Square D QO main breaker panel. improper install. Code issues and concerns
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Electrical panel I came across in central Illinois. New panel will be installed later. Sorry for the jerky video, this was a last minute video idea with my phone
I would recommend ripping the entire box out and replacing it with a proper box correctly wired, too many potential fire hazards.
Homeowner handyman been busy. 20 feet of energized cable laying on the attic floor
That's a fire just waiting to happen. Electricity is something you just don't do half assed, it can kill people.
This is where inspectors some times get confused. Square D QO and Homeline breakers 10 to 30 amp, single and double pole can have (2) 14-10 gauge wire. Although they may look double tapped as long as the conductors are under opposite sides of the screw then it is not considered double tapped.
This article explains it best.
www.startribune.com/double-tapped-circuit-breakers/141011393/
Thank you, I noticed the screw down plate has places for a wire on each side. Thanks again for the clarification
Wheres the EMT? I thought homes built after a certain year need conduit (Meaning no Romex)? Also for sub-panels you need the ground and neutral separated if the sub was properly grounded?
Not here. Mainly romex wire and seu for entrance.
yes, ground and neutral should have been separated
a mouse got in one of my subpanels in a barn, and made a mess of things. If you can imagine an electrical box packed with hay. Plug open holes. use the proper connectors. I dont know what would have happened if the box was ever energized again.
Wow. That is something I haven't seen yet. Glad you found it. For some reason they like to shred wire insulation
I believe this was wired by a diyer
And I thought my 1918 wire mess was bad 😳
Those tandem breakers you call cheaters are 100 percent code worthy and there is nothing "cheater " about them. They save alot of people from panel costly upgrades.
I believe that is a panel by panel allowance. Some will say 12 space 20 circuit max others may not but I didn't check in this case but here is a link of what I mean. www.schneider-electric.us/en/product/QO124M100P/qo-loadcenter%2C-main-breaker%2C-100a%2C-1ph-3w%2C-24sp%2C-nema-1%2C-pon/?range=7249-qo%E2%84%A2-load-centers&node=7015259230-plug-on-neutral-load-centers&filter=business-5-residential-and-small-business
I have two home line breakers in my ge box they both fit snug no force are they ok
David Berquist Yes, that is fine, you just cant do the opposite (ge in homeline)
is it ok to put a square d home line breaker in a murry box
David Berquist Yes they are designed to replace many brands that were similar but you can't put the Murray in the Homeline.
Nope. Murray panels call for Siemens breakers. They are the ones listed for use with them.
Ok Electricians. Is it even legal to run a sub-panel off another sub-panel? I thought all sub-panels were supposed to come from the main. If you can daisy chain them I assume 4 wire for the next panel????
Nothing in the NEC says you have to run all subs from a main panel. You can wire a sub, off a sub, so long as everything's sized and installed correctly.
Yes you can run a sub off a sub but as you stated it has to be 4 wire. The only place that the neutral and Ground are to be bonded together is in the Main Breaker Panel. But to run a sub Panel off a Sub Panel the first one needs to be rated high enough to be able to hold the loading of the 2nd Sub panel.
Can I put a home line in a GE box why can't you put a mury in a home line box if it fits
David Berquist the Homeline will fit in the GE only if the buss bar doesn't have the acceptance of half breakers. THQL is the ge breaker for that I believe. GE and Murray etc should not fit in the Homeline because the Homeline panel has a different busses bar(extra bump in the middle)
If the sub panel is qo why are the tandems considered an overload if it is made to use in that box ?
Technically speaking each panel has a designated spaces and max circuits allowed. Like this one is 20 and 20, but there is 24 circuits if I count 240 beakers as 2 circuits. If you used all tandems you could make a 20 space into a 40 space which is not correct besides the fact being extremely expensive because those breakers are like $40 each. More than 20 circuits in this panel just increases poor wiring habits because the neutral bar only has so many spaces, then you start shoving more than one per terminal on those. Like I mentioned there was 4 under 1 terminal.
Ground wires can be doubled up? Just not neutral wires?
I try to keep from it in either case, but the only way you will physically have room to keep them 'one per screw' is if you buy the ground bars for each side
There are holes in this this panel down and more towards the sides of the box where you can attach dedicated ground wires which in turn keeps the mess shown from happening
So you wrote two paragraphs and still didn't answer the question clearly...
I am not a inspector so I answered as I would do it (1 screw 1 wire). Electrically it works fine because many houses are this way, but if you ever need to remove a circuit for some reason it is less messy. 1 screw 1 wire is better electrically and more secure
Good practice. Many panels will allow you to double or even triple up the grounds only. They all have to be the same gauge or else it's not going to work.