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We need a lot more electricians

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Re: We need a lot more electricians

#21

Post by lisper »

yboris wrote: post #17

Unrelated, but sharing just in case: I don't have electricity training, but last month I replaced my electric panel (upgrading to 30 circuits, keeping 100 amps) and it was easy: turn off every breaker (hiding face behind metal panel as is good safety strategy), turn off main, disconnect the meter, touch all dangling hot wires to ground (just in case, unsure if there's weird residual charge from something). Except for…

Did you upgrade your wiring? Your old breakers were the size they were for a reason.

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#22

Post by aio2 »

yboris wrote: post #17

Unrelated, but sharing just in case: I don't have electricity training, but last month I replaced my electric panel (upgrading to 30 circuits, keeping 100 amps) and it was easy: turn off every breaker (hiding face behind metal panel as is good safety strategy), turn off main, disconnect the meter, touch all dangling hot wires to ground (just in case, unsure if there's weird residual charge from something). Except for…

If it is possible to repair anything quickly, it shouldn't be as big of an issue.

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#23

Post by sbradford26 »

Siecje wrote: post #7
PaulHoule wrote: post #2

We are thinking of switching some gas appliances to electric in our old farmhouse but we probably need to rework our electrical panel completely to add high amperage services for an induction range (my wife won't accept an ordinary electric range) and an electric water heater. Fortunately our son is in training as a handyman and that means we can get him working on projects of all kinds around the farm. Of all the tr…

Your comment implies that you could hook up a ordinary electric range but not an induction range. I thought induction used slightly less energy. Or is it that it uses more energy for a shorter time so the net is less but the peak is higher? I assume I could replace my electric stove with a stove with induction "burners".

Yeah an induction range most likely wouldn't require any more power than a resistive range. The only caveat to that is that higher end ranges might have higher power draws due to having more burners and such and induction ranges tend to be the higher end. That being said it looks like most ranges require a 40 amp circuit now, while code now requires wiring a new range outlet for 50 amps even if you put a 40 amp breaker on it.

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#26

Post by photonbeam »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #9
mfer wrote: post #8

Electricians are a great example of skilled trades that are in demand.

Also impossible to outsource overseas.

Are there visas available for those in blue collar trades like this? I’m wondering if they’re also protected from immigration related market forces on wages

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#27

Post by cortesoft »

signaturefish wrote: post #10
toomuchtodo wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you need to upgrade your service entrance, if it's within your means, go to 400A to future proof (EVs, HVAC and hot water heat pumps, induction stove, and other large loads all add up, along with colocated generation of some sort). Depending on your authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and utility, they may require a licensed electrician to replace the raceway or similar entrance to the meter. 200A is satisfactory…

I always forget the size difference between US and UK homes (I assume toomuchtodo is speaking from a US perspective). Here, in my three-bedroom UK house I'm on a 60A service fuse and considering updating to 100A in the future (amusingly, as part of a solar PV / electric vehicle charger install). I've never heard of a UK house having a larger than 100A service (although I imagine they exist here and there - it's certa…

Isn't this because the UK standard is 230 volts? The US is only 120, so you need almost twice the amps for the same power.

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#28

Post by danans »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #3
PaulHoule wrote: post #2

We are thinking of switching some gas appliances to electric in our old farmhouse but we probably need to rework our electrical panel completely to add high amperage services for an induction range (my wife won't accept an ordinary electric range) and an electric water heater. Fortunately our son is in training as a handyman and that means we can get him working on projects of all kinds around the farm. Of all the tr…

If you need to upgrade your service entrance, if it's within your means, go to 400A to future proof (EVs, HVAC and hot water heat pumps, induction stove, and other large loads all add up, along with colocated generation of some sort). Depending on your authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) and utility, they may require a licensed electrician to replace the raceway or similar entrance to the meter. 200A is satisfactory…

> if it's within your means, go to 400A to future proof (EVs, HVAC and hot water heat pumps, induction stove, and other large loads all add up, along with colocated generation of some sort

I have all of these on 200A with amps to spare. But I have a small house. I suppose if I had multiple EVs, dryers, or heat pumps, or 3000sqft it would be a different story.

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#29

Post by throwawayacc3 »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #18
signaturefish wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always forget the size difference between US and UK homes (I assume toomuchtodo is speaking from a US perspective). Here, in my three-bedroom UK house I'm on a 60A service fuse and considering updating to 100A in the future (amusingly, as part of a solar PV / electric vehicle charger install). I've never heard of a UK house having a larger than 100A service (although I imagine they exist here and there - it's certa…

I'd never heard of a 400 A service until just this discussion (it's common to have 100 A - 200 A), but it's important to keep in mind the voltage differences and that effect on total power: UK: 100 A x 230 V = 23,00 W US: 200 A x 120 V = 24,00 W Edit: I am wrong in my understanding of US power distribution. It's 200 A per leg, which the US has two of. But it seems like the UK may or may not have 380 3 Phase, so the n…

Voltage to residential main electrical service panels in the United States is 240V. Major appliances run on 240V circuits.

So when you install a 400A panel in the US, it's 400A*240V which is 96,000W.

Re: We need a lot more electricians

#30

Post by photonbeam »

powera wrote: post #12

The critical path of "install more solar panels" is not at all gated by the cost of solar panels these days. It is the electrical work (both within in the home, and "interconnect") that is the expensive bottleneck. (( also batteries are also a bottleneck. but a different one. ))

Panels are getting cheap enough that its almost worth just laying them on the ground in the yard than paying to put them on the roof
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