We have had a flickering light problem for a while now. Thought it had to do with the smart meter the power company installed a couple months ago. they how ever having came to the house once at 1:30 AM and again the next day at 9:00 AM both times showing me that there was 240 Volts going into the house. They were called out because half thre power in the house had disappeared, my meter showed only 120 volts to half the breakers in the box and the other side dead.
After much fussing and internet searching I discovered our 1978(9) MURRAY 200 AMP main breaker has been causeing problems as far back as 2009 I found on the net. They do not make that breaker any longer or make a replacement. So only one thing to do. replace the whole panal box complete with a new main 200/225 AMP breaker.
Buying a Breaker box is fairly simple, count the breakers in your present box and I added 5 extra spaces for future breakers in case I want to divide.
The problems start when you do not research ahead of time the box to make sure that the 200/225 AMP breaker is factory installed.
I had decided on a 225 AMP breaker box as I have plans on adding rhe electric needs of rthe honey house to it and stop useing the genorator.
Get the box home Sunday afternoon a really rainy day good day for inside shopping. Bring it in to the basement open the box, there is no main breaker!!!!!. Go back where I bought the panal box and discovered you have to buy the breaker seprate for this box, they do not carry the breaker for thr box you have to order it. Will take ruffly a week to get it, that will not do at all as we needed it several days ago really. Got to every open home inprovement store and it is the same story you have to order the 225 AMP breaker. I finally found a 200 AMP breaker at a store for $84.00.
This gets Kare up set as we bought the 225AMP box so we could have the extra AMP's and she decides we are not going to keep any thing the 200 AMP breaker or the 225 AMP box.
So Monday after a eye doctors appoint for Kare we make the rounds and find a 200 AMP Box with the main factory installed and 5 smaller bonus breakers 30 AMP 20 AMP and one 15 AMP included. Bring it home and make sure it is all there, do the measurements to make room for it where the old smaller box is and make note of extra needed things like cement anchors to hold the new box to the wall.
Box the 225 AMP box back up and after a doctors appointment Monday returned all of it.
The fun starts a bit later today when the power company turns off the power and I remove the old box then put the new box in place and change all the wires over into the new box. Have to remove the wires and label this one goes in a 90 AMP double toggle breaker for the electric furnace, this one goes in a 15 AMP single toggle for the living room lights and on down the line.
Once the main is changed over I can have thr powert turned back on if I desire because I can shut the new main breaker off to install all the rest.
Of course I have to start the genorator and run extention cords, One for the fridge and another for th4e re,maining freezer. The big one has stopped working not being able to handle the power going on and off. I also meed a cord to power my work lights. It is very dark in that far corner of the basement.
Sort of funny, never liked climbing but do it now when removeing honey bees from places. Was so afraid of electric but after wireing the Cabin at deer camp and wireing rhe honey house it isn't so scary with the power off.
😁 Al
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