# NO main breaker no nada



## MattInLA (Apr 23, 2012)

I live in an 18 unit apartment complex built in 1952 in Los Angeles. I'm a bit of a handyman so I was checking out my electric and what I found is pretty disturbing. It's all old 220V Federal Pacific stuff. There are no main breakers on any apartment breaker panel. But what's weirder is that there are no main breakers for the complex either certainly no subpanels. There's not even a main cut off switchbox! NOTHING! I see one huge splice box going to the wiring trays in one direction and a huge pipe going straight down into the ground in the other. Is this LEGAL? If there's a problem in a wiring bay this place is going to go up like the 4th of July, what is going on?


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## oldtimer (Jun 10, 2010)

MattInLA said:


> I live in an 18 unit apartment complex built in 1952 in Los Angeles. I'm a bit of a handyman so I was checking out my electric and what I found is pretty disturbing. It's all old 220V Federal Pacific stuff. There are no main breakers on any apartment breaker panel. But what's weirder is that there are no main breakers for the complex either certainly no subpanels. There's not even a main cut off switchbox! NOTHING! I see one huge splice box going to the wiring trays in one direction and a huge pipe going straight down into the ground in the other. Is this LEGAL? If there's a problem in a wiring bay this place is going to go up like the 4th of July, what is going on?







I'm a bit of a handyman. MODS?


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## nolabama (Oct 3, 2007)

If this were wired today then no this would not be legal. whats going on is you have a 70yo electrical system


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Probably 6 breakers in the apartment sub panels or some such. Or split-bus panels.

Get an electrician out there :thumbup:


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## wildleg (Apr 12, 2009)

awesome. I love Federal Pacific. 

I bet $.25 that your sub panel is a split bus.

sweet dreams.


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## nolabama (Oct 3, 2007)

ahhh 70yo split buss and handy man lol


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

"_A bit of a handyman_"??? 

As CLEARLY laid out in the sign up page:


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