Electricians?

[homerj]

So I’ve had some weird electrical issues lately which have gotten worse the last couple of weeks. Lights all over the house would dim when using the microwave, air fryer, etc. Fans not on the same circuit would randomly slow down & speed up. Rooms on different circuits would have their breakers trip for no obvious reason. Lights in the back of the house would blink & the tv or Xbox in the living room would turn off. My wife’s cousin who’s an electrician came out & looked. Didn’t find an issue in the house except one leg was carrying slightly more than the other. He went outside to check the meter & found that it was pretty warm & had a sizzling sound coming from it. Now I’m no electrician but sizzling doesn’t sound like something you want to hear coming from your meter. Called the power company to come check the meter. A short time later i got a call from the lineman asking if we lived there. I realize my house is a dump but it looks inhabitable. He said when he pulled the meter the base was so hot that it burned his finger. Turns out I’ve got an old 60 amp meter base. I’ve lived in that house 25 years with no issues but it wasn’t until this summer that we started using 2 window & 2 portable ac units to cool the house. Guess that was finally too much. The house was my wife’s grandparent’s & that’s probably the original meter base from when it was built.

What I’d like to know from any professional electricians out there is what i should be looking at to replace the meter base, fuse panel & the line going to the weatherhead. My wife’s cousin works full time & is busy in his off time so he can’t do it.

[Jonnydread]

I will ask our electrical lead at work tomorrow

[homerj]

Thanks man! We’ve gotten one estimate for $4,000.00. That seems high but what do i know? Nothing. I know nothing.

[Chuck E Ducky]

That seems very reasonable honestly. Often the utility companies are responsible for the service line if it’s over head and the meter. You will need to replace the socket that attach to your home. This will often require the power to be cut off and turned back on at the poll if done the right way. What are they replacing for $4k is that a for a full 200amp update?

[Chuck E Ducky]

Treat the current situation as urgent. Keep high-draw loads off, get a licensed pro involved quickly, and coordinate with the utility. You will need full replacement to current standards (200amp)

Key components that need replacing.

Meter base it Must be rated for the new service size (200 A). Your 60 A base is incompatible and already failing. The utility owns the meter itself; Your electrician will replace the base. It must meet the utility’s current specs.

Service entrance conductors / cable to the weatherhead These must be sized for the new ampacity. For a typical 200 A residential service this is commonly 2/0 AWG copper or 4/0 AWG aluminum (check local code) Old undersized cable cannot stay.

Main panel Convert from fuses to a modern breaker panel rated for the new service (200 A main breaker is standard). This also usually includes updating grounding/bonding to current code ground rods, bonding jumpers, and often installing a surge protective device.

Unfortunately it’s an expensive job. $6k +/-

[homerj]

The power company pulled the meter & cut power at the transformer the same day they came to check it. The $4,000.00 was for replacing the 60 amp meter base, cable & breaker box (i know i said fuse in the original post but i meant breaker).

[homerj]

Replacing with a 200 amp base, yes.

[Chuck E Ducky]

That’s a good deal.

[fierymartel]

Yeah, sounds like you may have lost your neutral. New service is in order.

[scottieb]

It will be hard to pinpoint the cost but $3000 give or take is what I would charge for such an endeavor. $4000 may not be too far off what it costs in your area.

[homerj]

Thanks guys. Large unexpected repair costs are just the best.

[Chuck E Ducky]

The joys of home ownership.

[DarqSpark]

A 60A service was the standard size for much of the 40s to 60s ish. This was before the wide spread use of high load appliances such as air conditioning/ heating, laundry and cooking.

I will say that before you read to much into what I am about to say, reach out to a good electrician to analyze your unique situation. There are just to many small details that really matter in any given situation like this and they require a trained eye and experience to get you back going properly and safely.

First thing is to actually calculate the load you require. There are load calculations that electricians are trained to do that will take into account your houses demand. You will certainly need a service upgrade. But a 125a service may be sufficient. There is no use in putting in infrastructure you are very unlikely to need. This can reduce your installation cost or at the very least give you a cost benefit between say a 125A and a 200A service.

As far as the quote you received. The devil is in the details on this one, so make sure you understand exactly what the quote covers. This is important when comparing quotes between contractors. You can be assured that they are quoting apples to apples.

Some questions to ask would be...
- Does this include new wire from the meter can to the panel? (It absolutely should)
- Does this require/include any new breaker or panel boxes? On the pole or at the house?
-Does this cover/include any needed excavation and associated locating?
- Ask about permitting and insurance.

I would expect a $3000-4000 quote to include everything above. If I was anywhere close to MS, I wouldn't mind taking a look at it and at least giving you an idea of what to expect. But alas I am in NW Arkansas.

[flyweightnate]

Look for grants or rebates from the utility, township, etc. Some areas will help cover these costs or similar "bring up to code" costs because they don't want houses burning down. More common in bigger cities. If there's even a 1 in 50 chance, I'd be doing all the research I could!

[Chuck E Ducky]

That’s a dam good idea definitely check for grants in your area.

[homerj]

I hadn’t considered that at all! Thanks for the suggestion!