Panel(s) question

[blazenut]

I was at a house the other day that had a single 100 amp service that connected to two meters (pic). First question, if the home is not split into apartments, is the second meter always an off peak meter? This second meter (on left) was connected to its own main panel with its own 100 amp breaker (incorrect wire gauge) connected to all sorts of appliances you would not want on an off peak circuit (stove, refrigerator, ect). The main meter (right) was connected to another main panel with its own 100 amp main disconnect. This panel had another 100 amp breaker that fed another main panel in an outbuilding with its own 100 amp main disconnect (which was double tapped with another incorrectly gauged wire to another main panel in another outbuilding with its own 100 amp disconnect). There was also a federal pacific sub-panel in the garage, and another sub panel in a closet off the kitchen. Is it ever acceptable to have the same size breaker as the main disconnect in a panel to another, and so on? Thoughts?

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[Bill Kibbel]

The left meter is an older style off peak meter used by PECO. When it was installed, only directly wired, 240v appliances were permitted to be fed from the off peak service.

[blazenut]

Is it ever acceptable to have the same size breaker in a panel as the main disconnect in a panel to another, and so on? Thoughts?

[Jim Katen]

Is it ever acceptable to have the same size breaker in a panel as the main disconnect in a panel to another, and so on? Thoughts?

I'm not entirely sure that I understand the question, but I think that the answer is yes. Let's say you have a 100-amp panel with a 100-amp main breaker. If you want, you can place a 100-amp breaker lower down in the panel and use it to feed another 100-amp panel. If you do so, I'd expect that there wouldn't be much else in the first panel though.

The service is supposed to be properly sized for the building. If you have to daisy chain a bunch of large panels together, that's probably an indication that the service is too small.

- Jim in Oregon

[blazenut]

Ok, thanks Jim. Thats pretty much what i was thinking. The whole electrical system was a mess. This was a small horse farm and the service was only 100 amp.

[blazenut]

Ok, one last thing... I have an off peak meter for my water heater, its one of the ones that you use a triangular key to adust on and off times. How do you adjust the other ones, or cant you? (in case someone asks me!)

[Bill Kibbel]

Ok, one last thing... I have an off peak meter for my water heater, its one of the ones that you use a triangular key to adust on and off times. How do you adjust the other ones, or cant you? (in case someone asks me!)

PECO customers are not supposed to make adjustments. The one in your picture has a sensor for infrared communication with PECO techs.