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Thread: Replacing electric panel in basement?

  1. #11
    Club Member derbydad276's Avatar
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  2. #12
    Club Member wrath's Avatar
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    Underground or overhead?

    They'll know something happened if it's down but they won't care. In fact, it likely will never be looked into unless it's down for a long time or if there is a storm. Like a day.

    They do analytics so they will know if you have been tampering. At the end of the day the utility is happy to not roll a truck.

    My recommendation is to add a disconnect in and have it ready to go. So then you have a very short period of time where the meter isn't powered. Plus you make things a lot easier where now you can run a temporary panel for powering critical stuff while you take all day to neatly and carefully replace the old panel.

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    For every service upgrade I've done on family & friends homes, we replaced the SE cable from the weatherhead on the roof all the way down into the panel -- including setting a new meter socket/box & everything in between. Replacing from the meter down only --- who are you expecting to replace from the meter up to the weatherhead? I don't think DTE will do that... at least not for free. DTE normally runs a new drop from the pole (e.g. 100A to 200A service upgrade) and their termination/demarc point is where the SE cable on the house @ the weatherhead gets lag bolted to the DTE drop from the pole.

    Maybe things have changed. I can't see DTE running 8'+ of SE cable down the side of your house to the meter... but maybe...

    Plus you really haven't lived until you've tying in a hot 200A 240v live drop with lag bolts to the SE cable while standing on a wet ladder in shit weather. It's quite electrifying!
    Last edited by Killjoy; 12-18-2020 at 10:08 PM.

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    Where is our resident DTE employee / Motown Muscle Member?

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    Quote Originally Posted by 4Gas$ View Post
    Where is our resident DTE employee / Motown Muscle Member?
    He works with gas(he's real stinky) but might be able to help, I'm text him.

  6. #16
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    Both Consumers and DTE post requirements for the mast and/or support (ground) wire attachment points. They also post minimum excess cable to be left dangling out of the weatherhead for a drip loop.

    If you replace the cable for a meter to a large one, there is a good chance the meter socket housing isn't designed for the cable or the amperage you want to put through it either.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by CMYZ28 View Post
    He works with gas(he's real stinky) but might be able to help, I'm text him.

    Thanks, I'm too lazy to dig up his number

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by wrath View Post
    Underground or overhead?
    The service is underground and runs through the yard, I don't plan to mess with that portion.
    I'll swap the down side from the meter into the new panel, and the panel.

    I'm just having a real tough time believing/buying into what the lady told me on the phone.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by sofa king View Post
    The service is underground and runs through the yard, I don't plan to mess with that portion.
    I'll swap the down side from the meter into the new panel, and the panel.

    I'm just having a real tough time believing/buying into what the lady told me on the phone.
    Which part? She told you to use a contractor for safety (read: liability) reasons.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by wrath View Post
    Which part? She told you to use a contractor for safety (read: liability) reasons.
    The part about where they would come out and remove the meter, install buss bar/jumper so that we can interrupt the service, and then replace with a new meter.

    When I did this at my previous home, DTE sent someone out and they took the meter out of the box and put the jumper bars in.
    When I had the basement ready to go, I pulled the bars, swapped the panel, connected the new service, then put the bars back in.
    Called DTE the next day and they came out and installed new meter, and then done deal.

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