In "shock" from electrical quote.

[Cola]

Actually I'm not snotty, just a plain a$$h0le
Steve

[mcrofutt]

Thanks everyone for the opinions and information. Most importantly thanks for the entertainment.
The first electrician came in with a final quote of 2700 for whole job, with us getting and paying for the permit.
I've got another guy coming in tomorrow for another quote. We'll see how that goes.
I don't have a problem doing a 200amp upgrade because there may be a built-in pool in the near future.
I'll let you know. Thanks again.

[In Canada eh]

Cola,

       Sorry to have backed you up on this and then taken a couple of days off.

I don't want to restart this again but your right!  Maybe we should leave it alone and just say you and I know a dirty little secret

[Vinny]

Cola,

       Sorry to have backed you up on this and then taken a couple of days off.

I don't want to restart this again but your right!  Maybe we should leave it alone and just say you and I know a dirty little secret

Sure, you get us all crazy, dump on Cola and you come back to pick up the pieces ... Just kidding!

Honestly, I think you guys could be right but you work with this stuff. My take on it is the average homeowner doesn't know enough to know when to call it enough.

I have an all gas house and had 100 Amp service. My panel was full and I had some double circuit breakers (2 little switches instead of 1 big one) in it. I was adding the tub and I have future plans to add more circuits to the panel.

Actually at the time of service upgrade I added 2 more circuits (3 if you add the required GFI at the service panel). I addded an outdoor circuit and tub but my future has 2 - 20 amp services to my bathrooms on the 2nd floor and a 20 amp service to my bedrooms for ceiling fans.

IMO and it's only my opinion this would be too much in my already crowded panel. Considering everything and the fact that the future see us selling this house once the kids don't need our help - I decided a 200 amp upgrade is the way to go. I probably could have gotten away with another panel (sub panel?) next to the main 100 amp panel but it still would have cost me something and I don't know how another person would view it.

I was looking at the future sale ability of our house amd I think in 15 years it may be a good selling point. BTW, I had vinyl siding put on my house and had the contractors remove my asbestos siding since people are so afraid of the asbestos word. I figured that whenit comes time to sell - that's one thing else to make my home more appealing.

[Reese]

I was looking at the future sale ability of our house amd I think in 15 years it may be a good selling point. BTW, I had vinyl siding put on my house...

Improvements today may help your resale value for the next few years, but to rationalize investments now with resale in 15 years?  Don't get me wrong, I'm always on the lookout for ways to convince my wife to go along with my plans, so I like it!  Problem is how do you know that in 15 years your vinyl won't be brittle/faded or out of fashion?  You are old enough to remember Harvest Gold and Avocado appliances.  As far as your electric panel, IMO it is hard to predict what kind of electric service a home will require that far into the future.  15 years from now, we could have automated so many more functions that 200 amps may be the equivalent of 50 today -- or appliances could have become so much more efficient, or too expensive to run due to energy costs, that 50 is overkill.

But like I said I like the concept.  Do you think I could apply it to a built-in HDTV? 8-)

Just playing devil's advocate on a Sunday morning! :-/

[In Canada eh]

Viinny,

      You make a very good point and yes, had our service panel been crowded and we needed a larger panel,  I would change to a 150 or 200 amp panel.  Who knows what the future will hold :-?

  

[Vinny]

Well, I didn't buy Home Depot vinyl siding and it ain't powder blue. I bought a higher grade vinyl so hopefully it won't be an issue but you're right you never know. I bought a beigey color and all new constuction has the beige thing going on!

Being a techie and knowing how people like neat looking in the prospective home they are buying (a neutral interior will sell faster than an interior with a lot of different colors - at least that's what I've been told). I own a 4 bedroom home and based on what I need I forcasted the needs of the future of both myself and future owners 200 amps may be sufficient. I have 2 boys with buzz cuts - no blowdryers here except my wife. I forsee more (or equivilent) electrical usage rather than less.

I think young people who want a house with a hot tub, deck with screen room, 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, basement, 2 car garage and 200 amp service will buy it vs a plain jane house - it's already done for them. My last house was a townhome and I needed a new kichen, entrance way and 1/2 bath floor. I could have gotten linoleum but opted to put a ceramic tile floor in because I wanted an edge over the other townhomes when it came time to sell - I think I acheived it!.

Hey, I don't have a crystal ball but as I see things people's lives are getting more complicated as time goes by. 200 amp service (or vinyl siding) may not be everything that one's looking for but at least it's there. People still buy houses with alumnum siding from the 60's - yuk! 8-)

[windsurfdog]

Cola,

       Sorry to have backed you up on this and then taken a couple of days off.

I don't want to restart this again but your right!  Maybe we should leave it alone and just say you and I know a dirty little secret

I assume you are saying Cola is correct in suggesting that the hot tub can "live" on the existing 100 amp service.  Please read my posts that say the same thing.  It's only his OPINION that the service SHOULDN'T be upgraded that differs.  There is no right or wrong...only preference.  And I know you want everyone to think that there are some little secrets involved here but, don't flatter yourself...there are none...eh...

Now please go ahead and suggest to mcrofutt that the 100 amp service is sufficient for the pool addition as well.

Sheesh...

[In Canada eh]

Now please go ahead and suggest to mcrofutt that the 100 amp service is sufficient for the pool addition as well.

Windsurfdog,

  As I said I don't want to restart this debate

As far as the pool addition, I have a inground pool 1hp pump on 100 amp service.......sheesh

Clamp on amp meter registered 88 amps on tub start up with air, stove, dryer and pool running!

[Bonibelle]

Guess I feel compelled to voice my opinion...not on the electric issue per say, ...but on Vinny's ideas of adding to resale value...(Sorry Reese, but there is a commercial right now on the EAgles game  )
Anyway, I agree with home improvements geared to increasing the resale value of your home...because they don't have to be realized ONLY at resale. If you anticipate needing or wanting a home equity loan, those improvements add value and can actually have an impact on the interest rate for the loan. When I applied for a home equity to put in a new kitchen, the bank appraiser specifically asked about my electric service. How much did that impact the value of my house? I don't know, but his attitude was that 200 amp was expected, if I had less, he needed to note it.  Ok...back to the game

[Reese]

Guess I feel compelled to voice my opinion...not on the electric issue per say, ...but on Vinny's ideas of adding to resale value...(Sorry Reese, but there is a commercial right now on the EAgles game  )

I was just teasing Vinny about using a 15 year time frame in his resale rationalization, hence the 8-) :-/ .  Given his knowledge of how to clean up the odor of corpses, I hope he understood.

By the way, we here in Minnesota are anxiously awaiting the debut of "Eagles West" tomorrow night -- although even we had to draw the line at Mike McMahon.

[In Canada eh]

Before this disintegrates again, let me admit that amp draws are site specific.  Just because our house didn't need a panel upgrade doesn't mean mcrofutt 's house would be OK on 100 amp service.

It is just myself and wife (no kids) so the odds of multiple appliances being started at the same time is zero.   Our home is new and appliances are all energy star rated, furnace and a/c are both high efficiency and tub has only 1 pump.

  Am I saying that mcrfutt can live with 100 amp service---maybe.  What should be done is to have an electrician come out and calculate the wattage and amp draw for their specific needs and make their decision based on that info.  I am very wary of people that just want to sell you something in addition to what you hired or asked them to do.  Show me proof that it is needed and I have no problem paying for a needed up grade.  In our case it was not needed.

[Brookenstein]

I've got 100 amp service.  I had multiple electricians out for bids (4 or 6 can't remember now) when I got my tub and nobody suggested that I upgrade.  I live in SoCal and have AC on all summer, but I also have gas furnace, gas hot water heater, gas stove, and a gas dryer.

[Vinny]

Now please go ahead and suggest to mcrofutt that the 100 amp service is sufficient for the pool addition as well.

Windsurfdog,

  As I said I don't want to restart this debate

As far as the pool addition, I have a inground pool 1hp pump on 100 amp service.......sheesh

Clamp on amp meter registered 88 amps on tub start up with air, stove, dryer and pool running!

Sorry, I just cant resist ... you do know you are over the 80% threshold! 8-)

[windsurfdog]

Before this disintegrates again, let me admit that amp draws are site specific.  Just because our house didn't need a panel upgrade doesn't mean mcrofutt 's house would be OK on 100 amp service.

It is just myself and wife (no kids) so the odds of multiple appliances being started at the same time is zero.   Our home is new and appliances are all energy star rated, furnace and a/c are both high efficiency and tub has only 1 pump.

  Am I saying that mcrfutt can live with 100 amp service---maybe.  What should be done is to have an electrician come out and calculate the wattage and amp draw for their specific needs and make their decision based on that info.  I am very wary of people that just want to sell you something in addition to what you hired or asked them to do.  Show me proof that it is needed and I have no problem paying for a needed up grade.  In our case it was not needed.

Now that makes sense...I concur.

When replying to these types of inquiries at sites like this, I feel a conservative reply is necessary when dealing with something as volatile as electricity can be.