“Balancing a breaker box”

[RockChalk28]

Most people hear about these urban myths that if you balance your breaker box then you can save all this money. I know enough about electricity and enough electricians to know this is false. My question is a little different. I have a 100 amp breaker in my box that has never been on on my life. It is for the old electric furnace. I am an HVAC installer so I am putting a new furnace in my house. The furnace calls for 15 amp breaker/14-2 wire. The new A/C calls for a 40 amp breaker, no specification it needs to be double or single pole. I’ve seen electricians do both. When I pull that 100 amp breaker out of the box, what should I do? Just replace that breaker with a double pole 40 amp since it was obviously ran as a double pole? Are their any other options? Is it dangerous to pull a 100 amp out of the middle of the box and only replace it with a 40 amp? I’m very skilled technically and with a lot of things. I can use a multimeter and figure out open neutrals and grounds and such. I just don’t have much experience with actual breaker boxes and if there needs to be a code followed for this. Also I have multiple breakers that are no longer being used. Not sure what to do with those either. For the short term I can wire my furnace up with a nice extension cord and plug it in if I have to since winter is coming lol.

 

[James]

Reducing the size of a breaker will never be a danger.
if you have got your calculations wrong, you may get unwanted tripping.

 

[RockChalk28]

Reducing the size of a breaker will never be a danger.
if you have got your calculations wrong, you may get unwanted tripping.

I didn’t think so. Would you just install a double pole since that area is already set up for a double pole? Or does it really matter? I’m sure the 100 amp breaker takes up all 4 slots because it’s so large. Is that right? Or are those other slots next to it something else? Haha I just always assumed all four of those were dedicated to the 100 amp breaker but I was never for certain since I have never messed around with 100 amp breakers

 

[Megawatt]

Most people hear about these urban myths that if you balance your breaker box then you can save all this money. I know enough about electricity and enough electricians to know this is false. My question is a little different. I have a 100 amp breaker in my box that has never been on on my life. It is for the old electric furnace. I am an HVAC installer so I am putting a new furnace in my house. The furnace calls for 15 amp breaker/14-2 wire. The new A/C calls for a 40 amp breaker, no specification it needs to be double or single pole. I’ve seen electricians do both. When I pull that 100 amp breaker out of the box, what should I do? Just replace that breaker with a double pole 40 amp since it was obviously ran as a double pole? Are their any other options? Is it dangerous to pull a 100 amp out of the middle of the box and only replace it with a 40 amp? I’m very skilled technically and with a lot of things. I can use a multimeter and figure out open neutrals and grounds and such. I just don’t have much experience with actual breaker boxes and if there needs to be a code followed for this. Also I have multiple breakers that are no longer being used. Not sure what to do with those either. For the short term I can wire my furnace up with a nice extension cord and plug it in if I have to since winter is coming lol.

Yes just replace your 100 for a 40 amp double pole breaker. All the other breakers you said wasn’t used just take the wires loose from the breaker and tape them up. Your new unit will need to be 40 amp double pole. You also have to have disconnects at the unit plus a GFCI receptacle within 25 feet of the unit. Good luck

 

[RockChalk28]

Yes just replace your 100 for a 40 amp double pole breaker. All the other breakers you said wasn’t used just take the wires loose from the breaker and tape them up. Your new unit will need to be 40 amp double pole. You also have to have disconnects at the unit plus a GFCI receptacle within 25 feet of the unit. Good luck

I knew about the disconnects, but I had no idea about the GFCI receptacle within 25 feet of the unit. Why is that exactly? I know one of the 15 amp breakers I’ll be using to run the furnace on. Just have to figure out where the wire is going and why it’s not being used ?? thanks a lot for your help.

 

[Megawatt]

I knew about the disconnects, but I had no idea about the GFCI receptacle within 25 feet of the unit. Why is that exactly? I know one of the 15 amp breakers I’ll be using to run the furnace on. Just have to figure out where the wire is going and why it’s not being used ?? thanks a lot for your help.

The receptacle is for a service receptacle for the HVAC guys can Plug there tools into when they work on it