I took a breaker box out of a house yesterday that was being demo by the city today.

This is a square D box, 100 amp main, 24 slots. Appears fairly new.

Around here for most houses the city is requiring a 200 amp main.

My question is – can I remove the 100 amp main disconnect breaker from inside the box and replace it with a 200 Amp main and will the box function as it should. My concern is will the bus bar be heavy-thick enough to carry the extra amps.

By looking it seems the 100 amp main is just installed with two bolts and nuts to hold it in place.

Numbers on the side of the 100 amp main

QOM100VH8106

0649

What other problems - concerns might I run into.

I am not a "certified" electrician but I know enough to ask for help when needed.

That box itself is rated to 100A, so even if you could fit the 200A breaker in there (and often it is designed so that you can't without a modification), you'd be operating the panel out of spec. All kinds of potential issues there.

If you really wanted to use it somewhere, you could split the 200A before the panel and just have 100A coming to it. But, that is usually only done when you've already installed 100A to a house and need to add more with 200A service. For you, just having the panel not yet installed, it wouldn't make much sense to do it that way. The "savings" wouldn't be worth it over just buying a 200A panel.

- John...

Hey if you can "DO THE TIME" YES do it. When you kill the family, due to your negligence and CODE VIOLATION and can do 25 to life, -- by all means-- overload the circuits!!!!!

One big concern: when you meet your cellmate-- do you want to be the husband or the wife?

I don't think it will work. I'm not an electrician, just a retired builder, but your suspicion is correct: the 100 AMP bus bar will be inadequate for 200 AMP panel.

MYOB

Thank you for the very insightful answer. I’ll hop right on it tomorrow early before anyone can see me.

I understand (read somewhere) you guys down south fiddle for fishing worms.

Well I don’ have a musical ear so I just made me an electric worm digger.

Really simple. Take a size 12 wire, remove outside sheathing material back about 5 inched on one end. Then strip the black and white insulation off the copper wire about 2 inches. This lets you stick the wires into a plug in your house (not yet).

Have the wire long enough it will go out to the front yard. Strip the other ends of the black and white wire and separate them about 10 feet and then stick them into the ground.

NOW go back inside and plug your wire into the house receptacle.

Go outside and watch the worms come to the surface of the ground. Pust pick them up and put them in your worm can.

If you really want to have fun give the neighbor kid a metal knife and tell him to go in the yard between the black and white wires and use the metal table knife to help dig the worms that are a little slow coming up out of the ground.

Ally do me a favor? IF you can? Stop with your constant baiting of my posts. You never read the last answer I made to YOUR comments (as nasty as they were). I've tried to restrain myself with you business model.

Anyway just throwing half a statement out there leaves people not knowing what you are referencing. It's disgusting really. Others have also noticed and commented.

Thank you to all who posted.

Really good answers. ALL OF THEM.

Another question.

How many things did T. Edison try before he found the right materialto put into his light bulbs.

Mike good one. Actually I'm from NY. For worms and fish we use dynamite. MO people may do different.

Mike except for Alley everyone who posted including myself was against this idea. Maybe my post will help you someday by remembering we're not in the business of putting peoples (our tenants) lives at risk to save 100.00. Rather than thanking me for the insight you wasted about a half hour writing gibberish. Are you 10?

Oh I know what you wanted now. Oh Mike! that was so thrifty of you to save 100.00! What a deal-- U got it for free too. No one will ever know you burned the house down with that panel-- but hey you saved 100.00.

Like the Edison quote.

I would ask the city to show me where it says you must have a 200 amp service.

Unless an all electric house, with all the LED bulbs and such - less is needed from the electric service....

Agree with others the box is not rated.

But to answer your question.

I do know it will not fit if you do the opposite. Put a 100 amp main to replace a 200 amp main in a square D homeline box.

Panels are cheap enough so don't skimp on that.

Keep the box for the day you need a large junction box to switch out an old panel

It might come in handy when you want to replace a box out in a shed or garage or other out-building. Those often only have 60A service. Could likely use the box there one day.

Also, lots of people in this thread talking about tenants and such. Mike said absolutely nothing about putting this in a rental. He just asked if a 200A breaker could go into the box instead -- and, if so, would the bus bar support it. Simple answers that it wouldn't be advisable were given.

So why all the extra drama? *shrug*

- John...

The bulk of these 100 amp load centers can take a 125 main, just look at the sticker inside for the max rating, the QO panel will not do it but the homeline might, the current carrying plug in stuff needs to be stronger for a 200 load, if you do the loading from the NEC tables you can size your main and main wiring accordingly.

What are you going to SAVE?

OK so you install the 100 amp box and bump it to a 200 amp service within the box. YEAH you saved a few dollars.

Then you have a fire. As someone mentioned the fire insurance company will not pay the claim due to the modification. Not matter if the fire caused a few hundred dollars in damage or millions in damage to your unit or units. What savings was there in bumping up the panel box. It's not worth ir.

I am NOT a certified electrician and there are many electrical things I will do to update electrical component in a house.

But cutting costs on electrical is not worth it,

I am sure there are some guys who will disconnect the meter from the house to shut off power to the house. This is one major no no due to the fact that the power company makes it illegal in their notices to remove the meter head from the house. NOW is there a law that halps the power companies enforce this? I am not sure but if there is a or is not a law. This is one area I give the experts the job to do. Disconnecting the power to a house is not something I mess with, I will call the power company to disconnect and reconnect the main electrical meter.

The one thing that "blows my mind" is when I buy a house and find there are more than one wire per breaker. AND There are spaces available to add more breakers This is extremely dangerous over loading a breaker and its extremely CHEAP AND STUPID.

In the kitchen is another area electricians cut corners. HOWEVER, when wiring or rewiring a kitchen especially the electrical receptacles. Run separate lines from the Breaker box to each electrical outlet. Its such a hassle to have multiple appliances on a breaker and the breaker pops due to overloading it. The worst solutions is to replace a breaker with a higher amp breaker. Bad idea.

Vee is correct. Depending on the model of the panel it will accept various main breakers. Do some research in the Sq D catalog or ask your local distributor.

moby wrong answer? Did you read other posts to his stupid question? Wants to take out 100A breaker and put in 200A.

My answer was right on. The house burns down due to his negligence and they inspect the cause of the fire-- hopefully no one is killed-- what do you think the fire inspector will say-- OH it's OK you did that?

Comon moby get a grip.

God forbid someone is injured-- not only does the OP get bad P.R. But every LL out there is included or chacterized as being just as stupid or greedy to save 100.00.