Installing A Circuit Breaker Sub Panel

Snap the breaker into place by clipping it to the hot bus bar.

Installing a circuit breaker sub panel.

Sub panels can be installed both next to the main electrical panel or close to the area you are bringing power to such as when finishing a basement adding an addition to your home or you simply need more power in the garage. Plan to work during the daytime as you will need to shut off all power in your home during most of the project. Connect any new circuits to the subpanel attaching the hot wire to a circuit breaker and the other wires to their respective buses. If you need more 15 or 20 amp breakers a simple solution is to install a tandem breaker.

Locate the service disconnect or main circuit breaker in the panel and set it to the off position. Either way its job is to protect the home s wiring from overload via either fuses or circuit breakers. To install a new circuit you will need an open slot in your breaker panel for a new circuit breaker. Turn off the power supply to the electrical panel.

This circuit breaker is likely to have the largest amp value and will be located either at the top or bottom of the panel. These panels have certainly changed over the years. On a main panel you connect the ground wire from the new cable and the neutral white pigtail from the afci to the neutral bus. This panel may be a fuse panel or a circuit breaker panel.

The fuses are designed to take a predetermined amount of current and then the fuse link will melt. Identifying panel circuits and connected loads. If you re installing a breaker on a sub panel place the neutral and ground on separate bus bars. A subpanel connects to the main service panel with a thick three wire cable.

If the service panel does not have room for new circuit breakers and you cannot use tandem breakers a subpanel may be the answer. Tighten the clamp to secure the wires. Measure the room or rooms where you ll be installing the circuit and draw a detailed accurate floor plan. Sub panels are installed and used for several reasons including expanding the circuit breaker capacity of the main electrical panel.

Planning for an electric sub panel. If you don t see a circuit breaker labeled service disconnect or main in the panel it is likely in another. Learn more about wiring a sub panel. Clear a knockout panel install cable clamps in the hole and feed the wires through the clamp.

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