You think I can install this service panel myself?

[mfinley919]

We go up to the lake to shut down our place up for the year and it appears we have an elecrical problem.

We didn't go up there all summer and I get my electrical bill and everymonth it is about $4.00 except for June which is $90!
April $4.25
May $4.00
June $90.00
July $5.00
August $5.50
September $4.75

Something like 900 kilowatt hours in June.

We have a 1954 trailer up there and it has a Murray 60 amp fuse box with 4 circuits/fuses. One fuse is now blown and the circuit in the fuse box is now dead. I'm thinking the blown fuse has got to have something to do with this.

I get 220 volts coming into the the box, then it splits with 110 going to 2 fuses and 110 going to the other 2 fuses. 3 of the circuits test showing 110 volts the 4th is reading zero.

I have a red/black/white coming in from the pole, and there are neutrals in the wiring in the trailer which is a mix of old wiring from 1954 and one new romex wiring run.

I can't imagine there is anything serviceable inside this fuse panel to fix if something burned out to cause the circuit to blow and fail, and I also can't imagine finding a repalcement so I'm thinking my only alternative is to replace it with a new 60 amp breaker service.

I'm probably going to have to do it myself, not because I want to, but because the location is so remote it is going to be a problem getting an electrician out there to do it.

I hear that trailers are wired differently then a typical service, something to do with the ground, and all panels in trailers being sub panels by the way they are wired.

Anything I need to know?

[Rich]

Yeah - something about grounding to the frame because everything isn't tied into a foundation and directly grounded. You're probably better off replacing it anyway - just in case.

[Dragon]

Is the wiring copper or aluminum?

Back in my late teens we had an old trailer on the back side of the farm that we rented out, mainly so that someone would be around to keep an eye on things.

I was cleaning it between renters and noticed some smoke. The old aluminum wiring was history.

I called the power company for a disconnect then demolished it with a D6-C.

Good times.

[steeve]

hey,
if you have an external main breaker box before your panel, it s going to be a peace of cake of changing it, cut power and replace, the old panels with fuses were grounded through the wire shield... just keep in mind replace with another 60 amp box, depending on your main gauge wire...if not call a professional, i wouldn't play with live power wires...

[mfinley919]

Steve, that is the case. I am confused about the neutrals. I don't see a neutral coming into the trailer, but there are neutrals in the fuse box.

[steeve]

when you say neutral, do you mean ground...the old fuse box wiring had 2 (110v) wires with no grounds, black power/white neutral it s like plumbing...water in, drain out... the box it self was grounded, hope it helps, i m only a handy man... :roll:

[mfinley919]

Oops, I meant ground. I don't see a ground coming into the box from the power pole, but all the actual wiring in the trailer uses a ground and that wire runs into the fuse box of course, the grounds are all wire together in the box and attached to a terminal. But I don't see any ground wire from the pole coming into the fuse box.

[steeve]

because there isn't...(240v) 2 power 1 neutral, the neutral wire (white) acts as a return (there's still some voltage in the wire)...the ground is used to release that energie to the ground (new systems) usualy the ground wire is connected from the fuse panel to a water main/drain pipes .it means you need (4 wires) 2 power, 1 neutral, (1 ground - fuse box to ground(pipes)) that's if you have water..

[steeve]

fyi...
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/boyce_smith/groundin.htm