Upgrading from 110 voltage to 200 amp. What size panel do I need?

So we are upgrading the electric panel in our home, currently the house is wired for 110 only as we have a natural gas stove/oven, dryer and furnace. I'd like to run a 240 line to the room I use for growing as well as our utility/mudroom and finally to the garage. Our house has 13 total outlets total plus a few more in the exterior garage. I've been told a 220 amp panel is pretty standard for a replacement in a house of our size but with the added 240 lines is it gonna be large enough? Might be overthinking this but if I'm having it done I'd like to only have it done once and done correctly.. Thanks!

What is the service size coming into the house, look at the meter it might say. Unless your house is real big your probably only gonna be able to have 200 amp service drop per structure. 200 amps is plenty.

If you only have 100 amp service you would need a service upgrade to install a 200 amp panel. But with all your appliances being gas you could most likely be fine to run a grow off a 100 amp panel unless it's a big grow or your using a lot of electric elsewhere. If this isn't a small grow your going to need help to figure it out. Small meaning less than 4 watts or so.

As far as the 240 outlet goes it doesn't matter what size service panel you got as long as you got open spaces and aren't using too many amps.

Ok a 110 circuit will take 1 spot on your board. You have 100 amp service not 110. The voltage for each circuit is 110. This is over simplified but basically 110, 115, 120 mostly the same..you connect a double pole breaker it connects to the 110-120 leg twice with two hots and one neutral. This gives you a 240/220. So basically when you look at your breaker box it doesnt matter if you have 100 amp or 200 amp service a 220/240 just takes up two spots. You will be greatly increasing the number of circuits your house can support going to a 200 amp service and unless you plan on running many thousands of watts of light or have a huge house you will be fine. If you need more which is extremely unlikely since you have been making do with 100 amp service then generally you would install a second panel or subpanel if you dont need more amperage just more breaker spots.

farmingfisherman said:

So we are upgrading the electric panel in our home, currently the house is wired for 110 only as we have a natural gas stove/oven, dryer and furnace. I'd like to run a 240 line to the room I use for growing as well as our utility/mudroom and finally to the garage. Our house has 13 total outlets total plus a few more in the exterior garage. I've been told a 220 amp panel is pretty standard for a replacement in a house of our size but with the added 240 lines is it gonna be large enough? Might be overthinking this but if I'm having it done I'd like to only have it done once and done correctly.. Thanks!

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Please post a picture of your panel, preferably with the cover off, this may be easier than you expect.

Apalchen said:

What is the service size coming into the house, look at the meter it might say. Unless your house is real big your probably only gonna be able to have 200 amp service drop per structure. 200 amps is plenty.

If you only have 100 amp service you would need a service upgrade to install a 200 amp panel. But with all your appliances being gas you could most likely be fine to run a grow off a 100 amp panel unless it's a big grow or your using a lot of electric elsewhere. If this isn't a small grow your going to need help to figure it out. Small meaning less than 4 watts or so.

As far as the 240 outlet goes it doesn't matter what size service panel you got as long as you got open spaces and aren't using too many amps.

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Currently we are on a 110 volt setup, single line onto the house. All major appliances are gas. Fuses currently.. Likely not even 100 amp, read it might only be 30 amps. According to the home inspector we don't have grounded outlets either, simple 2 wires. Old times didn't require high voltage apparently. Totally lost when it comes to electricity just know I respect it.

Yeah it sucks but your gonna need to hire an electrician, I have no clue about fuses and such but that is some old wiring for sure. To be safe I'd def have it redone, even if I weren't growing I think it's time for that to be upgraded.

Btw I'm not sure that is 110 volt service it looks like you have two hots and a ground coming into the main breaker, each one of the hots should be 110-120. That range fuse looks to be a 220-240.

Apalchen said:

Yeah it sucks but your gonna need to hire an electrician, I have no clue about fuses and such but that is some old wiring for sure. To be safe I'd def have it redone, even if I weren't growing I think it's time for that to be upgraded.

Btw I'm not sure that is 110 volt service it looks like you have two hots and a ground coming into the main breaker, each one of the hots should be 110-120. That range fuse looks to be a 220-240.

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Spoke with a person from the power company today. He thought it was two hots but one was terminated and the other enters into the house. If both wires came in would then have their own hole into the banjo? His words not mine. Still not sure what the range fuse refers to. As far as I know our house has always been on natural gas. Good news is the switch over is looking like it will not cost us anything due to a safety concern by our power company..

Apalchen said:

Yeah it sucks but your gonna need to hire an electrician, I have no clue about fuses and such but that is some old wiring for sure. To be safe I'd def have it redone, even if I weren't growing I think it's time for that to be upgraded.

Btw I'm not sure that is 110 volt service it looks like you have two hots and a ground coming into the main breaker, each one of the hots should be 110-120. That range fuse looks to be a 220-240.

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Yeah, get an electrician in to have a look. That's about the same as the panel I had replaced in my old house, as I recall it was 60A and I upgraded to 100A. 100A should be ok and 200A should be more than enough in any normal house.

1212ham said:

Yeah, get an electrician in to have a look. That's about the same as the panel I had replaced in my old house, as I recall it was 60A and I upgraded to 100A. 100A should be ok and 200A should be more than enough in any normal house.

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So multiple 240 lines can run off of a 200 amp panel without issue then? Plus many more circuits/outlets throughout the room. Currently have to make sure somethings are off when other things are gonna be turned on. I did run a small grow over the winter roughly 3000 watts total if everything was on and running and managed to only pop one fuse. Really happy I didn't overload a wire with constant draw..

Sure, it's normal.

1212ham said:

Sure, it's normal.

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Thanks much! Stoked that I don't need to consider anything to get things rolling proper and safe like!

You will need to hire a licensed electrician or pull a home owners permit to do the upgrade. It will need to pass inspection before the power company will stab the meter and turn on power. They likely aren't even going to pull the new drop until you have permitted 200 amp meter and disconnect work done.

You only have one of the hot legs pulled on your power company drop. So he does actually have a 110 volt service. I have only seen that one other time in my life. Definitely not even remotely to code since the 1950's. The whole home needs to be re wired, wouldn't be surprised if there was some live knob and tube in there.

Sometimes being grandfathered in is just a fire hazard.

farmingfisherman said:

So multiple 240 lines can run off of a 200 amp panel without issue then? Plus many more circuits/outlets throughout the room. Currently have to make sure somethings are off when other things are gonna be turned on. I did run a small grow over the winter roughly 3000 watts total if everything was on and running and managed to only pop one fuse. Really happy I didn't overload a wire with constant draw..

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You get someone to wire in 200 amp service and you wont have a problem again..you can run over a dozen 240s off 200 amp service.

A typical square d 200 amp board will have enough spaces for 20 240 circuits..basically 40 spots..110/120 = 1, 220/40 = 2

Thanks to everyone that responded and for the information gained from it. First house and really want work done to it safely and correctly. Excited to sit down with the electrician and discuss details. Really feeling lucky because the house being wired the way it is the work is going to be covered by my local power as a safety issue/upgrade and I'll likely be having to pay for only major upgrades. Guess sometimes buying something older and slightly out of date has its plus and minus sides to it but I'm putting this one in the plus side. Thanks again for the information and help.

Renfro said:

You only have one of the hot legs pulled on your power company drop. So he does actually have a 110 volt service. I have only seen that one other time in my life. Definitely not even remotely to code since the 1950's. The whole home needs to be re wired, wouldn't be surprised if there was some live knob and tube in there.

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House was built in 1947..

farmingfisherman said:

House was built in 1947..

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Well that makes a lot of sense. It could definitely have knob and tube wiring and thats gotta go. Will be interested in what they find. Either way you will sleep safer when it's all new work.

Renfro said:

Well that makes a lot of sense. It could definitely have knob and tube wiring and thats gotta go. Will be interested in what they find. Either way you will sleep safer when it's all new work.

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Yeah really, really happy I didn't have any issues this winter... Can't wait to have a room with some built in environmental controls as well as the power required to run pretty much whatever I need to. You by chance know anyone who has used solar tubes in a grow space along with lighting? Minds got a million and one ideas cooking..

Thats going to be a costly electrical renovation. New panel, all new grounded romex run to outlets. Not sure where you live, but you must have a generous power company if they're going to foot the bill. The power company in my state are more crooked than the mafia.