Breaker Lifetime

[mdshunk]

As far as showing up at the supply house with a box of breakers, i worked the counter at one some years ago, and if that happened to me, i would have shown you the door.

How big a boy are you, anyhow? :wink:

 

[templdl]

What is interesting about this topic is that a defective breaker can be installed brand new and would not be detect until it was called on to protect and it failed to do so. You could put a dummy breaker (molded case switch) in place of a TM breaker and most likely would never have a problemj.
How many breakers have never tripped over the course of their "lifetime?"
When reusing beakers from a previous job or purchased from the used market what assurance does one have that they will function as those that passed the factory production tests?
When it is considered from this perspective it can raise some question but are we playing the odds? I personally think that we take a lot for granted but being too skeptical often results in being anal.
We all have to use or best judgement as professionals.

 

[ItsHot]

ok

ok

How big a boy are you, anyhow? :wink:

OK! Roy "D"!!

 

[zog]

When reusing beakers from a previous job or purchased from the used market what assurance does one have that they will function as those that passed the factory production tests?
.

It should be remanufactured and tested per PEARL standards.

http://www.pearl1.org/download_PEARL_reconditioning_standards.htm

While some of these tests vary from the factory tests all functions of EACH breaker are actually tested, not batch tested like at the factory, so in a way they are more reliable than new.

 

[SPARKS40]

How big a boy are you, anyhow? :wink:

Big ain't got nothin' to do with it...I had free rein when i worked a counter, and if i said you ain't returning or swapping, that was it...end of story. No buts, no BS as far as you telling me "I spend XXX dollars here in a year"...so maybe try returning those "40 year old breakers" at your local Home Depot and see if they laugh in your face as hard as i would. Seems to me that one or two breakers not tripping as they should would constitute a replacement, but not a box full all at once, most especially SquareD.