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I doubt if the 125 amp breaker will fit into a 100 amp box. This is due to the rating of the box only being rated at 100 amps. If this exchange could be made then the service conductors feeding the box must be upgraded to take the 125 amperage that the breaker will allow on the conductor.

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14y ago
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5mo ago

Yes, it is possible to upgrade a 100A main circuit breaker to a higher amp rating, but it must be done by a qualified electrician following local electrical codes and regulations. The electrical panel and wiring may also need to be upgraded to accommodate the higher amperage.

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19y ago

It depends on a number of factors. The size of the service wires, the meter rating, the main breaker panel rating, etc. will have to be rated for the amperage you want to go up to.

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14y ago

No, you must upgrade the feeder wire as well.

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Q: Can you upgrade a 100A main circuit breaker to a higher amp?
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Is 95 amps to much for a 100 amp breaker?

Yes, 95 amps is too much for a 100 amp breaker. Breakers are designed to protect the wiring in a circuit and should be sized to not exceed their amperage rating. In this case, you would need to upgrade to a higher amperage breaker.


If a 100a breaker keeps tripping?

If a 100 amp breaker keeps tripping there is an overload on the system.


Is the amperage of a breaker for total amps combined or on each leg?

The breaker will trip at the amperage notated on the breaker. If it's 100A...it will trip at or around 100A. It does not matter if that breaker is physically tied to another 100A breaker. To understand this, imagine that you remove the mechanical tie from the two-pole breaker. Now you just have two 100A breakers. In actuality, you always had two 100A breakers. The mechanical tie does not change that. If you then powered two, separate 120 volt devices from the two breakers, each breaker would allow 100 amperes to pass to each of the devices before tripping. So why are they tied together? That is done when the two-pole breaker is to be used to power a 240 volt circuit. In AC current, electricity flows in both directions. In a 120 volt circuit, it flows "out" toward the device via the hot (generally the black wire) and "back" via the neutral (generally the white wire). Then the cycle reverses. It does this 60 times per second (60Hz). The amperage in the hot and neutral wires are the same (in the perfect world). Only the hot wire is connected to the breaker. In a 240 volt circuit, there is no neutral wire. You are using two "legs" of 120 volts each that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. In other words, as leg 1 is flowing "out", leg 2 is flowing "back". Because they are out of phase, the potential difference is twice the voltage of each line or 240 volts. The current flows out and back at the same 60 Hz but this time via the two hot wires (generally black and red). Each of these hot wires are connected to the two terminals of the two-pole breaker. Due to mechanical tolerances, one breaker will most likely trip before the other. Therefore, if the rated current, (100 amps), is exceeded on either breaker, that breaker will trip and the other breaker will trip via the mechanical tie. This ensures that all power to the outlet is disconnected. If you removed the tie and only one breaker tripped, there would still be 120 volts connected to the outlet. In summary, each leg of a single, double (2 phase) or triple (3 phase) breaker is capable of allowing the amount of current denoted on the breaker. The connected circuit, regardless of voltage is protected from exceeding that amperage.


What size of electrical wire needed for 100A circuit breaker?

For a 100A circuit breaker, you typically need a wire size of #2 AWG (American Wire Gauge) for copper conductors or #1/0 AWG for aluminum conductors. It is important to consult the National Electrical Code (NEC) or a qualified electrician to determine the appropriate wire size for your specific installation.


Did one leg of your 1950's 100A main breaker fry because it was overloaded by too many dedicated circuits?

It is possible that one leg of the 100A main breaker may have fried due to being overloaded by too many dedicated circuits in the 1950s setup. If the circuits were drawing more current than the breaker could handle, it could have caused overheating and damage to that leg of the breaker.

Related questions

How do you upgrade the service from a 120V 100A circuit breaker to 240V 30A for appliances like ovens and dryers?

Have an electrician wire you a proper line for the appliance. You were just kidding about the 100A, right? 10, or 20amp, not 100.


Do you need to upgrade the 100A service in your house to run power to a detached garage?

All depends on what type of equipment you are going to operate in the garage. I would suggest you call an electrician. You can connect to your existing 100 amp circuit if there is an empty spot for a breaker.


Is 95 amps to much for a 100 amp breaker?

Yes, 95 amps is too much for a 100 amp breaker. Breakers are designed to protect the wiring in a circuit and should be sized to not exceed their amperage rating. In this case, you would need to upgrade to a higher amperage breaker.


What is circuit breaker and its type?

A circuit breaker(s) is what you will find inside your electrical box in your house the idea behind them is when a room in your house draws too many Amps the circuit breaker will turn off all the power to that room to re-engage them you simply switch it back on. There are many types of circuit breakers with different rattings like 15A or 100A, this tells you at what point they will 'break' the circuit and turn off the power.


If a 100a breaker keeps tripping?

If a 100 amp breaker keeps tripping there is an overload on the system.


Is the amperage of a breaker for total amps combined or on each leg?

The breaker will trip at the amperage notated on the breaker. If it's 100A...it will trip at or around 100A. It does not matter if that breaker is physically tied to another 100A breaker. To understand this, imagine that you remove the mechanical tie from the two-pole breaker. Now you just have two 100A breakers. In actuality, you always had two 100A breakers. The mechanical tie does not change that. If you then powered two, separate 120 volt devices from the two breakers, each breaker would allow 100 amperes to pass to each of the devices before tripping. So why are they tied together? That is done when the two-pole breaker is to be used to power a 240 volt circuit. In AC current, electricity flows in both directions. In a 120 volt circuit, it flows "out" toward the device via the hot (generally the black wire) and "back" via the neutral (generally the white wire). Then the cycle reverses. It does this 60 times per second (60Hz). The amperage in the hot and neutral wires are the same (in the perfect world). Only the hot wire is connected to the breaker. In a 240 volt circuit, there is no neutral wire. You are using two "legs" of 120 volts each that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other. In other words, as leg 1 is flowing "out", leg 2 is flowing "back". Because they are out of phase, the potential difference is twice the voltage of each line or 240 volts. The current flows out and back at the same 60 Hz but this time via the two hot wires (generally black and red). Each of these hot wires are connected to the two terminals of the two-pole breaker. Due to mechanical tolerances, one breaker will most likely trip before the other. Therefore, if the rated current, (100 amps), is exceeded on either breaker, that breaker will trip and the other breaker will trip via the mechanical tie. This ensures that all power to the outlet is disconnected. If you removed the tie and only one breaker tripped, there would still be 120 volts connected to the outlet. In summary, each leg of a single, double (2 phase) or triple (3 phase) breaker is capable of allowing the amount of current denoted on the breaker. The connected circuit, regardless of voltage is protected from exceeding that amperage.


What cause the Main Breaker trips when I start a 30KW 3-phase Motor(Star Delt Starter)?

The wiring is like this:[[30KW Motor ---- Star Delt Starter(100A Breaker inside) ----- 200A Breaker------50A Breaker(Inside the breaker box which located inside the factory) -----100A Main Breaker]]Once I try to start the Motor, the Main Breaker trips immediately.


What size of electrical wire needed for 100A circuit breaker?

For a 100A circuit breaker, you typically need a wire size of #2 AWG (American Wire Gauge) for copper conductors or #1/0 AWG for aluminum conductors. It is important to consult the National Electrical Code (NEC) or a qualified electrician to determine the appropriate wire size for your specific installation.


Did one leg of your 1950's 100A main breaker fry because it was overloaded by too many dedicated circuits?

It is possible that one leg of the 100A main breaker may have fried due to being overloaded by too many dedicated circuits in the 1950s setup. If the circuits were drawing more current than the breaker could handle, it could have caused overheating and damage to that leg of the breaker.


What is the max amps for a 4 gauge wire can 4 gauge feed a 100A breaker box?

Yes, # 4 AWG copper and 100 amps is the max.


How much does it cost to move an electricity meter?

The meter is typically installed in the main circuit panel of the house. If you want to move it, you can do it as part of a service / panel upgrade. We did this when we moved into our new house - we replaced the 1950s vintage main circuit panel and 100A service with a newer 200A panel and service. It was about a grand, but we didn't actually move the panel from where it was, so it may cost more for what you want.


How many circuits can you have with 100A service?

As many as you want without exceeding the 100amps. You could have 100 circuits if all you have is a single 100watt light on each circuit.