain the root cause was improper installation and using the wrong types of outlets, switches and connectors.
http://www.vhiltd.ca/pdf/aluminum-wiring-facts.pdf

Initially, the only solution was to rewire the entire house or pig tail copper to the aluminum by using (expensive) special tools and equipment but that became redundant when CO/ALR receptacles and switches became available.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-15-A ... /100357026

I replaced all the switches and receptacles and connectors I had access to and feel very safe and secure about it. The receptacles were cheap, $3 or so and the switches varied depending on what I wanted, regular or dimmable or lighted. "Tamper proof" receptacles are only receptacles that cannot be shorted out, for child protection more than anything so, I do not know for sure if they are CO/ALR.
My insurance company never asked...yet but I have also heard that they ask. If they do, you would need to get a licenced electrician to inspect and verify that all receptacles, plugs and switches are CO/ALR and the electrical system is up to code. Insurance companies are asking all sorts of things nowadays to find a way to increase premiums. I have been asked how far a fire hydrant is from my house in a survey a few years ago. I suspect that as a result of some disasters recently, such as Ft McMurray, they will be looking to spread out their loses over everyone's premiums :(
Lastly, I am not an electrician but I did need to learn a lot and I feel very secure in my home after the work i had done. I have completed many renovations over the years and had a certified electrician in to do the work (or inspections) each time and am confident I am up to code electrically.
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Nov 16, 2011
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With Intact. They have asked insistently about type of plumbing, type of wiring, last update to wiring/plumbing, last time roof done and how far to hydrant\fire hall. We are rural.

So yes, they are asking questions.
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Jul 4, 2004
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Faemow wrote: I never replaced the aluminum wiring in my home. I don't have that kind of money. But the electrician replaced my existing receptacles with tamper proof ones AND pig-tailed the aluminum to copper connection. I guess he grossly profited, but it was like $10 per receptacle and switch. I also added some potlights which he tied back into the original grid. I heard rumors that insurance companies ask what kind of wiring is used. Is this true?
Some ask some don't. Aluminum to copper requires specialty wire nuts. It would have just been easier to install CO/ALR devices instead, but hey OK.
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luckystrike1 wrote: With Intact. They have asked insistently about type of plumbing, type of wiring, last update to wiring/plumbing, last time roof done and how far to hydrant\fire hall. We are rural.

So yes, they are asking questions.
You are fully allowed to shop for another insurance provider.
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Nov 16, 2011
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Of course can shop for another provider.

Just a simple observation regarding my experience with Intact. Friends have also " observed " that Intact is quite insistent in their asking re plumbing, electrical, roofing and proximity to fire services.
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Apr 8, 2010
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why do you want to change? personally i much prefer a fuse than a circuit breaker.

edit: beside the ability to have a GFI and AFI at the breaker. other than that, i think fuses are more reliable and thus better
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denti72 wrote: why do you want to change? personally i much prefer a fuse than a circuit breaker.

edit: beside the ability to have a GFI and AFI at the breaker. other than that, i think fuses are more reliable and thus better
Can you elaborate on why you prefer to have fuses instead of breakers? First time I hear someone say that they'd rather have fuses...

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