How to Upgrade a House to Circuit Breakers

Outdated fuse boxes weren't built to handle the stresses of big screen TVs, DVD players and modern kitchen appliances. Old fuses are prone to overheating, melting and can become fire hazards. Many insurance companies require upgrading to a modern panel because of the high risk associated with these boxes. Upgrading a fuse box to a breaker box is a major home renovation that requires compliance with local electrical codes.

Circuit breakers
Multimeter
Screwdriver
Cable clamp
Wire strippers

Instructions

- 1
  Contact your local power company and tell them you are upgrading to a circuit breaker box. The power company may need to upgrade the wires coming in to your home. Ask about determining your load requirements. Contact a licensed electrician if the power company cannot assist you with determining your load requirements.
- 2
  Consult an electrician to determine if you need to replace wiring in your home or if you need a new electrical box to hold the circuit breakers. If you have a new breaker box installed, you may also have to add more circuits to add more amp capacity.
- 3
  Turn off the power by flipping the large black switch in the main panel. The main circuit has two thick black wires leading into it.
- 4
  Check the panels or subpanels do not have live wires. Place the two multimeter leads into an electrical outlet on the circuit. Ensure the multimeter is set to register volts. If voltage registers on the multimeter, the circuit is live.
- 5
  Open the electrical panel.
- 6
  Install a new cable clamp. Locate a knockout around the panel’s edge and hammer in one of the knockouts. Screw in the cable clamp and then feed the wire from the circuit into the panel. Allow enough wire into the panel to reach the breaker and ground bar and then tighten the clamp.
- 7
  Strip the wires’ ends inside the panel. Strip just enough to allow a connection into the breakers, about one-quarter to one-half inch.
- 8
  Connect the ground wire to the ground bar. The ground bar is located at the side of the panel. The ground bar is a long, metal bar connected directly to the box without plastic protectors.
- 9
  Connect the neutral wire to the neutral bus. The neutral bar is a long metal bar connected to the box with plastic protectors isolating the bar from the metal on the panel.
- 10
  Install a circuit breaker and then connect the black wire to the circuit breaker. Which circuit breaker you install depends upon the amperage of the circuit you want to protect. Amperage of a circuit is clearly identified on the wiring’s sheath.
- 11
  Repeat this procedure for additional circuit breakers.

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