Jamming a Tandem Circuit Breaker into a Non Tandem Accepting Panel - Experts; What are the Dangers ?

To the OP: instead of replacing the subpanel with one that accepts tandem breakers, get it replaced with a larger subpanel so you don't need the tandems and have room for future expansion.

Hire a professional electrician to investigate the current installation (including other parts of the install) and install the new subpanel.

I agree with @electrofelon : if the rejection feature is carefully removed then there really isn't a significant danger to installing tandem breakers in a panel not rated for them. However from the photo it seems pretty clear that the rejection feature was fully hacked off and the bus clips damaged. The damaged bus clips will make poor contact and cause heating which will trip the breaker and possibly damage the breaker bus.

-Jonathan
 
winnie said:
To the OP: instead of replacing the subpanel with one that accepts tandem breakers, get it replaced with a larger subpanel so you don't need the tandems and have room for future expansion.

Hire a professional electrician to investigate the current installation (including other parts of the install) and install the new subpanel.

I agree with @electrofelon : if the rejection feature is carefully removed then there really isn't a significant danger to installing tandem breakers in a panel not rated for them. However from the photo it seems pretty clear that the rejection feature was fully hacked off and the bus clips damaged. The damaged bus clips will make poor contact and cause heating which will trip the breaker and possibly damage the breaker bus.

-Jonathan
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Yes, all of this is in Process.
 
Seriously, that looks like something done by a day labor from an agency or wherever had the itching for their preferred intoxicant and just wanted to finish up and collect their daily pay so they could get the party started
 
Two reasons why those twins were installed. One is, the installers don't know, (Or care) about the proper use of twins, and two, those CTL twins cost half of what the non-CTL breakers go for. I work PT at a HD and you'd be surprised how many in the field are unaware of the how's and why's of twin/tandem breakers. We always get chopped up breakers, like the one Dennis posted, in our returns cart, which we have to mark down and then toss in the trash.
 
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