Quad breakers

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mbrooke

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Are non common trip quad pole breakers still allowed by used in new installations by the code? Anyone know the price difference between non common and common trip quad breakers?
 

GoldDigger

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As long as none of the poles serve phase to phase loads, common trip should not be required.
Even for MWBC, all that is required is handle tie, although common trip is optional.
For phase to phase loads, all of the ungrounded conductors need to be opened at the same time.

Tapatalk!
 

mbrooke

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As long as none of the poles serve phase to phase loads, common trip should not be required.
Even for MWBC, all that is required is handle tie, although common trip is optional.
For phase to phase loads, all of the ungrounded conductors need to be opened at the same time.

Tapatalk!

Ok thanks!

Anyone know the price difference though? Id rather use the cheaper ones on the MWBC circuits.
 

mbrooke

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4 half-sized breaker in a single unit. Usually with the center 2 breakers handle tied and sometimes common-trip? Usually the outer two breakers also handle tied.

For some odd reason they come in 3 versions. Independent trip, non CTL and common trip:blink::
 

cpinetree

Senior Member
Location
SW Florida
Ok thanks!

Anyone know the price difference though? Id rather use the cheaper ones on the MWBC circuits.

That would depend on the manufacturer and whether or not you are on a rebate of some kind, call you supply house and ask.

Off the top of my head I pay about 25% more for the common trip, and usually end up ordering them because the supply house refuses to stock them as no one buys them (I guess the inspectors just let it go or aren't looking for it, because I have been in a number of homes that should have had common trip quads - Dryers, water heaters, etc) but had the less expensive non-common trip breakers installed.
 

mbrooke

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United States
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Technician
That would depend on the manufacturer and whether or not you are on a rebate of some kind, call you supply house and ask.

Off the top of my head I pay about 25% more for the common trip, and usually end up ordering them because the supply house refuses to stock them as no one buys them (I guess the inspectors just let it go or aren't looking for it, because I have been in a number of homes that should have had common trip quads - Dryers, water heaters, etc) but had the less expensive non-common trip breakers installed.

I guess it could be from not being explicitly stated. I was actually about ready to go for the non commons until I saw the wording in the catalog. :lol:
 

GoldDigger

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Not so odd to me....
Several flavors of independent trip affecting center two poles and outer two poles with the tie symbol in the picture identifying which are the pole pairs with same amperage and with or without handle tie.
Then on top of that the CTL feature is their for panels and jurisdictions that require rejecting half size breakers in some panel positions versus AHJs that do not enforce breaker count anymore.
It is just a little dizzying though.
I did spend about 30 minutes staring at that catalog page the first time though....

Tapatalk!
 

mbrooke

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Location
United States
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Technician
Not so odd to me....
Several flavors of independent trip affecting center two poles and outer two poles with the tie symbol in the picture identifying which are the pole pairs with same amperage and with or without handle tie.
Then on top of that the CTL feature is their for panels and jurisdictions that require rejecting half size breakers in some panel positions versus AHJs that do not enforce breaker count anymore.
It is just a little dizzying though.
I did spend about 30 minutes staring at that catalog page the first time though....

Tapatalk!

:lol: I posted another two:p But your right, took me the same amount of time to figure what was going on. No idea quad breakers came in so many flavors:eek:hmy:
 
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