Sub-panels are wired directly to the main electrical panel.
An electrical sub-panel is an extension and smaller version of the main electrical panel. Power to the sub-panel comes directly from the main panel via a single heavier-gauge electrical cable. Sub-panels allow access to circuit breakers in areas that are far from the main panel. Installing one can result in savings because it eliminates the need to run multiple cables from the main panel to a distant area. Wiring a sub-panel requires knowledge of local and national electrical codes. Qualified training and experience are also necessary to safely and properly accomplish this task.
Instructions
1. Disconnect power to your home by flipping the main circuit breaker switch to its Off position. Check lights and appliances to make sure there is no more power from the electrical panel. Remove the panel cover with a slotted screwdriver.
2. Climb to the attic or crawl space above the ceiling and slip the end of an electrical cable through an opening directly above the main electrical panel. Drop the cable down to a knockout on top of the panel and carefully pull down the cable from inside the panel by about 2 feet. Be very careful not to allow any part of your body to come in contact with conductors inside the main panel.
3. Locate the wall where you wish to mount the sub-panel and determine the exact spot where you will attach the sub-panel. Locate the studs that run vertically inside the wall with a stud finder tool. Mark the stud locations using a pencil. Remove the sub-panel cover, then screw the sub-panel securely onto the studs using screws supplied with the panel.
4. Remove the center knockout on top of the sub-panel to provide an opening for the feeder cable running from the main panel, using lineman's pliers. Remove the knockouts on either side of the panel to provide openings for the circuit wires. Screw cable clamps into the knockouts and lock the clamps with lock nuts that came with the clamps.
5. Run the cable across the ceiling to the area directly above sub-panel. Attach the cable onto surfaces using cable staples at 2-foot intervals. Drill a hole in the ceiling on the spot directly above the center knockout on top of the sub-panel using a power drill with an auger bit.
6. Slip the tip of the cable through the hole you drilled and drop the feeder cable down to the sub-panel. Slip the cable through the center knockout on top of the panel and pull down the cable from inside the panel. Provide about 2 feet of cable inside the sub-panel and cut the cable, using diagonal pliers. Secure the cable running along the wall, using cable clamps that fasten onto walls.
7. Strip off 1 inch of insulation from the tip of the feeder wires that run from the main panel, using diagonal pliers. Route each black power wire neatly to each terminal lug on the main circuit breaker. Route the white or neutral wire to the terminal lug on the neutral buss bar. Route the bare, or green, wire to the terminal lug on the ground bar.
8. Plug each wire to its corresponding terminal lug, and tighten each lug securely with either an Allen wrench or slotted screwdriver. Isolate the ground bar from the neutral bar by removing the metal tie bar connecting the neutral to the ground bars. Neutral lines should not be connected to ground lines inside the sub-panel to prevent stray current from running through the ground on appliances powered by the circuit.
9. Slip each set of wires coming from each circuit that will draw current from the sub-panel into the sub-panel through the knockouts on either side of the sub-panel. Route each wire to its corresponding terminal using the following configuration: all white wires connect to the neutral buss bar, all green (sometimes bare) wires connect to the grounding bar and all black wires plug to a terminal screw at the end of each circuit breaker.
10. Trim excess wires with diagonal pliers. Strip off 1/2 inch of insulation from the tip of each wire, using a wire stripper. Plug each wire to an available slot on the neutral and ground bars. Plug each black wire to its corresponding terminal screw on the circuit breakers. Tighten all terminal screws with a screwdriver. Tighten the cable clamps to secure the wires passing through the knockouts. Flip all switches in the sub-panel to their Off position. Replace the sub-panel cover, using screws you removed earlier.
11. Remove the sheathing of the feeder cable running from the sub-panel into the main panel to expose its inner wires. Route each wire neatly to its corresponding terminal in the following order: white wire to the neutral buss bar, green (or bare) wire to the grounding bar, and black wires to the circuit breaker that will control the sub-panel.
12. Plug each wire to its corresponding terminal screw and tighten each screw securely. Replace the sub-panel cover. Turn on the main circuit breaker, and turn on each circuit breaker inside the sub-panel one by one when all other wiring works along each circuit is completed.
Tips Warnings
Do not attempt to install electrical circuits unless you possess qualified training and experience.
Circuit breakers inside the sub-panel must be rated according to the load that will use its power.
The total load of all circuit breakers inside the sub-panel should not exceed the rated capacity of the circuit breaker controlling the sub-panel.
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