Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

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frank_n

frank_n

Senior Member
Location
Central NJ
Besides Square D QO, what other breakers/panels do you recommend? I always recommend Square D, but I want recommend a less expensive brand to customers who don't want to pay the extra money. I don't want to lose any bids!

What are your thoughts on Cutler Hammer type BR?

Frank
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

We use Square D Home Line as our lower cost panel, or ITE.
The Home lines' Have been good and cost about the same as a ITE.
We used to use all ITE but have had a few problems with the aluminum buss versions, breakers over 30 amps would burn at the buss stabs where the panel in in a area that has a high moisture content in the air: I.E. basements, Laundry rooms, Outdoors, Etc...
This has led us to only use the copper bus version.
But the panel is easy and fast to install.
CH panels are not popular here and have to be ordered so I can't comment on them.

[ January 16, 2006, 12:14 AM: Message edited by: hurk27 ]
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

we use CH here great panel. liftime on brakers 15 yr on panels copper bus. also someone on this site worked a SD factory and said that homline and QO brakers are maid on the same line and yous the same basic parts.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

I use C-H BR panels all the time. My supply house is a big C-H dealer and he gets good prices on value packs and panels. He can sell them cheaper than the idotic home centers.

I have also used several of the C-H/Briggs gensets the past few months. Nice stuff.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

We solely use CH.

FWIW, pick one and stick with it.
- If there is ever a problem, there is no guessing as to what was installed.
- You can usually get better pricing by sticking with the same brand.
- And as Wayne pointed out, some brands might not be readily available in some areas.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

I use Siemens/ITE as much as possible. My supply house only carries the copper-bus versions of their panels. I think they are much more installer-friendly than SqD panels, and they are cheaper, as well.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

When I use CH BR type breakers, I can easily see the wire /screw connection lug. Other brands kind of hide the lug at a beveled angle, such that you have to rely on the hand pull test to make sure you are connected well. I like having the lug in plain sight.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

In my area, every brand is readily available as we have numerous suppliers who each carry a different brand. Personally, I like Cutler Hammer BR and Square D Homeline. I steer clear of GE and Siemens.

But if I am adding something to an exsisting installation, I will use the same equipement that is in place. This is where the availability of many brands is nice. :cool:
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

Siemens Copper buss.

Sq D QO is more then double the price of the others here. You wou think for that price they could at least make all the stuff in the USA.

I hate the CH tan color.

Tom
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

I prefer the smaller panel size afforded by 3/4" breakers. As a result, my first choice is Cutler-Hammer's CH/CHB and my second choice is Square D's QO/QOB.

Nobody can contest the fact that the CH breakers plug on tighter than anything on the market.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

We used CutlerHammer for years before they bought Westinghouse. Then we went to SqD. Primarily Homeline for resi and QO for Commercial Industrial. I had SqD and CH bid against each other. Now we are using Cutler CH panels as our main line. ITE, Siemens, GE, SqD are all available in the event we need to have a different brand. We stock most of the breakers anyways for service work. Even though a Homeline breaker fits a Siemens panel it is not right nor code compliant.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

Originally posted by active1:
Siemens Copper buss.
I hate the CH tan color.
Click to expand...
To each their own.

I know that if I couldn't get CH redily for new residential installations, I would mail order them, or switch to Sq.D, before I would install Siemens or GE.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

Originally posted by ty:
Originally posted by active1:
Siemens Copper buss.
I hate the CH tan color.
Click to expand...
To each their own.

I know that if I couldn't get CH redily for new residential installations, I would mail order them, or switch to Sq.D, before I would install Siemens or GE.
Click to expand...
Just asking
why don't you like Siemens?
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

Originally posted by gerns:
Just asking
why don't you like Siemens?
Click to expand...
(I never had a problem with any of their bolt-in breakers that I've worked on)

But, their snap-in breakers have always seemed like junk. They don't snap in well, and the way they sit in the rail is rather flimsy.

I have been on many, many service calls where the breaker has not grabbed the bus bar tightly and has heated up and melted the breaker. And sometimes it has caused the breaker above or below to get so hot that it becomes brittle.

Of the 10s of thousands of CH or QO breakers, I've never seen this problem.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

Originally posted by ty:
Originally posted by gerns:
...Of the 10s of thousands of CH or QO breakers, I've never seen this problem.
Click to expand...
I've seen this with some regularity with QO breakers. So much so that I carry a few of each size of buss bar "finger" for QO panels on the truck. The newer style QO panels don't have bolt on buss fingers, so I'm not sure what we're to do in that case.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

Originally posted by ty:
Originally posted by gerns:
Just asking
why don't you like Siemens?
Click to expand...
(I never had a problem with any of their bolt-in breakers that I've worked on)

But, their snap-in breakers have always seemed like junk. They don't snap in well, and the way they sit in the rail is rather flimsy.

I have been on many, many service calls where the breaker has not grabbed the bus bar tightly and has heated up and melted the breaker. And sometimes it has caused the breaker above or below to get so hot that it becomes brittle.

Of the 10s of thousands of CH or QO breakers, I've never seen this problem.
Click to expand...
Thanks all I've been using the last two years is siemens. I like them but then again I haven't experienced any problems yet. I think i may switch back to CH after hearing this.
 
Re: Brands (Circuit Breakers & Panels)

My reason for disliking Siemens is not because of the panels themselves (which are actually well designed) but the breakers. So yeah, I agree with Todd. :D
 
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