"Electrical Rough" Build Show Build: Boston Ep. 10

[@cp37373]

Steve is the best part of this channel.

[@ManuelOctavio]

Steve and Matt obviously

[@dappersapper8080]

Nah, Steve carries Matt.

[@MrTexasDan]

@@ManuelOctavio Matt's great when you want to learn about what overpriced sponsored items are available. Steve is a teacher.

[@cp37373]

@@ManuelOctavio uh no. I said Steve for a reason. Gtfo

[@smitm108]

As a non-professional w/ a custom home build project on the horizon - probably the best, most informative video of the Boston Build series. Thanks …

[@benance18]

I really like listening to Steve. He is very knowledgeable and always aware that most viewers don't know "trade talk".

[@chrism2042]

As a commercial/industrial electrical contractor for 30 years, electrical and architectural engineer for 24 years, I purchased a custom built home from the builder that built the home for himself. It has baseboard receptacles, it really cleans up the walls, but I hate them for practical use! Nothing like standing on your head to plug in a vacuum!

[@scottrodman]

we have them in the current house and they work and look great. I am willing to lean over to get that added aesthetic element!

[@gerdberg4188]

Ya no baseboard receptacles suck ! Furniture hides the receptacles . As a matter of fact I have been putting receptacles for general use at two feet from the floor for years !

[@Padoinky]

I like how Steve asks the basic questions of each of the trades, and then the 2-3 follow-up questions that a curious fellow would likely ask Just put 1 plug in each room and 1 plug and light in the closet. Put plugs into the floors of all rooms… I have door jam switch lights in my pantry and all closets… The lighting package, for what is perhaps a +$3MM home, can’t be anything but 1st class

[@robertgarrett3980]

you cant just put "one plug in each rm" thats not code. (6ft/12ft) and any 2ft of wall space.

[@jessjackson2949]

This is a good book. Does provide a step by step introduction to how to build things kzbin.infoUgkxhgbP-6hUnXu_QRaoHgLztgsI0YF3HqR0 , also does offer some steps. Includes pictures to give you ideas for layouts and such. If you are looking for a guide, this is not exactly what you want. But if you are trying to familiarize yourself with the way that pole barn building and other out buildings, are made, then this will work just as you need it to. A few things in this book are a barn (of course), detached garage, storage building, and coops.

[@DrivingWithJake]

Great video as always guys! Also Matt congrats on 1M it's about time now onto 2M! :)

[@jonlittle2516]

Steve is great, super informative interactions with the trades.

[@evankaden657]

Knowledge is always good. More please.

[@wantsomething3319]

Glad you fixed your shirt from the beginning, (hee hee). Another phenomenal episode. It's amazing all the rules for panel placement, etc. Thanks as usual! Jayman...

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

Hey now, I know your not watching this the see me, your here to listen, I don't get paid to be a model lol

[@wantsomething3319]

@@stevenbaczekarchitect9431True, you're not a model! But just hearing you would never be as interesting as seeing and hearing you. Your enthusiasm is phenomenal. I was just busting you. Don't forget, you said I'm your uber fan, or something like that. When i made a comment on your integrity a few episodes ago. Jayman...

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

@@wantsomething3319 I'm bustin back - yes, fav fan status!!

[@jeremyjedynak]

It would be interesting to see a detailed breakdown of current and potential future power usage to understand how they arrived at 400 amp service for this house.

[@normandowell3474]

I’ve ran into the same thing with service size. 200 amp was an upgrade 15 years ago now it’s standard. A 300 amp service gets so expensive and make’s affordable building harder to do. On of the first houses I roughed in 100 amp 1000 sq ft ranch I did for about 4k. I laugh thinking about it now.

[@lucassitto]

Definitely leave whips for all baseboard outlets and do cut in boxes later. Makes everyones life real simple.

[@edwardlucero9665]

I hope my builder doesn’t get mad at me because I repeat what I’ve learned on your channel 😂

[@project4funner]

They 100% will haha. As a production builder myself it’s hard anytime a customer references a Matt or Steve detail. A lot of the best practices they use are what make it a 5 million dollar build.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

@@project4funner come on man, yes sometimes it costs money, but alot of times it is real short money to do the right thing. The reality is, good things cost money and people come to me asking for good things......

[@cp37373]

@@stevenbaczekarchitect9431 thank you for having quality standards.

[@bobainsworth5057]

An excellent very professional right wiring. Most people don't realize all the " figuring" it takes to get this done correctly. Great job.

[@elainebradley8213]

We built our house 12 years ago and read everything we could 1st. I brought up things with my contractor and we had a discussion on price vs value. That's why you have a contractor. Anything I pushed for I am thankful for, Anything I cheaped out on I regret.

[@rs2024-s4u]

For all my homes I usually have half of bedroom outlets switched for added convenience when floor lamps or teble top fixtures are used. I always use #12 for all home runs even if fused at 15amps this is money well spent and takes into account loads for some hand held devices and eliminates most voltagage drops for long runs in large homes.

[@jesinbeverly]

You should check out the IR operated low voltage door switches. The IR reflects off the door and keeps the light off when closed. When the door opens, the sensor no longer detects the IR and turns the light on. Discovered these in IKEA closet units. Great for a 12V strip of LEDs.

[@ritste1654]

That 300 amp service upgrade to 400 amp is to cover the ability to charge 2 electric cars in the garage, even though the power grid cannot support that type of load in every house. I imagine this is a big part of the future builds.

[@dlg5485]

In my opinion, that's why every new home should have some solar and batteries, so you are not entirely dependent on the reliability of grid power and can easily manage your draw from the utility.

[@HubstepCamaro]

300, even 400A is completely nuts for a grid tie. A home like this should be generating 50+ KW peak solar (so like 200-300KWH/day) and storing it locally in server rack batteries. You don’t need a fat grid connection at all. The grid is just a backup line and the house is a power island

[@dtemp132]

I charge two EVs off a 90A subpanel. 32A charger on a 40A circuit, and a 40A charger on 50A circuit. Total is 72A which is 80% of 90A. Also have 9.6kW of solar and a 3000 sqft house. You don't need these 400A services except for huge houses.

[@LincolnLog]

@@dtemp132 for people who want induction cooktop, its generally 50A for a range with 4 induction burners

[@ryanpalmer6816]

What a nonsense comment. There is no need for a panel that big to charge 2 cars. Do a tiny bit of research into load sharing arrangements. it's built into every Tesla wall connector, for example.

[@jamesrobinson1022]

The downside to having outlets in the baseboards is an inconvenience to bend over all the time to plug and unplug.

[@stevecrawford6958]

that 2' feet makes a huge difference, especially since you're doing it all the time, as you said.

[@scottrodman]

It is well worth the exercise to reach down there. Besides, the number of times that you have to reach down is minimal. Also, our current house has them in the baseboards and they look far better. It's just a design choice.

[@stevemcfarland4661]

I also wonder how much more cords can get knocked out...robot vac hitting etc

[@stevecrawford6958]

@@scottrodman bingo.

[@jayhawkmba]

Cleaner look. I'm not out of shape so it's not a problem

[@DesignsbyBlanc]

This was awesome!

[@kenyongillespie8652]

Thank you for all the great advice

[@cryptoistheway2738]

The A/V, Security, and Networking guy should be walking around with the electrical to plan all of those runs too. Also, now is the time to consider lighting control and systems.

[@scottrodman]

That was not covered in this video, but those are in process. This is the time to make sure that all bases are covered!

[@HubstepCamaro]

Yep! A home like this needs cat8 everywhere and fully shielded keystones for end to end shielding. Need to be setup for the eventual migration to PoE lighting

[@HubstepCamaro]

@@scottrodmanare you the owner?

[@guytech7310]

@@HubstepCamaro LOL! Its got Romex wiring, I don't think the homeowner will be running cat8 wiring. POE lighting is dumb. Keep it simple

[@HubstepCamaro]

@@guytech7310 PoE lighting is the future. LEDs don’t run off mains AC, they run off lower voltage DC and every bulb/plate has to have a converter. That converter is actually the most expensive part and fails long before the LED. With PoE you’re already DC and don’t need that hardware. Also, PoE gives you data at every light terminal, this is amazing for WRGB LEDs and integration with home automation. Existing solutions like Phillips hue use wireless mesh systems that are slow and prone to interference on the 2.4ghz band. PoE gives you 1-10gig at every light so in the future if you want to add cameras, air quality sensors, motion detectors, fire alarms, whatever etc you have both power and data that is reliable and efficient

[@camheady235]

The electric meter in the CSED (Combination Service Entrance Device) is where the grounding Ufer/rods/plates should be. Putting them so far apart invites the problems you are trying to dissipate. You would be better off driving TWO ten-foot rods near the meter, in series, 10+ feet apart, on one #4 solid copper wire, and SKIP the Ufer and any other grounding gear which is not in the right spot. Extra grounding gear, away from the one correct spot, is BAD. Also, one 15A line per bedroom is totally inadequate. Also, Sparky mentioned 100A and 125A sub-panels. I'd go 200A on those... no reason to skimp on those, and Square D (for example) does not make a four-stab 125 breaker for this application, only 150 and 200. I prefer 4x4 metal boxes over 2x4 plastic. Power strips go away that way if you do it right. The house is very LONG. Putting the two main 200A sub-panels at one end will eat a lot of wire. With more planning, a central location with the Ufer in the right spot would have been better, although the downside is mainly a few $k (5-10) of extra wire and cable and conduit.

[@anthonys7534]

15Amp ckt per bedroom is adequate. Never had a problem. I mean what the hell you runnin in there😂

[@camheady235]

@@anthonys7534 Long list of hair care, hobby, DIY, and medical devices come to mind.

[@HubstepCamaro]

Daddy’s water cooled 4090 rig uses a lot of watts 😎

[@CRsolar]

For sure look at this . Do you need a 400A service. Agree with some comments. New tech with these span panels etc. Ability to add solar backup power or gen backup is easier with 200A

[@scottrodman]

much, much easier with 200A!!! That has been an issue that the industry needs to address. They will, given the need to have more homes going all-electric and having the loads of EVs, heat pumps for heating, AC, water heaters, clothes dryers, and induction cooking. The need to go over 200A creates all kinds of difficult challenges that don't yet have great solutions.

[@southbendkid]

Love adjustable boxes but they can interfere with wide dimmers. Voltage drop can be a problem. I run 12 ga to all outlets, 14 ga for lights. Lights are on separate circuits. Who wants the lights to go out when a breaker trips?

[@scottrodman]

that is the plan

[@helmanfrow]

Aught refers to the digit zero.

[@gerdberg4188]

It’s counterintuitive to put a panel in any closet . You should have driven ground rods in the floor of the basement . Those would be in contact with damp earth at all times . Best scenario .

[@gerdberg4188]

Those sheet rockers will pinch that wire !!!

[@NathanMichalik]

I really wish more builders planned ahead like this. There's really no reason builders should be skimping on electrical capacity/options even when it's a gas house. It costs maybe a couple thousand extra to wire a house for electric appliances when it's being built, but at least double to 10x more in order to add it after the fact. I'm not saying ever house needs 400amp, but more saying every house should have the option for electric appliances.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

I think we are moving in the direction where all homes will be required to anticipate "all electric" - until the next best thing emerges

[@core8967]

Where do you want to spend your budget?

[@NathanMichalik]

@@core8967 Spend very little now or a ton later.

[@scottrodman]

happily, the state has just allowed 10 towns to be part of a pilot and allow them to have their citizens vote to ban fossil fuels in new homes and major retrofits. That will be a game changer, but also triggers the need for a larger service size. I am looking forward to thoughtful load sharing and load management.

[@arcusmc]

A 400A service is max for a 320A meter. The wire size will depend on the distance (voltage drop). Usually 320A services are a 4/0 Al minimum, at least for Tx utilities. The farther the distance from xfmr to meter the bigger the wire. Xfmr size is always a factor as well.

[@fuegoman45]

Great stuff. Thanks 🙏

[@garbo8962]

Around 13:30 electrician mentioned if this was a two story house he would place a panel in laundry room or walk in closet. The NEC has not allowed panels to be mounted in closets and un my area not allowed in walk in closets in last 40 years. Reason being guaranteed that homeowner will Install a clothes rack or block it in. Code states: PANELS MUST BE READILY ASSECEABLE. If you mount a panel in laundry room the homeowner is not allowed to install anything g think its less then 12" protruding from wall beneath any panels. Done electrical work for over 50 years and never once saw or heard of having to use a single 20' ground rod. What are they two 10' rods that screw together ?

[@daveaedion]

The 20' ground he mentioned is not a ground rod, it's a requirement for ufer grounds to have at least 20' of rebar or bare copper in concrete in direct contact with the earth.

[@chrism2042]

Always ground to the rebar and the building steel on commercial buildings

[@disqusrubbish5467]

I like the effort to make the boxes in the ceiling all line up, but maybe a laser level could do the job and save some time. Not an expensive one, but each guy could have one of the $70-ish ones. Maybe not all the boxes if you use a hammer for measuring from the floor, but kitchens and baths they'd be handy too. Just my 2 cents worth.

[@dlg5485]

That string probably went up in 2 minutes and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a laser level. Sometimes simple is best.

[@robertgarrett3980]

@@dlg5485 That or a couple blocks of wood cut at 13" and 43"! It can vary just want them the same.

[@AaronOwensCo]

I lay out the light placement on the floor and shoot a laser up from the center to the ceiling. It’s easier to use the tape measure on the floor than measure overhead

[@disqusrubbish5467]

@@AaronOwensCo Exactly

[@HubstepCamaro]

Steve, I’m an Electrical Engineer and some of the stuff in this video has me confused/concerned. I’m 7 minutes in so maybe I’ll edit this after I finish it, but: 1) 400 amp service is absolutely nuts for a grid tie 2) a house of this caliber and scale is looking at what, 40-60KW+ solar on top? More? That means we’re talking like 250-350KWH/day in generation. That’s enough to put 300+ miles on 3 EVs and run the whole house. 3) A proper setup here is running solar strings series HVDC (500V) into a sol ark 15k stack (3-4x) with 60KWH-per server rack battery banks (so 120-180KWH storage). Price is $1500 per 5KWH in may 2023. 4) the grid tie in this case needs to then only be 50A, maybe 100A because the house produces its own power and the grid is essentially a backup that can slow charge the batteries overnight if you have weeks of poor sun etc, and enough capacity to resell power from peak (but this will be worthless in most areas depending on net metering rules) Your client is basically getting ripped off paying for 400A of “bandwidth” to a grid he shouldn’t be using in the first place. Look up sol ark 15k and eg4 server rack batteries, see what I mean.

[@anthonyking7849]

Probably has his hands tied by the nec. No provisions for service size reduction based on solar. Also winter nights in the north highest electric heating demand can't easily be offset by solar. Also batteries and solar can fail. Would hate for someone to freeze to death waiting on a replacement battery etc.

[@HubstepCamaro]

@@anthonyking7849 Interesting, yeah if it’s a code requirement then that’s just embarrassing (for the NEC). As for batteries/inverters failing, in this size of a house you’d be running 3x sol ark 15K’s in parallel or more. If one goes down you still have a ton of capacity. For the batteries, a home like this would easily have 120+KWH of storage. That 120KWH is 24x 5KWH server rack batteries which have completely independent BMS. The odds of any one of them failing is low, and multiple at the same time extremely low. You’d need something like a catastrophic fire/flood to take out the entire electrical system, and fires are extremely rare with stationary storage batteries because they use a much more stable chemistry (LiFePO4) As for power load, modern heat pumps are 20+ SEER2 and rated down to -20F before emergency heat strips kick in. And again a house like this would likely be running 4+ separate units each in the 2-3 ton range (tight custom homes with high end insulation require far less raw power to heat/cool, and lower tonnage units are more efficient in terms of SEER2/HSPF2)

[@anthonyking7849]

@@HubstepCamaro I don't disagree that there should be more allowances for engineering in electrical service sizing. However we don't have enough information to determine adequate service or if they are even doing batteries. A house of this size could have 3 ovens an induction cooktop electric floor heat in a bathroom. Infrared heaters on the porch an ev that pulls 80 amps while charging 2 dryers. It is sized without solar because the solar will fail long before the electric panels and I imagine the service is sized so that it doesn't require the solar to function. Solar is great but shouldn't be a requirement to live comfortably in a home.

[@HubstepCamaro]

@@anthonyking7849 They mention batteries in the video. As for “solar will fail long before the electric panels”. They’re glass and silicon. Short of a major event like a tornado or hail the panels will last 50+ years. Modern ones come with 35 year *warranties*. You do have slight degradation each year, but you resolve that with adding/replacing single panels every so often. Solar should be a requirement on new construction anyways, but again: A roof that size could reasonably be configured with 50, 60, maybe 80,000 watts of peak power depending on panel specs. Multiply that by 5 for a KWH/day rating. That’s MORE than enough for multiple EV’s charging hundreds of miles per day (not realistic), pool heaters, floor heating (use heat pump people seriously come on), and anything you want short of a grow op

[@GregStroupe]

400 amp service on a net zero house does not compute.

[@littlemanwithglasses5491]

Steve when can I return to this build it coming along amazingly

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

35:18 15amp? You're telling me nobody will ever use a hair dryer and a desktop PC in a bedroom at the same time?

[@camheady235]

Two 20A lines per bedroom would be a good starting point, with lots of 4x4 metal boxes at 36".

[@Mystic-l3r]

Right about the hair dryer though

[@raymondpeters9186]

Pumicecrete is by far the best building material on the planet Pumicecrete is a mixture of pumice cement and water mixed and poured into a set of reusable forms walls are poured from 12"to 24" thick pumicecrete is fireproof termite proof rust rot and mold proof non toxic and has a high R value and good sound attenuation solid poured walls means no critters can live in your walls Pumicecrete can be built for a fraction of the cost and time and pumice is one of the few building materials that can go directly from the mine to the job site ready to use without any additional possessing and zero waste Google all the walls of my house are made of pumicecrete Take care Ray

[@orcoastgreenman]

Hempcrete is a similar option, that requires no mining of the mass reducing filler, and creates a wall that breathes. How does pumicrete compare on moisture breathability?

[@raymondpeters9186]

@@orcoastgreenman Good afternoon Pumicecrete is not like any other building material to build a pumicecrete home all it takes are 3 materials Pumice cement and water Pumice is structural and does not any additional materials unlike hempcrete that is just an infill With pumicecrete you can build many things you can't build with hempcrete Floors walls roof counter tops shower hot tub pool furniture bed stands and many other things Although hempcrete is a good insulator is has its limitations and can only be used as infill and with pumicecrete is is impervious to water and nothing can hurt it and will last forever Many structures in Rome that are 2000 years old are made of pumice and are still standing today Show me a 2000 hempcrete house there aren't any Take care Ray

[@raymondpeters9186]

@@orcoastgreenman as for mining pumice is the least invasive form of mining Pumice mining does not require water or chemicals or causes any pollution or negative effects on the land and pumice is one of the few building materials that can go directly from the mine to the job site ready to use without any additional possessing and zero waste Where as hemp takes land water time to grow and a possessing facility to possess the question I have is how long does it take from when you plant the seed to when it goes in your walls It only took 3 days from when I ordered it to get to my house and the pumice came from central California to the the bottom of the Baja Todos Santos Mexico Without a doubt pumicecrete is by far the best building material on the planet

[@gerdberg4188]

Put a heavy box with a three wire feed in every room regardless .

[@Martin4Mary4Ever]

I've seen several homes with a 400A MSP especially in California

[@colebestgen1519]

Its a shame that you don't put all the solar equipment in the basement - if you roughed in the home run from the PV panels on the roof to the string inverter or combiner box that box could live in the basement. NEC only requires you to have shutdown switch or button next to the meter. We build clean looking custom home solar set ups all the time. I would love to go into more details about it with the Build Show

[@scottrodman]

the solar equipment is going in the basement utility room. The array will be microinverter based, not a string inverter. Of the three arrays I have done, the only one that regularly fails is the inverter-based unit that blows fuses and we have had to replace the Solar Edge inverter after a few years. The batteries cannot be inside finished space with any living space under the current fire regs, even though they will be lithium iron phosphate, NOT lithium ION

[@chris259charter]

More nuclear? Life of and disposal of the PVs?

[@gerdberg4188]

There are not enough outlets , remember the code is the “ minimum “ required !

[@bigneilh]

sonoff devices with magnetic sensors are cheap and nice for the closet lights

[@scottjarriel6761]

Since you are considering running the main service feed inside the house from the front to the back (if you are not allowed to bring it underground to the back), why not put the main panels near all of the solar equipment in the garage instead? Seems like that would perhaps be a bit more central to activities and sub-box placements.

[@scottrodman]

lots of trade-offs with each approach. Still working on the plan for that AND what the utility will allow. That is always a big factor.

[@larrytinnin3357]

Better read the thin light instructions, they require 3 or 6 inches of clear space above! Google the instructions

[@johnsalyer6192]

What about the fire alarms (smoke detectors)

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

They are in there - just didn't talk about them, I will pick up talk about them in the finish electrical walk - thanks

[@johnsalyer6192]

@@stevenbaczekarchitect9431 Thank you, also are they required to also be co2 detectors?

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

@@johnsalyer6192 they are all on the electrical plans, just didn't discuss them

[@robertgarrett3980]

@@johnsalyer6192 One on each floor. In some areas(jurisdictions) in bedrooms if the room is small you wont be able to have a fan due to the 6ft code for the smokes! "Interpretations"!

[@scottrodman]

@@johnsalyer6192 You might have meant CO. I believe that they are still required, even though there is no source of CO in the house.

[@laloajuria4678]

great vid but really quiet?!

[@k---youtube]

14-2 all over the place! I stopped installing 14-2 thirty years ago! They maybe saved 200 bucks! On a several hundred thousand $ home, scabby! If that was my house they would have all nine employees tearing out all the 14 gauge wire an replacing it with 12 gauge! I bet they have most of the branch circuits maxed out also! Sad

[@camheady235]

Ditto!

[@moonballmorrison490]

Ha ha hardo

[@mikejf4377]

Why are they not putting a smart panel like a SPAN panel which helps with solar and can elevate a second panel for what is ran off of solar?

[@scottrodman]

we are using Schneider/Square D's load management. The Span approach was not really set up to work with the micro-inverter system being used and its size without considering them as two totally separate arrays. Since the decision was made, there is now integration with the micro-inverters, but I have not seen the solution.

[@gerdberg4188]

Outlets in baseboards are much more subject to physical damage and interfere with furniture placement ……in closets ….. sensor is the way to go….jamb switch is a pain …….plus lighting is soon going to be all low voltage……

[@157-40_T]

Is it better to install electrical rough first before rough plumbing or do you have a site project meeting to determine?

[@patrickkenny2077]

Plumbing first since slope is critical.

[@raymondpeters9186]

Plumbing first it's easier for wire it go around pipe than pipe to go around wire Retired electrician Take care Ray

[@gerdberg4188]

The open outlet …..great ….. I always put in open outlets ………..2 feet high for outlets check the ADA…..

[@patrickkenny2077]

Any network cabling going in at rough? Provisions for wall-mounted TVs?

[@scottrodman]

thanks - all of those are going to be going in, just not shown in this episode. They will come later.

[@HubstepCamaro]

@@scottrodmanAre you the home owner? I’m an Electrical Engineer who recently finished a home and have done some extensive R&D on solar/off grid. I can send you some good resources if you’re interested

[@scottrodman]

@@HubstepCamaro definitely. the entire idea of the house and series is to have everyone learn and create awareness of new ideas. Bringing down the incremental cost of passive is also a desire, but that takes serious effort.

[@anthonyking7849]

Watching this as an electrician I'm like yes another guy who cares about his craft. But then he is gonna use glare bomb wafers. Probably pushed on him by the client.

[@concernedcitizen913]

Please, please, please DO NOT put wafer lights in this beautifully crafted home. DO NOT let your electrician select your lighting, lighting spacing criteria, or controls. This is not a knock on your electrician. He certainly knows his trade, but he is not a "lighting guy." Lighting is an integral part of the function of a home and it serves a much greater purpose than simply illuminating your living space. Do you have artwork to illuminate? Varying ceiling heights? Specific furniture layouts? Specific TV mounting locations? These are just a few things to consider when locating lighting. Wafer lights are glary, cheap, and ugly. Get decent quality regressed or deep regressed down lights. Your eyes will thank you. You will also have the option to select color combinations other than white. There are certain applications where adjustable down lights will serve you well. Use dimmers to control every single lighting load. Use timer switches to control exhaust fans. Don't skimp a few thousand dollars on the aesthetics and functionality of your home by choosing a cheap lighting package that will be used every single time your home is occupied.

[@alexanderjamieson7971]

Power disconnect on the outside of the house? That sounds like a burglar's wet dream.

[@Lukester44]

I thought the same thing lol

[@scottrodman]

The only disconnects outside are code required.

[@alexanderjamieson7971]

@@scottrodman right, but they're accessible outside. If a firefighter can quickly disconnect power from outside, so can a burglar.

[@HubstepCamaro]

You’re right, it’s dumb but it’s required now in a lot of places. I at least padlocked mine

[@jayhawkmba]

Eh...don't most alarms have batteries?

[@Mystic-l3r]

Those boxes strip out

[@jayhawkmba]

Not my experience. I love it when electricians put sheetrock screws in a new box to hold the switch.

[@boeing757pilot]

Agree. My house was done with metal boxes.

[@dlg5485]

400 amp holy cow!

[@camheady235]

For a "net-zero" house.

[@HubstepCamaro]

I’ve posted all over the comments, but IMO as an Electrical Engineer 400A grid tie is really dumb. The reason being this size house should have a huge solar array, which feeds into a large battery bank and inverter setup. This means you could easily have 1000+A of “local” capacity, the grid tie link can be small because you’re not using that much at all if you designed the system appropriately It is entirely feasible for this home to be net zero, and I don’t understand why it needs such a fat grid connection

[@snuffyupagus2216]

Is it still at ~120 volts?

[@camheady235]

120 and 240

[@snuffyupagus2216]

@@camheady235 one of each per run?

[@camheady235]

@@snuffyupagus2216 Even more! Run #12 red, black, white, and green and you get it all! And spring for a dual function (AF and GF) breaker, too.

[@snuffyupagus2216]

@@camheady235 Thanks Cam! That is really interesting, very different to what we do here in Australia. Where you mention #12, is that 12 AWG? seems kinda small, our mains are normally 6 AWG or bigger for new builds. We also must have RCBOs for all circuits (legal requirement) which seem to be similar to the AF/GF breaker.

[@camheady235]

@@snuffyupagus2216 Yes, I mean 12 AWG copper with my "#12" abbreviation. #6 copper is BIG enough to run a standard 4-burner + oven electric stove or a car charger or a big water heater. Ordinary house circuits are #12 and #14 copper, although I like to avoid #14 to be better prepared for the future. Your RCBOs have GF (Ground Fault) and over-current protection but I'm not sure about your AF (Arc Fault (two kinds of Arc Faults exist)).

[@robertgarrett3980]

Dont use door switches! Unless you won't to see your electrician again soon or you are needing customers for service work. And on the topic of ceiling fans in bedrooms, as long as the room has room for smoke detectors. That though can go back to the area you are working " interpretations" seem to very on the english! lol

[@solarforfuture]

400 amps.?. outta control .. solar load on my single fam, full load. 2,000 WATTS.. 20 amps. have gas heat./water... wow, must be nice.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

Please remember - here it is about projecting anticipated load

[@NathanMichalik]

If you have gas, your load is probably minimal. Generating heat is what starts to really consume power. A ~7gpm tankless water heater alone calls for about 160amps. Not saying I'd recommend that, but just for reference. Even a standard tank electric water heater is going to match/exceed your current load all by itself if it's not some sort of pump/hybrid. I guess the point is it all adds up quick and having options is going to save huge costs in the long run. I have a 200amp service, but I'm switching most of my appliances to electric (7kWh solar grid tied). I'll be ok for now, but if I wanted to add a level 2 EV charger, I very well could hit that 200amp limit. Thinking long term is far more sustainable. I've already had to some very destructive work in order to update the cabling for my water heater, range, and dryer load needs. Had the builder cared about attention to detail/future planning, they could have easily/cheaply added these extra provisions to the build.

[@stevecrawford6958]

i was wondering how long it would take for the 'wow must be nice' comments to come in

[@Padoinky]

I just finished my house here in NW AR, in Oct. I’ve got 2 200amp service boxes and IIRC, my home in DFW had same

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

@@stevecrawford6958 yup - it doesn't take long, what gets me is they make comments like I am intentionally just spending client money, for this house, this is what the electrician recommended, and the jurisdiction will soon require

[@helmanfrow]

P.S. You can each wear a mic ;)

[@helmanfrow]

Ah, I see you sorted that out in the next shot.

[@Sarkassociates]

The only way to get net zero with solar is to buy the electricity; i.e. you have to oversized the system to make up for the lack of enough useful sunlight in your region. Not worth the expense. I’m from Michigan and would never consider a large solar install, as there simply isn’t enough sunlight to justify it.

[@stevenbaczekarchitect9431]

That's not true for here, i have a large number of Zero Energy Homes here where they payback in about 5-6 years......typical

[@HubstepCamaro]

This isn’t true, the panels are cheap. If you live in the barren wasteland we call north of Kentucky just get a few extra panels to up the capacity.

[@scottrodman]

I guess that time will tell, but prior experience with three arrays has shown that their performance and economics have been fantastic. This array will be a multiple of the size of the prior ones and the analysis shows that this should perform very well. Winter is always a problem, so the analysis is always on an annual basis. With a full south exposure for the large roof section that will be all solar, and a decent pitch on the metal roof, this is expected to perform very well. Battery settings are changed with the season and whether participation in the utility's peak demand program to draw down the batteries in peak periods will allow for full daily recharge on most days.

[@garbo8962]

Can not understand why lazy Ultility companies just don't make smart meter companies install a lever to manually cut power from house. They already have a set of contacts to turn power off from Ultility office. At least once every five years we have snow that drifts up 4 to 5' making g it impossible to open rear door to reset a circuit breaker that a lot of 100 to 200 amp services are being I stalled outdoors.

[@scottrodman]

when installing the solar array in the current home, neither the utility, the electrical inspector, of the fire department even required a shutoff for the batteries despite my push to the installer to put one in. When they added the third Tesla battery, that is when the utility caught it and required it. Not sure if that was due to a different approval pathway due to the size, a change in code, or the realization that it was essential. I asked the inspector and fire department afterward and they had never thought of this. Technology moves faster than the code! The shutoff for the solar array itself has been a code requirement for some time.

[@mackfisher4487]

TOO BIG: 400 amp meter panel with disconnect Architect should push the electrical industry to come up with a clean almost beautiful looking 400 amp service/disconnect as compact as possible. For the electrician should be fast and easy to install, Thanks smart too.

[@stevecrawford6958]

anything else? lol keep dreaming.

[@camheady235]

One wrinkle would be the size of the enclosure to allow the large bending radius needed for such big wires. You might have to have different versions of the same enclosure where each version covers a different "feed" angle.

[@scottrodman]

this remains a huge issue that is not easy to resolve and will take a long time for code, utility requirements, inspectors, and the industry to resolve. For now, it is an unfortunate need in terms of cost, size, aesthetics, and impact.

[@JustHazardous]

First thing they show are two men climbing up too high on a step ladder. The amount of safety violations that go on in these videos is laughable. I've never worked "residential" - always worked on industrial or utility jobs, but basic safety for these guys is awful compared to any job I have ever been on. I've been in the electrical trade for 30 years. And don't tell me he's only on an 8' step ladder. I watched a mason fall off the same first step down on an 8' step ladder and break his neck - the guy wound up paralyzed.

[@scottrodman]

ladder safety and mounts for harnesses on the roof for winter visits to the roof are important. I had one subcontractor remove ladders that they brought that were not up to par and we are doing safety visits to make sure that everyone is doing the things that will keep the project free of injuries. I took comments on that and am also having a Werner rep come out to advise on things that they can add to best practices. Thanks for the comments.

[@craigmoen497]

Get a tripod!!! of at least a monopod! The camera is all over the place... spend a buck...