Opinion Poll

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J

jro

Senior Member
Re: Opinion Poll

SQ D, for me, excellent quality, reasonable price, good reputation.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Opinion Poll

Favorite to install:
Zinsco--

All the hots on the right.
All the neutrals on the left.
Nice big clamp on each breaker where it attaches to the buss.
Comes with a ground bus that runs long in the box.
Neutral bar runs full height in the box.
You can't screw up multi-wire circuits.
All handles flip the same way. Off is one way, on is the other. No hanging chads or butterfly busses.

Real world: Square D.
 
H

hurk27

Senior Member
Location
Portage, Indiana NEC: 2008
Re: Opinion Poll

If I had to pick It and cost wasn't a factor it would be the old reliable Square D QO.
But here in the real world we go with copper buss or copper platted Siemens. we use to use the alum. buss version but had too many failures due to moisture causing high amperage breakers to burn at the buss connection. No-Lox solved the problem but we shouldn't have to use it if the busses had a better corrosion resistance. Never had a copper buss burn like that. The humidity in this area rarely go's below 99% in the summer, so it's a big problem with corrosion.
 
G

gregoryelectricinc

Senior Member
Re: Opinion Poll

Gotta go with Square D type QO. Price, availability, reliability, installability(is
this really a word?), etc. etc. I got myself
signed up on their PNP program. Price is right with, if not better, than competitors.
 
W

wocolt

Member
Location
Ohio
Re: Opinion Poll

Do they still sell Zinsco ??? I mean for real .!
I know you can still buy the replacement breakers all for JUST an 'arm and a leg.'
JMO but everyone I have had to replace and includes all of them they , they are the pits and thats being nice.
WMColt
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Opinion Poll

I really enjoyed installing the Zinsco panels in the 70's.

Then in the 90's I tore them out doing service work when they failed and the replacement parts were no longer available.

They had a lot of good functionality.

Other brands that bit the dust:
Pushmatic.
Wadsworth.
FPE.
Zinsco.

../Wayne C.

[ September 17, 2003, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: awwt ]
 
C

cselectric

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
Re: Opinion Poll

AWWT,
That looks like a list of panels I've replaced in the past two weeks (been doing city funded rehabs.) The only thing I see missing are the Cutler Hammer split bus and the long forgotten Square D XO.
 
charlie b

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: Opinion Poll

Permit me to recommend caution here. To say bad things about one company?s product line might open the speaker (or writer) up to questions of a legal nature from that company?s lawyers. We?re here to exchange professional knowledge and experience. To the extent that you can cite specific problems that you have personally witnessed, you might be safe from a lawsuit for slander. That doesn?t mean that you won?t be sued, but it might mean that (after 5 years of litigation) you might win.
 
goldstar

goldstar

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Re: Opinion Poll

I currently use Sq D - QO (best breakers on the market as far as I'm concerned) and because I'm on an annual purchase plan with my supply house where I can buy the QO breakers for the same $$$ as the Home Line breakers. I happen to like the Sq D Home Line breaker panels because they have more trough space and the neutral bars run down each side of the panel as opposed to being clumped together like the QO panel.

I stopped using Siemans' panels a few years ago when I replaced a 150 amp, 3-phase panel at my local florist shop. They had a walk-in box where the cooling unit kept cycling on and off. It eventually overheated but did not trip the 2-pole, 15 amp breaker but rather burnt the entire buss bar including about 8 neighboring breakers. When I contacted Sieman's, the rep told me that the reason the breaker didn't trip was because (and I'm speaking in very basic terms because I don't remember the exact conversation) the breaker became defective due to the constant cycling of the compressor unit.

I had to put on my fireman's boots because it started getting "real deep" (if you know what I mean). Any company that won't stand behind their product will not get any of my business. In addition, I was not able to purchase a replacement buss bar........I had to purchase the entire panel, cabinet and all, which I threw in the dumpster after I removed the parts I needed.

For those of you who are "die hard" Seiman's fans, God bless you and I hope you continue to have success with your installations. But for me, I could never install any Sieman's product in good conscience.

Just my opinion !!!

Don't forget about everyones favorite, Federial Pacific.

--------------------
Gary
Click to expand...
Federal Pacific is FPE (Federal Pacific Electric)

[ September 19, 2003, 05:59 AM: Message edited by: goldstar ]
 
T

templdl

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
Re: Opinion Poll

I agree with the Sq-D QO as being a good panel which I like to use (not the homeline). But C-H brags about their C-H panel, the tan one (not the BR). It appears as though the C-H panel is not in the running. At least the GE was mentioned here.
 
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