PG&E is a PITA

[chaz88k5]

PG&E is a pain in the freekin ass...they came out today to check out where the new service will go into the shop i am building....I am tryin to get a 400 amp service put in...yea i know way way over kill but i figure its cheaper to do it now than have to upgrade it later if need be...well the guy that came out keeps tellin me that i dont need it blah blah... :argue: so finaly he told me to write up all the equipment i have and plan to get with the amp requirements before he would consider letting me go to 400amp..after spending about 2 hours online lookin up power specs for different things finaly got it...390amps total...10 to spare...haha :pimp2: and yes i know not everything would ever be runnin at the same time needin to draw that much amprage all at one time...but it would be nice to know i could if i wanted to.. hahaha

[gokartergo]

We deal with PG&E every day.. You need a 20%buffer.... At 390 amps They are going to try and push it up to a 600 amp service.... You need it to total 320 amps to get a 400 amp service..

[Esteban86K5]

Just make sure you are polite when you say " here's you damn list you ASS!" :D

[chaz88k5]

We deal with PG&E every day.. You need a 20%buffer.... At 390 amps They are going to try and push it up to a 600 amp service.... You need it to total 320 amps to get a 400 amp service..

the guy is tryin to only give me a 200 amp.... :roll: sayin ill never use anything more than that....shit right now i have 100 amp...and i dont even have enough to run my welder without popin breakers left and right :roll:

[gokartergo]

What I am trying to day is.. you have to have a 20% buffer. That is for start up power on motors and such.. Say you have a panel that is 100 amps.. and everything you run is 80 amps. That gives you 20% for start up.. So if you have a total of 390 amps. Then your min panel would need to be 468 amps. and since they don't make a 500 amp panel then they are going to make you go up to a 600 amp panel.. adjust the equipment list to show about 320 amps. and tell them you will be running a side buisness and you will be using most of the equipment a lot.. If PG&E has to change the wire size going in they will have a min bill to you.. If you don't draw has much power has you say that you will in the first year.. They will come back at you and back charge you.. Yes they are a pain in the ass to work with..

[crewcabroller]

We deal with PG&E every day.. You need a 20%buffer.... At 390 amps They are going to try and push it up to a 600 amp service.... You need it to total 320 amps to get a 400 amp service..

the guy is tryin to only give me a 200 amp.... :roll: sayin ill never use anything more than that....shit right now i have 100 amp...and i dont even have enough to run my welder without popin breakers left and right :roll:

But your not popping the main, your probably popping the breaker that feeds your welder which is probably undersized since it probably used to be a dryer outlet or something...

I have a 100 amp service running my whole shop and my house :blink: High bays with a 10hp mill running with a 2 hp lathe plus a compressor and sometimes a welder. I too believe a 200 amp would be more than plenty but hey whatever.

On my new house I'm going 200 amp service with a 100 amp sub panel on the house for the house. Then a 100 amp sub panel in the shop.

Are you overhead or underground service where your at? I've had a hard time finding 400 amp overhead service residential style panels before.

[gokartergo]

Yep for almost anybody..200 amp is more then enough.. You more then likely will not runn all 390 amps at the same time..

[crewcabroller]

And if you do you will get OWNED by your power bill :flipoff2:

[chaz88k5]

We deal with PG&E every day.. You need a 20%buffer.... At 390 amps They are going to try and push it up to a 600 amp service.... You need it to total 320 amps to get a 400 amp service..

the guy is tryin to only give me a 200 amp.... :roll: sayin ill never use anything more than that....shit right now i have 100 amp...and i dont even have enough to run my welder without popin breakers left and right :roll:

But your not popping the main, your probably popping the breaker that feeds your welder which is probably undersized since it probably used to be a dryer outlet or something...

I have a 100 amp service running my whole shop and my house :blink: High bays with a 10hp mill running with a 2 hp lathe plus a compressor and sometimes a welder. I too believe a 200 amp would be more than plenty but hey whatever.

On my new house I'm going 200 amp service with a 100 amp sub panel on the house for the house. Then a 100 amp sub panel in the shop.

Are you overhead or underground service where your at? I've had a hard time finding 400 amp overhead service residential style panels before.

100 amp sub pannel will be pulled off the 400 goin to the house...then the remaining 300 will be for the shop/garage/laundry...then once all the inspections are done runnin power out to my shed for lights and goin to put the compressor in the shed to cut the noise down a little..so that will eat up 30amps for the compressor and another 5 for lights out in the shed

now that i am thinkin about it i dident even take into consideration amprage for the well or lighting for the shop...haha so ill prob be pushin 420 or more...(if everything was all on at the same time)