What a crappy breaker box

Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
263
So I bought a energy monitor.
Went to put it in tonight and there's no place to put the current transformers



Its solid copper bus bars from the meter to the 200 amp breaker.
I cut the tab off the power companys side and its solid coper bar also.

Anyone have ideas how to monitor current?

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What type of energy monitor?
 
Possible sollution is to swap out a part of the busbar from the 200A breaker that goes to rest of the breakers to a thicker cable. Or just hang the sensors around the incoming cable to the left part.

Note that cutting of the tab on their side can cause issues for you. Not sure in your area but where we live there can be huge fines in worst cases.
 
There is access to the busbars on that side but I don't think the power company would like that.

There is also a tag on the meter. If you cut that one its a HUGE no no.
The other ones aren't that big of a deal here.
 
Oki :)
Yeah you need to get the part between the main fuse and your fuses separated or between incoming meter and the 200A fuse separated.

We have busbars on main fuses too here but we generally always have wires between that and the incomming fuses that we can add a meter on.
 
it would cost thousands to replace.

since in arizona its standard practice for the breakers to be outside and the meter is attached.

i would need the power company to disconect me and a licenced sparky to change the panel out.
 
hi Greyhound..

I was looking at the Neurio reviews on home depot and a similar problem was solved by a customer.
if I understand this right, he grouped all of the wires coming off the breakers from each phase and ran those wires through the probes.
Separate the wires into A and B legs and make sure the directions are the same on all the wires in each group. Seems like a work around, but if you have enough wire length to route the wires, then it might work.

You may do what he did and email Neurio customer support.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Neurio-Home-Electricity-Monitor-W1-HEM/206639413

"I have to start out by telling you that the customer service is Excellent!
We are not a big electricity user. No kids, retired on a budget so every savings we can obtain is great. Knowing what each switch cost to turn on is eye opening.
I have a very small electrical box and the main power lines are covered and too big to get the CT's to fit.
I emailed customer service and they responded very quickly. I sent pictures of my small box and they advised me on how to install the system. The A phase and B phase wires are what I had to use as a work around. You need to understand how to read the breakers and what wires to group but it works great.
Thanks again to the customer service team!
Bob, 74 Read More
Pros: Clear Instructions, Compact, Nice Design, Easy Installation, Easy to Use, Eco-Friendly, Lots of Features"
 
Where I live, most home repair and improvement, including wiring can be done by the home owner without a license.

Unlicensed contractors is where you get hung up.

You might want to look in to that if you think you can DIY a panel.

If you have other goofy things like aluminum wire or knob and tube, the expense is replacing that so you can open up a really expensive can of worms if you need to bring a non-conforming building up to code.

Any way, a little research might let you find a less expensive option in some places.
 
I have wired 5 houses my self, I can do all the wiring myself.

You can not pull a meter with out being licensed in any state that I know of.

If the power company wasn't such a holes about the meter, id just cut the tag, pull it and do it live.

If I pull it without permission, the power company will pull the meter, take it and test it to make sure it wasn't tampered with.
Then they ram the building inspector up your rear.

But jail and me don't get along.
 
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