Breaker improperly installed

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San -Brooke

San -Brooke

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I came across this doing an inspection of a renovation at a large college. I made them fix this of course but I thought the comments this picture may generate would be interesting to read.
 

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Not only that but the CBs on the right do not look like GE they look more like Sq D OQ/QOB's?

Who installed this CB Stevie Wonder?
 
It was a feed through breaker and I am assuming it had been functional for a while. And I have no idea whether Stevie Wonder installed it but it does look plausible.
 
brian john said:
Not only that but the CBs on the right do not look like GE they look more like Sq D OQ/QOB's?

Who installed this CB Stevie Wonder?
Click to expand...

Definitely not Square D (no trip window). Looks more like a Murray or Bryant, but the GE should have fit. Would love to see how they modified it to fit the buss though! (If it was actually working)
 
The line and load side of a feed through breaker are identical if you do not pay attention to the configuration of your latch/handle on your breaker it would easily be possible to make this mistake. I would just think someone would pay more attention before walking away and leaving it in this position for so long.
 
San -Brooke said:
View attachment 7954 This may help for you to see how it was possible
Click to expand...

Picture with no dead front would have been nice. I well understand a breaker with lugs on each side, but how did they connect to the bus?

I guess if it were a panel designed for bolt on breakers, you could bolt a jumper to the bus to feed the breaker, assuming there is clearance for everything to fit, maybe the breaker had more clearance on one side than the other and why it is mounted the way it is.

I don't see a violation here as far as the handle operating the opposite direction from the other breakers. If it operated vertically then handle down would be required to be the open position. If I were to cite any code that is in violation, all that comes to mind is maybe 110.3(B)
 
San -Brooke said:
This may help for you to see how it was possible
Click to expand...

That is a picture of a Square D unit mount breaker. It does not have provisions for connecting it to a busbar.
I have never heard someone call this a 'feed through' breaker, a 'lugs only' or a 'cable-in cable-out' are much more common terms.

The panel in the OP definitely was modified to accept that particular GE breaker.

Interestly, there is no NEC violation based only on the movement of the handle being different than the other in the panel.
 
kwired said:
Picture with no dead front would have been nice. I well understand a breaker with lugs on each side, but how did they connect to the bus?

I guess if it were a panel designed for bolt on breakers, you could bolt a jumper to the bus to feed the breaker, assuming there is clearance for everything to fit, maybe the breaker had more clearance on one side than the other and why it is mounted the way it is.

I don't see a violation here as far as the handle operating the opposite direction from the other breakers. If it operated vertically then handle down would be required to be the open position. If I were to cite any code that is in violation, all that comes to mind is maybe 110.3(B)
Click to expand...

Maintenance fixed it while I continued on with the inspection then I returned when it was fixed to verify. I would say it was more a safety issue rather than a violation. I envisioned someone needing to turn off circuits in haste and assuming everything would be de-energized. I tried to get a picture off the net of a panel but I could not find one. Basically the bus extends up at every circuit to land much like a wire at every breaker if I recall. I am just glad that no one makes them like that anymore. Sorry if that description does not give you a clear picture but I have slept a whole lot since I saw this.
 
I remember installing bolt-on CB's in old panels that the CB could be installed either way, ON/left or ON/right. The breaker had screws at both ends and the bus had a fork connection to go around the screw. Some guys would install all of the left side CB's to be ON/right and all of the right side to be ON/left (a modern configuration). Others would use a combination of both which could be confusing. :blink:
 
San -Brooke said:
Maintenance fixed it while I continued on with the inspection then I returned when it was fixed to verify. I would say it was more a safety issue rather than a violation. I envisioned someone needing to turn off circuits in haste and assuming everything would be de-energized. I tried to get a picture off the net of a panel but I could not find one. Basically the bus extends up at every circuit to land much like a wire at every breaker if I recall. I am just glad that no one makes them like that anymore. Sorry if that description does not give you a clear picture but I have slept a whole lot since I saw this.
Click to expand...

So you are saying all the breakers in this panel are of the type with lugs on line and load side - makes much more sense that it would be easy to have one in a reversed orientation if that is true.
 
kwired said:
So you are saying all the breakers in this panel are of the type with lugs on line and load side - makes much more sense that it would be easy to have one in a reversed orientation if that is true.
Click to expand...

That no cover on the panel photo would really help. :roll:
 
The spacing between the breakers does suggest that this is a bolt in panel, so if you used a lug-lug breaker, it would be possible to drill a hole thru the lug to bolt the breaker to the buss. Dangerously creative!
 
infinity said:
I remember installing bolt-on CB's in old panels that the CB could be installed either way, ON/left or ON/right. The breaker had screws at both ends and the bus had a fork connection to go around the screw. Some guys would install all of the left side CB's to be ON/right and all of the right side to be ON/left (a modern configuration). Others would use a combination of both which could be confusing. :blink:
Click to expand...

I think this might be what you are refering too. If I remember correctly it was a 50's GE panelboard.
 

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infinity said:
I remember installing bolt-on CB's in old panels that the CB could be installed either way, ON/left or ON/right. The breaker had screws at both ends and the bus had a fork connection to go around the screw. Some guys would install all of the left side CB's to be ON/right and all of the right side to be ON/left (a modern configuration). Others would use a combination of both which could be confusing. :blink:
Click to expand...

Here is a poor quality picture of that same panelboard. The bottom two single pole breakers on the right side are Square D breakers.
 

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hillbilly1 said:
Definitely not Square D (no trip window). Looks more like a Murray or Bryant, but the GE should have fit. Would love to see how they modified it to fit the buss though! (If it was actually working)
Click to expand...

The possible Sq Ds were on the right side of the panel not on the left with the backward installed CB.
 
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