Buy a 200A main-breaker panel and swap out the main breaker for 100A.If this panel needs a 100A breaker, then you have 3 choices: if you use a 100A "meter-main" you can run to a 200A-main-breaker panel and that's fine - the 200A breaker serves merely as a disconnect so its size doesn't matter.
If it is downstream of another breaker, then the local breaker doesn't matter - it's only there to be a disconnect switch. That is fine - you can go ahead and use it anyway. If they are main-breaker, they typically have 200A main breakers. most panels of respectable size (24-space and larger) are 200A bussed. Typically, 100A panels have only a few spaces. Honestly, "help, my panel is full" is our #1 panel question here. Spaces are dirt cheap, so never allow a future situation where you want to add a circuit or feeder but can't because the panel is full.
What's important with panels is the number of breaker spaces. Of course those Polaris couplers are about $20 a pop, so figure that into the cost. Use those to pigtail down to #2 or #1 Al wire to land on the meter lugs. "But my 100A meter won't take 4/0 wire!" That's OK - get three Polaris connectors rated for 4/0. Run the wire you need and don't look back. The reason I'm arming you with all this data is because I want you to not have to replace wires later. The discount means #2 aluminum wire (rated full-boat 90A) is acceptable to feed two 50A RV stands. The RV provisioning rules allow a "discount" for feeder size when the feeder serves multiple RV stands. For the wire types offered in aluminum, that isġ00A = #1 Al. If a feeder doesn't benefit from the above exception, then it must calculate full-boat ampacity. All other feeders need to calculate on full-boat
#Info on 200 amp service wire upgrade#
However, since you are seriously contemplating a 200A heavy-up, I do not recommend laying #2 because you'd only need to upgrade it later. So this leads us to #2Al for 100A, and #4/0Al for 200A.Ī feeder wire never needs to be bigger than the service wire by this rule. When you have wires carrying your entire service, you get to compute your mandatory wire sizes off 83% of service size.
Wires carrying your whole service get a 17% discount for 200A breaker (160A computed) #4/0 will come in at 2.88% drop.Īnd that's fine, because those are your minimum wire sizes anyway.for 100A breaker (80A computed) #1 will come in at 2.99% drop.This is not required in the United States, but it's a viable rule of thumb. The Canadian Rule (don't permit more than 3% voltage drop at 80% of breaker trip, which is the max provisionable) requires a wire size "bump" around the 175' mark on distance. Voltage drop may be an issue, at this distance.
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