QO

[Doc13067]

What is it that makes QO panels the best in everyone’s opinions? I know everyone says they are the best. I just bought a couple to install and I’m kind of wondering what it is about them that everyone trusts so much.

 

[electrofelon]

What is it that makes QO panels the best in everyone’s opinions? I know everyone says they are the best. I just bought a couple to install and I’m kind of wondering what it is about them that everyone trusts so much.

Good question. I don't like the stab design, and the price is atrocious.

 

[tom baker]

When I started in 1980 there was SqD, GE, Westinghouse and CH. GE and Westinghouse were terrible. I started using SQD as they had an extensive line of motor controllers, xfmrs, and distribution
Today Siemens is a big player in panels but I would use AB for motor control. For home use probably CH or Siemens. The SQD home line is popular but does not have all the accessories as SqD.

 

[infinity]

What is it that makes QO panels the best in everyone’s opinions?

They're much more expensive so they must be better.

One thing that makes them "better" is the breaker trip indicator. The bus stab connection is better which is evident every time you try and remove a circuit breaker. They're only 3/4" wide so they take up less room in the panel meaning that the panels can be more compact. At one time we would offer QO as an upgrade when installing services when customers wanted "the best" at any cost but I wouldn't spend the extra money for QO.

 

[James L]

It's anecdotal, subjective.

When I was 19 years old, I worked in the electrical department at a hardware store. It was just "common knowledge" that SquareD was the best, and QO was the best of the best. Probably because that just happened to be the brand which was sold there.

However, I think there might be some legitimacy in that. Of all the oldest stuff I've seen still functioning properly......QO, Federal Pacific, Sylvania, Pushmatic.,...QO is the only one stil available new

For real, I do like the VisiTrip window, but CH has it, too.

 

[Doc13067]

The visitrip is not enough for me. CH is the only one that really needs that because they don’t go to the middle like everyone else. It’s a cool feature but a lousy brand could also incorporate that. Their literature says it’s because of their copper bus, but Siemens has a copper bus. Is it because of the shielded bus? Is it because of the warranty? is it because of the 1/60 of a second that they open? Maybe that tin plated copper bus is less likely to lose connection to breakers over a long period of time because I have removed their panels from the 70s that had absolutely no corrosion on them.

 

[electrofelon]

Tom makes a good point. It could well have been the best back in the day compared to the other options at the time. However I don't think it's true anymore. I like Siemens best personally. Seems to have a better fit and finish than cutlery hamster

 

[Birken Vogt]

CH-CH is the other very old product line also reputed to be good.

No idea if any of these rumors are true.

 

[Doc13067]

Siemens is my go to as well but they don’t seem like high end to me they just seem like good reliable products (completely speculative). They are the only brand that only requires one hot conductor to their plug on neutral AFCISs. Every other brand you have to land the neutrals on the breakers. If Siemens shielded their bus and tin plated their 100A copper buses and had a lifetime warranty they would surpass everyone. Unless someone can tell me what I’m missing about QO because I’m truly ready to jump on the bandwagon lol. Just wanna know what it is.

 

[Doc13067]

CH-CH is the other very old product line also reputed to be good.

No idea if any of these rumors are true.

CH has the silver flashing. They don’t lock on super tight but I have never seen a corroded CH bus. And if they did you can actually remove the individual tabs and replace them so I think there’s logic behind those rumors

 

[Fred B]

CH-CH is the other very old product line also reputed to be good.

No idea if any of these rumors are true.

When they were new was great. But the now 40-50yr old equipment not so much. Have had a lot of them that the breakers are not tripping even under fault - short circuit situation.

One thing that makes them "better" is the breaker trip indicator.

and you can see the water in them when it has been flooded.

I like Siemens best personally.

I'm with you. particularly the fact the AFCI is available in a tandem breaker.

 

[jim dungar]

Have had a lot of them that the breakers are not tripping even under fault - short circuit situation.

This is true of most every breaker, depending on the length of the circuit.

Back in the 80's I had a breaker kit that allowed us to demonstrate how fast some breakers were. The test set had a receptacle in which we could insert a paper clip and it had a flash pan where we had a piece of #12 solid wire. Different brands of breakers would not trip even when the paper clip turned red and melted like a fuse. Some breaker would let you tack weld with the solid conductor.

In order to use the test kit we had to ensure it was fed by at least 50' of #16 extension cord, or else the building breaker might trip first.

 

[hillbilly1]

The QO’s has a faster trip, in commercial, they usually would trip without rattling the conduit, where GE and FPE would make a big rattle. CH was usually pretty fast to trip. (Not the Westinghouse style)

 

[tom baker]

This is true of most every breaker, depending on the length of the circuit.

Back in the 80's I had a breaker kit that allowed us to demonstrate how fast some breakers were. The test set had a receptacle in which we could insert a paper clip and it had a flash pan where we had a piece of #12 solid wire. Different brands of breakers would not trip even when the paper clip turned red and melted like a fuse. Some breaker would let you tack weld with the solid conductor.

In order to use the test kit we had to ensure it was fed by at least 50' of #16 extension cord, or else the building breaker might trip first.

I remember that tester. That’s what sold me on Sq D!

 

[James L]

The QO’s has a faster trip, in commercial, they usually would trip without rattling the conduit, where GE and FPE would make a big rattle. CH was usually pretty fast to trip. (Not the Westinghouse style)

The first residential shop I worked for used GE with slims, and I was taught to hack together a circuit finder with a single pole switch direct shorting a pigtail cord.

Man, that thing would be 6-8 seconds a lot of times. A couple of times it got scary long

 

[norcal]

Eaton added the trip indicator to to CH breakers, & they changed the bus to a one piece design, what downgraded them IMO was when they switched to plastic interiors, but the need for plug on neutrals made that necessary. I used C-H when my house had a major remodel 31 years ago, replacing a ITE 200A meter main.

 

[jim dungar]

I remember that tester. That’s what sold me on Sq D!

It had some 'internals' that limited the direct short of the paper clip to a current value below the trip point of most breakers but still above that of a QO 15A.

If the extension cord feeding the demo set was too long then even the QO occasionally would melt the clips.

 

[Birken Vogt]

Siemens is my go to as well but they don’t seem like high end to me they just seem like good reliable products (completely speculative). They are the only brand that only requires one hot conductor to their plug on neutral AFCISs. Every other brand you have to land the neutrals on the breakers. If Siemens shielded their bus and tin plated their 100A copper buses and had a lifetime warranty they would surpass everyone. Unless someone can tell me what I’m missing about QO because I’m truly ready to jump on the bandwagon lol. Just wanna know what it is.

Well I am forced to use QO more than I would like and they are certainly missing a lot of tandem and quad options easily available in the other brands.

 

[electrofelon]

Well I am forced to use QO more than I would like and they are certainly missing a lot of tandem and quad options easily available in the other brands.

Yeah that's definitely a negative also. Another negative is the CTL twins can't be easily defeated like most other brands

 

[Birken Vogt]

Non CTL tandems are readily available but expensive.