ElectDesigner
Member
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
When choosing a lighting or distribution panel , when would you specify a Copper bus and when would you specify an Aluminum bussed panel? Is there one type the industry is leaning towards? and why?
Lighting & Distribution Panels: CU or AL bus?
- Thread starter ElectDesigner
- Start date
- Status
cadpoint
Senior Member
- Location
- Durham, NC
Economy or Enviroment should really be the only concern. It's all rated to some service size, some get spec'd, some get packaged, most match existing service.
Larger jobs it's just SOP to follow the drawings, smaller jobs might well submit a alternate, if the drawings exist at all.
Larger jobs it's just SOP to follow the drawings, smaller jobs might well submit a alternate, if the drawings exist at all.
beanland
Senior Member
- Location
- Vancouver, WA
CU AL bus
CU AL bus
Just following the design does not address the question.
In a coastal, corrosive, damp environment, copper bus may give better service life.
Where first cost is a greater consideration (spec project), then aluminum bus is cost effective.
Where loads are critical and an outage is expensive (industrial process) then copper is typical.
In a high tech office where cost is not a concern but reliability is (data center), then copper is often preferred.
For typical residential 200A panel, aluminum is fine.
I see more problems with poorly installed connections than I do with the choice of bus.
CU AL bus
Just following the design does not address the question.
In a coastal, corrosive, damp environment, copper bus may give better service life.
Where first cost is a greater consideration (spec project), then aluminum bus is cost effective.
Where loads are critical and an outage is expensive (industrial process) then copper is typical.
In a high tech office where cost is not a concern but reliability is (data center), then copper is often preferred.
For typical residential 200A panel, aluminum is fine.
I see more problems with poorly installed connections than I do with the choice of bus.
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
One the most popular distribution panels over the past 40 years has been the I-Line panel.
This panel has used aluminum as its standard bussing for the entire time. Copper has always been a special order.
When selecting panels, the method of device connection, product design, engineering, and manufacturing should be a higher consideration then the bus material.
Bolted breaker connections madeup with incorrect torque values scare me more than aluminum bus does.
This panel has used aluminum as its standard bussing for the entire time. Copper has always been a special order.
When selecting panels, the method of device connection, product design, engineering, and manufacturing should be a higher consideration then the bus material.
Bolted breaker connections madeup with incorrect torque values scare me more than aluminum bus does.
- Status