Big win on that nightmare 200A service upgrade, but damn near lost the job

Just wrapped up a total gut on an old 100A panel to 200A with a Siemens main breaker setup, and the homeowner was breathing down my neck the whole time about the mess. I had to explain why we needed to separate the neutral and ground bars like in that Dustin Stelzer video I watched last week, otherwise it'd be a code violation waiting to happen. Ended up using 2/0 copper for the feeders, and the inspector signed off without a hitch on the first try. But get this, the client tried to negotiate down after I pulled permits, saying it was 'too much disruption' even though I had the whole thing buttoned up in under a day. Saw a similar rant in the Electricians Network Facebook group where a guy dealt with the same BS, and it made me stick to my guns. Moral of the story, always document everything upfront with photos of the old setup to show why the upgrade was non-negotiable. Felt good walking away with a solid job done right, but man, some clients make you earn every bit of it. Edit: forgot to mention, used my Milwaukee M18 for all the torqueing, saved my back big time.

That's a W right there, nothing beats a clean inspection on a tricky service change.

fuck these homeowners who think we're magicians, always trying to lowball after the fact.

been there brother, had a similar panel job where the wife kept calling every hour.

sounds rough, hope you got a good tip out of it at least.

don't skimp on the torque specs, i saw a loose lug start a fire once.

how'd you handle the client pushback exactly? need tips for next time.

damn, the disruption complaints are the worst part of these jobs.

foreman on my crew once told a picky client to pound sand, hilarious but risky.

lmao, bet the client wished they hadn't after seeing the before pics.

sharktite fittings are garbage for service upgrades, stick to proper lugs every time.

what size wire did you end up running? curious for my next one.

square d qo breakers are the only way, siemens is hit or miss imo.

inspectors these days are on a power trip, good you nailed it.

screw the negotiators, we do the work they can't touch.

PE firms buying up shops and jacking rates, we're all getting screwed soon.