84-pole panelboards, pros vs cons?

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AQC

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The NEC 2008 allows use for panelboards up to 84-poles. Please help me understand any advantages and/or disadvantages to using panelboards greater than 42-poles. Has anybody here used panelboards that are 84-poles (or 54, or 60, or 72, etc etc), and what is your experience with them?

Thanks,
AQC
 
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AQC

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installation of panelboards over 42-poles: Good or Bad?

installation of panelboards over 42-poles: Good or Bad?

Has anybody ever installed panelboards over 42-poles (like 54, or 60, or 72, or 84)? Do you like these panelboards or not? What are the pluses and minuses?
 
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satcom

Senior Member
AQC said:
Has anybody ever installed panelboards over 42-poles (like 54, or 60, or 72, or 84)? Do you like these panelboards or not? What are the pluses and minuses?
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For years we have been using the 30 space 100A main breaker load center, it just makes sense to give the customer the 30 space, one plus is you have spaces for additional circuits when upgrading.
 
Rewire

Rewire

Senior Member
Location
Lake of the Ozarks
AQC said:
Has anybody ever installed panelboards over 42-poles (like 54, or 60, or 72, or 84)? Do you like these panelboards or not? What are the pluses and minuses?
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Its not hard to fill a 30 space panel in an all electric house the ability to increase the number of breakers eliminates the need to install a sub panel.
 
Jim W in Tampa

Jim W in Tampa

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Tampa Florida
Plenty of good reasons to want them. Why have 2 panels to get the spaces that 1 can provide ? Will look neater than 2 panels. Houses today easily need more than 42.
 
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ASG

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Work in NYC
Occupation
Electrical Engineer, PE
How tall is an 82-pole panelboard? I would think it would have to start at the floor to make the 6'-7" max circuit breaker height.
 
krisinjersey

krisinjersey

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Location
Hackettstown, New Jersey
60 circuit

60 circuit

The 60 circuit is awesome. We increased the use of multiwire branch circuits to not kill ourselves on knockout space and the labor numbers went down all around. The boxes and bussbars are listed for the use so why not? If I can sell a dedicated line, and have the circuit space to make the install less expensive, it becomes an easier sale over a sub panel addition to make room for thast circuit. I think they're a win all the way around.
 
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AQC

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For clarification, I'm thinking more in terms of commercial/retail panelboard installation as opposed to residential installation.

Continue the answers, they are good so far!
 
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macmikeman

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Location
Planet macmikeman
80 circuit panel is too big to fit into the worktruck...
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Steviechia2

Steviechia2

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
It really comes down to the load. I just did a job where we had several 84 circuit panels, it was just 2-42 circuit Square D main lug panel-boards nippled together with numbers 1-84. One fed the other
 
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ASG

Senior Member
Location
Work in NYC
Occupation
Electrical Engineer, PE
petersonra said:
Are they taller, or just using more tandem breakers?
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If its just tandem breakers, can that be used for commercial or hospital jobs? I always thought you didn't want to use tandem breakers in those jobs. It certainly could lead to confusion when trying to circuit 2P or 3P large loads.
 
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