| In
This Article:
The 6-3G sub-feed cable is
run into the main circuit breaker panel. The ground and
neutral wires are connected to the ground bar. The two hot
wires are connected to a 2-pole breaker. |
Related
Articles:
|
| Skill Level:
3+ (Intermediate and Up) |
Time Taken:
About 30 Minutes |
By
Bruce W. Maki,
Editor
 |
This is the main breaker panel, in
the basement of this old 1898 house.
This 200 Amp panel was installed two years ago during
a major remodeling project. The brown material is just a
¼" hardboard cover that is held in place by the
panel's metal cover. The electrical inspector requested
that we build a cover over the wires that come out of
the panel.
|
|
| I removed the metal cover and the
home-made wiring shroud.
The coiled-up large black cable (red arrow) is the sub-feed
that supplies power to the new sub-panel. |
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|
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We left one large knock-out for the
sub-feed cable. |
|
| But... when we ran these wires, we had
placed the sub-feed (2) off to the side. This cable
needs to enter the main panel at arrow 1, so we had to
re-route the cable behind all those other cables. |
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|
 |
We installed a 3/4 inch cable clamp (red
arrow).
This clamp is just big enough for the 6-3G sub-feed
cable. |
|
| There was just enough room on the top of
the panel for this clamp. I doubt that a larger clamp
would've fit. |
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|
 |
We fished the 6-3 cable (red arrow)
through the new clamp. |
|
| Then we stripped away the cable jacket and
paper filler. |
 |
|
 |
We routed the ground wire around the
perimeter of the panel and made a 90-degree bend so it
could be attached to the ground/neutral bus bar. |
|
| We connected the ground and the neutral
wires to empty slots in the bus bar. |
 |
|
 |
Then we ran the two hot wires around the
left side of the panel, and made bends for the wires to
turn and connect to the breaker. |
|
| We stripped about ½" of insulation
from the ends. |
 |
|
 |
We connected the red and black hot wires
to a 50 Amp 2-pole circuit breaker. |
|
| We installed the breaker in the main
panel.
The first step for this Cutler-Hammer breaker is to
hook the breaker over the mounting flange.
At this point the metal contacts were not yet seated
on the hot bus bars. |
 |
|
 |
Arrow 1 points to one of the connectors on
the breaker.
Arrow 2 points to one of the hot bus bar tabs.
This connection is simply a press fit. The breaker
connectors are spring-loaded and squeeze against the tab
of the hot bus bar. |
|
| We pushed the breaker firmly until it was
seated against the hot bus bars, and the new breaker was
physically aligned with the other breakers. |
 |
|
 |
We removed a metal knock-out from the
cover panel.
After we double-checked all the connections, we
re-installed the cover panel.
When the sub-feed cable had been connected to the
sub-panel, we turned on the 50 Amp breaker. |
|
Warnings And Cautions:
I strongly recommend anybody who plans on doing their
own electrical work to do more research besides just
reading these articles. I am not an electrician and I
certainly do not know everything about wiring. I could
be wrong. The electrical codes in your area may be
different than in my area.
While minor electrical changes and repairs may not
require a permit, larger projects usually do. Consult
your local Building Department (look in the "local
government" section of your phone book) before
making your own major electrical changes. Local
electrical inspectors usually are available during their
early morning hours to answer your code questions,
normally free of charge. If you've done your homework,
you can speak intelligently and learn about lots of
valuable rules and regulations.
Read
HammerZone's disclaimer. |
|
Recommended Reading:
Wiring A House, by Rex
Cauldwell
2002, The Taunton Press.
|
Tools
Used:
- Cordless Drill/Driver
- Basic Hand Tools
- Wire Cutters
- Needle-Nose Pliers
- Flat-Blade Screwdriver
|
Materials Used:
- 2-pole Circuit Breaker, 50
Amp
- 3/4" Cable Clamp
- Cable Straps
|
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