Gigafactory

Quote: kenarman

In the picture EB posted it looks like the fuses are all green which would mean they are 30 A and the wiring connected to them is not sized for 30 A so he should hope he doesn't get an inspection.

That isn't my fuse box, I said mine
is just like it. I have nothing over
20 amp, mostly 15 amp.

Quote: Evenbob

I have nothing over 20 amp, mostly 15 amp.

Presumably you have natural gas for heating home, heating water, running your stove, and your clothes dryer.

I think the requirement today is at least two 20 Amp corciots for the counters in the kitchen where small appliances are plugged in.

I think many homes have 20 Amp circuit for washer, for refrigerator, for dishwasher and usually one for a window mounted air conditioner.

Everything that's plugged in is on a 20amp circuit,
lights are 15. Furnace and pump and on their own
circuits, separate from the house circuits.

Quote: Evenbob

Furnace and pump and on their own circuits, separate from the house circuits.

I thought firemen had to have a single main switch to shut down the entire house.

Quote: Evenbob

Everything that's plugged in is on a 20amp circuit, lights are 15.

That would be convenient. I have 85 outlets on 15 Amp circuits and only 29 outlets on 20 Amp circuits. In some cases the outlets are in different rooms so it is easy to blow a circuit breaker or a fuze.

Quote: Pacomartin

I thought firemen had to have a single main switch to shut down the entire house.

I might think they would just cut the wires at the entry to the house. Probably safer.

Quote: Pacomartin

I thought firemen had to have a single main switch to shut down the entire house.
.

Shut off the main box and all the power is cut to everything.
Electricians recommend 20amp for outlets and 15 for lights.
I think I have 25 in the pump box because the motor has
a high surge when it starts.

Quote: AZDuffman

I might think they would just cut the wires at the entry to the house. Probably safer.

Possibly, but the quote below seems to indicate that they throw the main breaker switch. I just assumed that the main came into the main breaker switch, and that panel had breakers for the subpanels. but they are all feed to one main switch which when you throw it guarantees that there is no power from any other source (including emergency generators).

Quote: Electrical Issues on the Fireground :A review of common electrical hazards that complicate safe operations

Energized Utility Panels
One of the more common situations occurs when a fire involves the area around the electrical panel/breaker box. How do you shut off the power when the area around the breakers is on fire? The initial response is often to reach for the CO2 or dry chemical extinguisher, put out the fire around the breaker box and then shut off the breakers.

Even this messy looking design in the photo, presumably has a single main switch in one box which shuts off the power to the second box.

Quote: Pacomartin

That's what the basement walls in my house
look like, stone set in old cement. It was built
in 1854. I even have an old well pit that's a
concrete tunnel that extends 15" out from
the basement. Makes a good wine cellar,
the temp is always in the 50's year round.

Looks like this only concrete.

Quote: Pacomartin

Possibly, but the quote below seems to indicate that they throw the main breaker switch. I just assumed that the main came into the main breaker switch, and that panel had breakers for the subpanels. but they are all feed to one main switch which when you throw it guarantees that there is no power from any other source (including emergency generators).

If it is an electrical fire they are not going to stick their hands in the box. And if it is a conventional fire I really do not see them going thru the house, looking for the box, hoping it does not have a bunch of crap in the path to it, then shutting off the main. Not when it takes seconds to simply cut the line to the thing while you have insulated gloves, and when the main line needs to be cut anyways as there would still be power going to the box.

Looking at the photo, I see two main lines coming in that are not in series with each other. Look at the heavy wire, comes from the top not to the first box then the second, unless there is a connection outside the picture we cannot see. Color of insulation looks a little different as well so I am really not so sure they connect.

Quote: AZDuffman

Looking at the photo, I see two main lines coming in that are not in series with each other. Look at the heavy wire, comes from the top not to the first box then the second, unless there is a connection outside the picture we cannot see. Color of insulation looks a little different as well so I am really not so sure they connect.

Doing some google searches I found the following quote.

ALL electrical services to the home MUST have a means of shutting off all the power.Sometimes the main disconnect breaker is in a different location from the panel in the home—like outside the home at the electric meter (as in mobile homes, townhouses, condos and other instances).

Maybe you are correct about firemen cutting the wires. I am just saying that Evenbob must have a single switch somewhere that shuts off all power to his house. He may have a different account for his barn,