Considering going electric - advise with main panel

[BeardedIdiot]

Hey everyone,
I have been researching this for a while, and am wanting to try to go electric. I currently do 5.5 gallon batches, BIAB on propane. I will most likely stay with BIAB, and will keep my keggle for 5.5gallon batches, but I'm also considering creating a 2-3 gal setup for smaller batches so I can brew more often.

I would like to do either a new regular 50amp breaker in my main panel, run a line to the garage, and then do a 50amp spa panel that the controller runs off of, or do a 50amp GFCI in the main panel, run the lines to the garage, and just have an outlet(s) to plug the controller into.

Please take a look at the pictures of my main panel and give me any advise you can.

The main panel is GE, with a 200 amp main breaker. Three is a 100 amp breaker, a 50 amp breaker, a 30 amp dryer breaker, a 30 amp water heater breaker, a 20 amp GFCI breaker, and then a variety of 20 amp and 15 amp breakers. I added all of the breakers up, and there is a total of 405 amps of breakers in the box. There are 8 empty slots left.

I am not sure what the 100 and 50 amp breakers are covering. I have a gas furnace and electric heat pump air conditioner.

There is a sub-panel on the side of the furnace, with a 30 amp and 15 amp breaker. The 30 amp is labeled A/C, and the 15 amp runs an outlet that a condensation pump runs off of.

I really need to go through and figure out what all of the breakers control, since the majority of them are unlabeled. I might try to get an electrician in to help me figure them out as well.

Do you guys think that I can add a 50 amp breaker in here for brewing purposes, with everything it already has?

 

[atoughram]

I'm pretty sure you can add another breaker, but if you don't know what your doing or what you can or cannot touch behind the dead front, you may want to enlist the help of a licensed electrician.

 

[BeardedIdiot]

I'm pretty sure you can add another breaker, but if you don't know what your doing or what you can or cannot touch behind the dead front, you may want to enlist the help of a licensed electrician.

I have done quite a bit of electrical work over the years, although I have never added a breaker to a panel. I've gone through some tutorials online and feel like I could probably do it myself.

But, what I may do is buy everything I need, run the wire myself, and then have an electrician come out just to do the hookup and make sure I didn't screw anything up. That would probably be my cheapest option while still making sure everything is safe.

At my last house, I went through and tested every outlet and figured out which breakers controlled them. That was a major pain in the arse and I'm really not looking forward to doing it again, even in a slightly smaller house...

 

[atoughram]

I'd be interested in whats hooked up to the 100A breaker - that would be huge wire - is there a sub-panel near by?

 

[BeardedIdiot]

No subpanel nearby (that I've found). The only sub-panel I do know of is the one on the side of the furnace. It does have a 30 and a 15 amp breaker in it, but that could be covered by the 50 amp in the main panel.

There is a powered attic fan, but surely that wouldn't need more than a 15 or 20 amp breaker.

I do have an electric stove, but that shouldn't need a 100 amp breaker.

 

[BeardedIdiot]

I guess I need to get an electrician out here and trace where these go to.

 

[BrunDog]

Turn the breakers off. If they are for something important, you'll know soon enough.