Here at Electricians Team Reseda, we realize that the main breaker functions as the major overcurrent mechanism that serves every single electrical circuit and regulates all their separate breakers within the same board. The main breaker box that provides power to an entire home sometimes has its main switch.
Conversely, according to our electrical panel installation experts, the main lug panel serves as a sub-panel or add-on, generally linked to the main breaker panel. Although it lacks overcurrent protection (until converted), it is frequently required to be linked to the boards mentioned above or any overcurrent mechanism.
Continue reading for a more detailed comparison and to learn when to utilize each.
What is the Main Breaker?
When people look at a standard load center or main electrical board, they’ll see a huge breaker atop every other breaker. It guards against overcurrents on all service entry wires.
It includes one disconnection means for all loads fed by the load center, resulting in it being frequently utilized as the main switch to turn off or turn on (i.e., reboot) a complete house’s power supply.
All feeder cables should be connected to a distinct breaker within the main panelboard. Every breaker feeds the bus of the panel.
What is the Main Lug?
Many electricians call it the main lug sub-panel. However, don’t mistake it for the main breaker board because it says “main.” The panel is distinguished by the electric lugs positioned on top of it, and it is also where the primary breaker in a board is frequently situated. Panel conductors and wiring in various circuits attach to such lugs in the same way feeder cables link to a circuit breaker. The key difference is the absence of an overcurrent mechanism, which explains why these panelboards are classified as “main lugs only.”
Is it Possible to Install the Main Breaker in the Main Lug Panel?
Once you set up the main breaker to your main lug board, usually with a breaker kit’s assistance, it functions as the main breaker panel. In such a situation, there’ll be no need to attach the cables to the lugs on the boards because they will already be connected to the circuits immediately.
If you own a convertible and put in a 100-amp breaker, a 100-amp main lug board could serve as the primary breaker box. This is certainly what most folks get wrong concerning the difference between the main breaker and the main lug.
The contrast between the main breaker and main lug demonstrates how each gives value to the home’s electrical system, both of which are required throughout an electrical sub-panel installation service. Changing the main lug to the main breaker is simply an added bonus, which a lot of homeowners like because of various reasons like convenience, ease of access, safety, etc.
They complement each other because one serves as a protective service that provides management and convenience, whereas the other guarantees that the former performs its work effectively and provides near-flawless electrical distribution.
What if the Breaker Box You Own Lacks a Main Breaker?
Assume you reside in a house where the primary breaker is not included in the breaker box. In such an instance, there might be a variety of possible answers to the question. One of the first concerns would’ve been, “Am I in a place with several other houses nearby?” Assuming that your electrical wiring follows code standards Electricians Team Reseda ensures they are if we installed them), this means that the primary breaker does require the service board, theoretically speaking.
Here are additional explanations for why the breaker box that you have lacks the main breaker, which is a common question asked during our electrical panel installation works:
- Breakers are Hazardous to Tackle
Similarly to why not each breaker box has a primary breaker, not everybody has the technical knowledge to solve difficulties that may develop with this type of system. In worst-case scenarios, common sense tells them when an issue is something they’re neither equipped nor trained to handle. Electrical cabling, particularly breakers, can be dangerous when handling a live circuit.
It is extremely dangerous to dismantle these mechanisms unless you are certified to perform this task or are working under the direct supervision of an individual who is a professional, usually for training circumstances.
To be clear, we’re discussing removing a board’s faceplate and fiddling with the wiring below the original plating. These acts are dangerous and can be lethal based on what you do inside the panel’s inner workings. For these purposes, you shouldn’t try to add, update, or modify the sub-panel and turn them into a main breaker or bargain for central breaker capacity.
- A Devote Room is Available Only In Larger Localities
Apartments, condos, and other facilities with several residents could have a whole room dedicated to hosting the electric meters. The other term for it is a “meter cluster,” because it puts them all in the same place and simple to reach for electricians and maintenance workers while keeping anyone who shouldn’t be tinkering with them out of reach.
Now that we know a little about why your breaker box doesn’t have a main breaker, let’s find out if we can add a main breaker to the electrical panel.
Can You Add a Main Breaker to Your Electrical Panel?
Assuming that you definitely must have main breaker accessibility wherever your existing electrical board is, you can choose to change that panel box altogether with another that does indeed have main breaker capability. But, it will be an expensive remedy to what appears to be an unneeded problem.
Adding in the main breaker panel will necessitate changing the electrical box itself, costing around $1,500 on the low end and $4,000 on the high end.
At the end of the day, there could be a variety of reasons why the electrical panel does not have a primary breaker when you need it. What matters is that you engage professional electricians to inspect the breaker, make sure it is secured and functional and that they can maintain or repair, or perform an electrical sub panel installation service if anything goes wrong.
We hope that we have provided all of you with helpful information to answer your question of whether you can install a main breaker in a main lug panel or not. Feel free to read other articles and blogs from our website since there are other valuable topics we discuss.
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