Can anyone identify this part?

[busman]

Can anyone tell me what this is? I found this in a GE Gold Powermark LoadCenter. It's fairly obvioius that the installer cut the neutral to fit one of the phase lugs and then realized he/she was attaching it to the wrong lug. Now being about 5 inches short with the neutral, he used this part to extend the wire. It is a lug with two flat bars that have been mangled (notice all the jaw marks from a pair of Channels) to fit in the real neutral lug. The part in question has a plastic part behind it and a rubber shield below the lug. It also looks like the add-a-part is too small for the 4/0 and does not have all the strands inserted. I'm just wondering what this was before it ended up here?

View attachment 1814

 

[480sparky]

Looks to me like an old 2-layer neutral bar with all the terminals pulled off it. The type that have one row of terminals towards the back of the tub and inside the other row. You know the kind... the type that you cuss the original installer because they used all the forward terminals and now you have to install your new wire back behind theirs.

Whatever the proper name for it is, it sure ain't listed.

 

[busman]

That might explain the even-ness of the scratch marks. I thought they might be from Channels, but you are probably right.

Mark

 

[e57]

I think 480s describtion is bang on...

Its the type of neutral bar that had terminals the slid on - formed plate with slots that the bar went through - a Fed Pac I think.... Apparently cobbled together due to that conductor being to short....

 

[mdshunk]

I have accidentally cut a conductor with the wrong terminal in mind, but my repair was far less dramatic. Wow.

I was working in an older GE panel last week that had the neutral/ground terminals that slid up and down a bar, like the one the guy used there for an extension. I suppose it's possible that he stayed with all GE parts there.

 

[busman]

All,

Thanks for the help. I haven't repaired this yet, but I'll save it for the hall-of-shame when I get it out.

Mark

 

[480sparky]

I have accidentally cut a conductor with the wrong terminal in mind, but my repair was far less dramatic. Wow.

I was working in an older GE panel last week that had the neutral/ground terminals that slid up and down a bar, like the one the guy used there for an extension. I suppose it's possible that he stayed with all GE parts there.

Dramatic isn't the word I would use. Hack is more like it.

My guess is the original panel got replaced, and the noodle was too short. Not having some barrel crimps, scrap of 2/0 and a large Kearney-type crimper, the installer just pulled the old noodle bar out of the existing panel he just pulled off the wall and cobbled it in there.

Possibly stayed with GE so he could also re-use the original THQL breakers as well??? The main, breaker #1 & tub look new, but breaker #2 looks like it remembers the Nixon era.

 

[busman]

Dramatic isn't the word I would use. Hack is more like it.

My guess is the original panel got replaced, and the noodle was too short. Not having some barrel crimps, scrap of 2/0 and a large Kearney-type crimper, the installer just pulled the old noodle bar out of the existing panel he just pulled off the wall and cobbled it in there.

Possibly stayed with GE so he could also re-use the original THQL breakers as well??? The main, breaker #1 & tub look new, but breaker #2 looks like it remembers the Nixon era.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that he cut it too short on a new piece of SE cable, only because it is cut to the perfect length for the phase terminal right next to it. Just swing it down and left a little and in it goes. As far as the breakers go, look at this photo, it's a mix of everything. The two on the bottom right are mine (I was there to install a whole house surge protector). I see a great mix of Bryant, Siemens and GE.

View attachment 1818

 

[480sparky]

...I see a great mix of Bryant, Siemens and GE.

And Westinghouse.