If it were your house...Panel Choice

[brantmacga]

my house had a CH-BR panel. I changed it to Sqd. QO panel. I've also installed the new combo afci cb's on all my lighting and gp recep circuits.


when i quote a residential job, its coming w/ homeline equipment. customer has the option to upgrade to QO. I've worked w/ seimens panels and thought they had a decent setup. I despise CH equipment. I don't know why, I just plain don't like it. All that brown looks like a big doo doo box.

 

[StreamlineGT]

I have Siemens P1 Bolt in panelboards in my house, 4 of them to be exact. Three 42 circuit and one 30 circuit.

 

[hillbilly1]

I did in my own house, in '96. I have an NQOD, but I prefer the CH-CH for resi work.

Ditto, I have a single phase QOD in my house also, the SD has a fast reaction time on short circuits, as do the CH-CH (of course not the BR) but the flag on the QO is a bonus. The Federal Pacifics are great for Mcgivver type welding.

 

[peter d]

I have Siemens P1 Bolt in panelboards in my house, 4 of them to be exact. Three 42 circuit and one 30 circuit.

I really can't understand why anyone would have a setup like that in their homes, other than to say to the neighbors "Wait until you see what I have in my basement!"

I'm pretty content with the 100 amp Homeline panel that I paid $50 for. My next move is to rip that out and replace it with fusible knife switches.

 

[electricmanscott]

I really can't understand why anyone would have a setup like that in their homes, other than to say to the neighbors "Wait until you see what I have in my basement!"

And then neighbor looks at it and says "yeah so???"

I don't get it either.

 

[peter d]

And then neighbor looks at it and says "yeah so???"

Exactly...

 

[StreamlineGT]

Well alrighty then.....

 

[76nemo]

And then neighbor looks at it and says "yeah so???"

I don't get it either.

I get that I am sure it was done right, that's all I care about:wink:

 

[CopperTone]

Money no object -

1st choice - siemans bolt on panel
2nd choice - Sq D QO
3rd choice - siemans regular stab in breakers

siemans are made out of copper now and the neutral and ground bars have the screws backed out all the way and have the box head for easier and faster tightening.

since money is an opject on jobs - residential - almost always go with choice 3 - but murray is all over the place here as well.

 

[TOOL_5150]

My house already had CH when I moved in, and I have no complaints.

I did opt for a four-space/eight-circuit GE panel with eight 1/2" breakers for my home-theater sub-panel, because the guts are mounted off-center enough for a contactor to fit inside. That kept me from having to build a power-switching box.

Here are pics of the panel and what's below it:

The yellow RCA cord feeds one of the switched 12v outputs of the preamp/processor (which functions as main system on-off) to a 12v reed relay, which switches 120v to a 10a cube relay, both of which are in a plastic box inside the panel.

The cube relay controls a 4-pole, 25a contactor, which switches four of the 15a circuits. They supply (1) the switched electronics, (2) the 300w x 2 amp that powers the main speakers, (3) the 200w x 5 amp that powers the center, sides, and rears, and (4) the two 300w amps built into the main speakers, each on a 15" subwoofer.

There's an unswitched circuit that supplies the pre/pro, DVD player, the DTV TiVo, and other stuff that should have constant power, and another that provides power to the ceiling-mounted CRT projector. The last two circuits will one day power automated lighting and such.

Larry, You actually have time to do stuff to your own house? Do you have any free time ever?

~Matt