Electrical work question

[LoveDaisy]

I am doing some construction on my house. Today they are replacing the main line coming into my house and upgrading my circuit breakers. Should I assume I’ll be without power all day? Just trying to figure out if I can get any baking done since I have the day off.

 

[MICKIMINI]

You will probably need to find another activity for today, sorry! Wrapping?

 

[LoveDaisy]

Thank you! I am going to write out cards and wrap. Maybe clean the linen closet.

Going to dig out some layers. High today of 32.

 

[_19disnA]

I wouldn't plan on doing any baking. Clearly the power will be out for some period of time while they work on the new electrical panel/circuits. Whether that is all day or not probably depends on how big of a job it is. Certainly wouldn't take a chance that you are baking something that is 1/2 done when they turn off the power.

 

[jo-jo]

I’d make a thermos of coffee, turn the fridge and freezer a tad colder and put a few soda in a cooler. Anything that should take an hour, usually take 3.

You could do some prep work. Pre measure all your dry ingredients. Chop the nuts, etc.

 

[sam_gordon]

May not be out all day, but safe to assume a couple of hours, probably more. I wouldn't count on any baking until this evening.

Ask the crew when they show up if they can give you a guess on how long it would take. Add ~50% to however much they tell you.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Crew showed up at 8:30. They said about a half day if they are done by mid afternoon I’ll be happy.

 

[kdonnel]

When I had my basement finished the electrician did all the work with the power on. I mentioned I was surprised there was no power off time and he said he doesn't like to inconvenience people.

I think he is playing with fire and will perhaps one day regret being so nice.

 

[MillauFr]

When I had my basement finished the electrician did all the work with the power on. I mentioned I was surprised there was no power off time and he said he doesn't like to inconvenience people.

I think he is playing with fire and will perhaps one day regret being so nice.

I think they learn to work with one hand. Working with live power and two hands can kill you. Maybe they have insulated gloves too?

 

[sam_gordon]

When I had my basement finished the electrician did all the work with the power on. I mentioned I was surprised there was no power off time and he said he doesn't like to inconvenience people.

I think he is playing with fire and will perhaps one day regret being so nice.

It depends on what work is being done and the skill of the worker.

Adding a couple of circuits into a panel? Sure. Can be done with the power on if you are careful.
Changing the incoming power and upgrading the panel? Technically can't be done.

 

[LoveDaisy]

We are changing the incoming power line ,
upgrading the panel and putting an outside outlet in today. They will be coming back to wire a new family room, bathroom and laundry room once they are framed.

Edit: my power is turned off.

 

[kdonnel]

It depends on what work is being done and the skill of the worker.

Adding a couple of circuits into a panel? Sure. Can be done with the power on if you are careful.
Changing the incoming power and upgrading the panel? Technically can't be done.

I know my scope of work was very different than the OP.

But I don’t think it makes sense to take the risk of working on live circuits when it is so easy to just turn off the power.

https://electricianu.com/knowing-wh...al to understand that,as outlined in NFPA 70E.

In the electrical industry, safety is paramount. However, there’s a dangerous trend of working on live circuits without proper precautions, driven by machismo and misplaced bravado. It’s crucial to understand that 95% of the time, circuits should be de-energized before any work is done. Only in rare, specific circumstances is it justified to work on live circuits. Even then, only with proper training and personal protective equipment (PPE) as outlined in NFPA 70E. The risk of death or serious injury is not worth the $30 you might earn for that hour of working dangerously. As electricians, it’s our job to assess risks, mitigate them, and ensure we all go home safe at the end of the day.

 

[sam_gordon]

I know my scope of work was very different than the OP.

But I don’t think it makes sense to take the risk of working on live circuits when it is so easy to just turn off the power.

https://electricianu.com/knowing-when-to-work-on-energized-circuits-and-when-to-shut-power-off/#:~:text=It's crucial to understand that,as outlined in NFPA 70E.

In the electrical industry, safety is paramount. However, there’s a dangerous trend of working on live circuits without proper precautions, driven by machismo and misplaced bravado. It’s crucial to understand that 95% of the time, circuits should be de-energized before any work is done. Only in rare, specific circumstances is it justified to work on live circuits. Even then, only with proper training and personal protective equipment (PPE) as outlined in NFPA 70E. The risk of death or serious injury is not worth the $30 you might earn for that hour of working dangerously. As electricians, it’s our job to assess risks, mitigate them, and ensure we all go home safe at the end of the day.

Here's the thing though... if you're adding a circuit to an existing panel, even if you turn the main of that panel off, there's still power IN the panel. If you have an external on/off, then yea, you can cut power and work on the totally dead panel.

Assuming there is no external shutoff, cutting the main leaves power in the panel and you still need to be careful working in the panel. So not much different than leaving the power on. Is it something I would do? No. But I don't have a lot of experience working IN a panel.

As far as what you posted, yes, I have worked on circuits before (troubleshooting or changing a switch or outlet, or working on the dishwasher). I absolutely turn power off to that circuit.

 

[kdonnel]

Here's the thing though... if you're adding a circuit to an existing panel, even if you turn the main of that panel off, there's still power IN the panel. If you have an external on/off, then yea, you can cut power and work on the totally dead panel.

Assuming there is no external shutoff, cutting the main leaves power in the panel and you still need to be careful working in the panel. So not much different than leaving the power on. Is it something I would do? No. But I don't have a lot of experience working IN a panel.

As far as what you posted, yes, I have worked on circuits before (troubleshooting or changing a switch or outlet, or working on the dishwasher). I absolutely turn power off to that circuit.

Recent construction has a service disconnect outside near the meter.

In my house built in 2005 you can kill the power to the interior panels outside by the meter so there is no power in the panels. This did not become code until the 2020 NEC so some areas might not have adopted the code yet. Apparently my house was way ahead of its time in how it was wired or my locality had adopted rules in addition to the NEC in force at the time.

I think it is one of those things that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. The electrician working on my home could have reduced his risk of electric shock to zero. Instead he choose to work in a live panel.

Perhaps the younger electricians will turn off power while the older ones continue to do it the way they have done it until they die.

 

[sam_gordon]

Recent construction has a service disconnect outside near the meter.

In my house built in 2005 you can kill the power to the interior panels outside by the meter so there is no power in the panels. This did not become code until the 2020 NEC so some areas might not have adopted the code yet. Apparently my house was way ahead of its time in how it was wired or my locality had adopted rules in addition to the NEC in force at the time.

That changes the equation. My house, built in 2002, does NOT have an external cutoff. You'd need to pull the meter, which I don't know if that requires someone from the electrical company or not, to totally disconnect power in the panel.

I think it is one of those things that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. The electrician working on my home could have reduced his risk of electric shock to zero. Instead he choose to work in a live panel.

I get that. I'll admit there's been plenty of times in my life where I did the more convenient thing than the "safe" thing. Using a chair as a step stool? Reaching "just a little bit further" when on top of a ladder? Not using full safety clothing when using trimmers or chain saws? I'm sure PLENTY more.

Perhaps the younger electricians will turn off power while the older ones continue to do it the way they have done it until they die.

A lot of it comes down to how you're trained to do something, so that's very possible.

 

[bcla]

Just a basic question, but do you have a gas stove?

If it's electric, I'd assume they'd want to shut down the electricity in the entire house as a safety measure. And a lot of gas stoves have electric ignition, where it might not be safe to light by hand.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Too bad you don't have a gas stove.

I mean, in general, but would totally solve your problem here too.

 

[sam_gordon]

Just a basic question, but do you have a gas stove?

If it's electric, I'd assume they'd want to shut down the electricity in the entire house as a safety measure. And a lot of gas stoves have electric ignition, where it might not be safe to light by hand.

Did you read the thread? They ARE cutting power to the entire house. They have to do the work. It was supposed to be done by lunch time.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Crew showed up at 8:30. They said about a half day if they are done by mid afternoon I’ll be happy.

Half day is good.

 

[hertamaniac]

This conversation had me recall when I hired an electrician to add a circuit (I think 50A) to our panel. I distinctly remember him not turning off the 200A main in the panel while working on it. I was literally scared that something bad was going to happen. Luckily, he added the circuit(s) and connected the conduit to our hot tub without incident.

I still don't like the idea of adding/modifying circuits in the panel while "live".