Upgrade my electrical panel or add a sub panel?

[Shunder]

My truck shows to be built and shipped. Scheduled delivery date is 12/6-12/12. I want to get started figuring out my charging setup. The pro charger won’t get to me for an additional few weeks I’m sure. The meter to my hose in rated at 200amps & the main breaker is 150amps. I’m assuming that I have 150amp service with the ability to upgrade to 200amp. The current box is full. I’m thinking I should just add a 100amp sub panel for all of the garage stuff. I would remover the 30amp 240 breaker for my compressor & replace it with the 100amp breaker feeding the sub box. I would then add the pro charger, compressor, lights & anything else in the future. Obviously every home is different and the amount of energy pulled at any 1 time will change, but I feel this is the way to go. I’ve never had any electrical issues with the current setup but adding an 80amp charger could definitely change things. I’m assuming that if there were issues & I was popping breakers that I could dial the max amperage back on the switch inside the charger. Does this sound like a good plan or am I missing something and maybe just need to have an electrician replace the box with a 200amp larger setup? Attached are pics of my current box & meter.

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[hturnerfamily]

I think most folks are simply going WAY overboard when it comes to something simple like home charging... you don't really NEED a whole lot - the supplied 30amp 240v charger is just fine. A simple Nema 14-50 outlet and you're good to go.

 

[Bigisland Guy]

Strongly recommend you consider a new install and not be penny-wise and pound-foolish. You have might have an issue with the 50 and 40 amp breakers and you definitely have an issue (illegal power cord inside a conduit). A 200 amp service is always best especially if your running a F150L ER. As a property inspector, this is my recommendation to you, seek a licensed contractor and do it right.

 

[Maquis]

You should have an electrician look at it, but chances are adding a subpanel would be fine.

 

[Maquis]

Strongly recommend you consider a new install and not be penny-wise and pound-foolish. You have might have an issue with the 50 and 40 amp breakers and you definitely have an issue (illegal power cord inside a conduit). A 200 amp service is always best especially if your running a F150L ER. As a property inspector, this is my recommendation to you, seek a licensed contractor and do it right.

That’s not a power cord - it’s 10-2 Romex sleeved in Smurf tube.

 

[Solar_EE]

Strongly recommend you consider a new install and not be penny-wise and pound-foolish. You have might have an issue with the 50 and 40 amp breakers and you definitely have an issue (illegal power cord inside a conduit). A 200 amp service is always best especially if your running a F150L ER. As a property inspector, this is my recommendation to you, seek a licensed contractor and do it right.

Get a new panel, rated 200 amps. And remember that not all "200 amp" panels are equal. The QO panels from Square D (not the Homeline) work well for me. I have 200 amp service but also a 50 amp breaker feeding power from my solar panels. So my electrician said my panel is rated 225 amps- the panel- not the breaker- so this is OK to have 200 amps plus a possible 50 amps feeding this panel. The code allows a little over the rating but if this was a 200 amp panel it would not pass.
Your situation may be different but that is not a pretty panel and there should NEVER be any wire inside that panel that is not clamped at the entrance. I see a piece of plastic conduit just sort of shoved in there.

 

[Bigisland Guy]

That’s not a power cord - it’s 10-2 Romex sleeved in Smurf tube.

You might be right looking from my cell phone and not a computer screen, but in my line of work you see a lot of noncompliant issues.

 

[Shunder]

That’s not a power cord - it’s 10-2 Romex sleeved in Smurf tube.

Exactly, it will be replaced anyway no matter what I do.

 

[Shunder]

You might be right looking from my cell phone and not a computer screen, but in my line of work you see a lot of noncompliant issues.

It is Romex in a “whistle tube” as my ex neighbor/contractor called it when he installed it. It was originally securely snapped into the box which obviously is non longer the case. It will be replaced with PVC conduit either route I go. As will all off the external conduit going into the box currently. I’m more so wondering if adding a sub box is overloading my system or if in really needs to be upgraded to a 200 amp panel.

 

[Pioneer74]

The only issue I see is if you run the FCSP off a 100 amp sub panel, with other circuits running out of it, you will have to dial the hardware setting down below 80 amps.

 

[Shunder]

Strongly recommend you consider a new install and not be penny-wise and pound-foolish. You have might have an issue with the 50 and 40 amp breakers and you definitely have an issue (illegal power cord inside a conduit). A 200 amp service is always best especially if your running a F150L ER. As a property inspector, this is my recommendation to you, seek a licensed contractor and do it right.

What issues do you see with the 40 & 50 breakers? They were added by an electrician about 3 years ago when we switched from gas to electric on the stovetop & oven. It sounds like you know what you are talking about and I truly want to make sure nothing is hazardous here. I’m far from a penny pincher but I also don’t care to spen unnecessarily.

 

[Shunder]

The only issue I see is if you run the FCSP off a 100 amp sub panel, with other circuits running out of it, you will have to dial the hardware setting down below 80 amps.

The other circuits will be compressor that is rarely on and garage lights which most likely won’t be on often while charging.

 

[Pioneer74]

The other circuits will be compressor that is rarely on and garage lights which most likely won’t be on often while charging.

Doesn't matter. It's still against code.

 

[Maquis]

You might be right looking from my cell phone and not a computer screen, but in my line of work you see a lot of noncompliant issues.

The fact that it’s not secured to the box is a violation.

It is Romex in a “whistle tube” as my ex neighbor/contractor called it when he installed it. It was originally securely snapped into the box which obviously is non longer the case. It will be replaced with PVC conduit either route I go. As will all off the external conduit going into the box currently. I’m more so wondering if adding a sub box is overloading my system or if in really needs to be upgraded to a 200 amp panel.

”Whistle tube” is a new one for me. We always call it “Smurf tube” because it’s blue.

 

[tls]

I just thought it might be helpful to note here, since I recently saw them used quite successfully, that another option would be the Thermolec DCC series load management devices, which will work with any charger and simply shut down power to the EVSE if load on the panel reaches 80% of its rating.

Inconvenient with a "smart" charger that really wants to be turned on all the time talking via WiFi yadda yadda but in practice they should almost never actually shut off the load, and they do get the job done.

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