PhillyRyan

Hello,

This is my first post. I just got done rewiring my whole house but now thinking of ways I could have done it quicker, cheaper, better, etc. Does code allow a subpanel in the attic, even if there is no steps to the attic and the height at center is at most 6 ft? Also, what size panel would you recommend for this subpanel which would feed 4 average size bedrooms and two bathrooms? Appreciate any advice!

-Ryan

oldtimer

I think an electrician, would know the answer to this question!!!

jwjrw

I can't imagine any reason to have the breakers for the bedrooms in the attic. Air handlers, Water heater yes (if they are up there).

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The more I learn the less I seem to know......

slickvic277

I think it may be time for the secret decoder ring again.

nitro71

Don't put it in the attic. How in the heck is the homeowner going to know it's even there and how will they reset a tripped breaker? Take some pride in your work and put that panel somewhere legitament.

knowshorts

Your an electrical engineer and your asking these questions? What does the code say? And you are done wiring already? What did the inspector say? Can you please give me the names and date of births of your wife and children. I would like to purchase a life insurance policy in their names with me being the beneficiary.

MDShunk

If you can get a feed from the real panel location to the attic, you can just as easily get a few cables up there to feed the upstairs circuits.

And, in your case.... no permanent stair, no floor, not enough headroom, you can't put a panel up there.

__________________
One reason not to give DIY advice:
Catch a man a fish and you can sell it to him.
Teach a man to fish and you’ve ruined a good business opportunity.

drsparky

But it would save $5.00.

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PhillyRyan

I'm not an electrician. I do have a degree in electrical engineering but I don't use it on my job and even if i did, it would not make me qualified to be an electrician whatsoever. However, I've learned as much as I can about wiring a home in a short time and rewired my own home and had it pass inspection. Now I am trying to think of things I could have done better/cheaper/quicker as I'd like to do it again on my next house and I am continuing to learn as much as I can as I want to be 100% certain everything I've done is safe and sound as I don't trust inspectors, nor do I trust half the bozos out there calling themselves electricians. I already see you guys are not in the bozo category and I respect your expertise and am fully willing to take a beating, as long as I learn and get the correct information.

With that said, let me further elaborate on the reasoning for my question. I ran 8 circuits up into the attic and in order to do so I had to rip down a whole wall of drywall in one of the upstairs bedrooms such that i could run two cables up each wall cavity and had to rip down lots of drywall downstairs to even get the cables up to the bedroom wall. I'm trying to figure out if there was a better way such that I wouldn't have had to rip down so much drywall or use so much wire. How do you guys normally handle this without tearing down half the drywall and using the minimal amount of wire? Thanks again for any help!

Bkessler

it's a little late, but to answer your question yes, there was a much better way to do it. It would have been to call someone that's qualified to rewire a house. I am willing to bet you did a horrible job and there will be a ton of future problems and headaches because of YOU.

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When ls lunch?

PhillyRyan

Actually I spent a huge amount of time making sure everything was run neatly and properly stapled and even ripped out entire circuits i ran and re-did them with new new wire just to make sure it was done right. Not even considering the huge amount of time this took me, I probably spent more on materials alone than it would have cost me to hire someone since i wasted so much wire re-doing things but I wanted to learn. Forgive me for wanting to learn and thank you so much for the constructive criticism!

I_get_shocked

post pics or lock the thread

PhillyRyan

Unfortunately I don't think I took many pics with the walls open but I'll see what I have and can also upload the diagrams I drew to get the permit. Won't be able to do that till some time this weekend though.

oldtimer

[quote=Bkessler;271803]it's a little late, but to answer your question yes, there was a much better way to do it. It would have been to call someone that's qualified to rewire a house. I am willing to bet you did a horrible job and there will be a ton of future problems and headaches because of YOU.[/QUOTE

An E C would have been known how to do the job properly. And the BOZO quote was uncalled for. Want to see a CHEAP BOZO..... Look in a mirror.

PhillyRyan

sorry but the bozo comment is 100% accurate and i said you guys don't fall into that category. I had FOUR different LICENSED electricians come out to offer advice up front and check my work afterwods and not one of them had a ****ing clue what he was talking about and each one told me things that I already knew was 100% wrong or went and looked up the code and consulted with others to prove they were wrong. The one I thought may actually have a clue I hired to do the panel/service cable and when i had everything inspected, all my wiring passed, and the inspector failed FOUR different things with the panel/service!

PhillyRyan

Your anger is misplaced. I went to the extreme of learning as much as i could myself to ensure everything was done safe and up to code. Meanwhile, these LICENSED electricians are out there wiring up homes and offices everyday and putting people in danger because they are morons who shouldn't be allowed to replace a light bulb and God knows how in the world their work is passed by inspectors!

Bkessler

The guys funny too,

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When ls lunch?

I_get_shocked

So you researched on the internet (all true info there) for a few weeks or months, now you are in a position to bash licensed electricians?

PhillyRyan

I'm not bashing. Each one of them told me one or more things I KNEW to be wrong. I went to the 800+ page NEC, found the appropriate section, and PROVED they were wrong. Sorry but is the NEC not official enough? Excuse me for being so ignorant.

I_get_shocked

NEC+ Laptop = Licensed electrician?


Get us those pics