"Refurbrished" QO GFI Breaker

[hillbilly]

I take it that these breakers are simply clean, used units...for about half the price of new.
They come with a full 1 year (vendor) warranty.

My question....
Have you ever installed a "refurbrished" breaker in a customer's panel?
Would you?
If not, why not?

Would the "refurbrished" title affect the UL listing?

Just curious
steve

 

[petersonra]

The UL listing is not an issue. What left the factory was what was listed.

I don't know what the term refurbished means, but my guess it probably means removed from service, tested, and maybe cleaned up a little.

As long as it works and you are not selling it as new, I don't see an issue with it.

But really, for a $25 item it seems sort of pointless.

 

[Jraef]

Here's a scenario.

You install a "refurbished" GFI breaker, you save $12. Someone drops a radio into the tub, they get seriously injured trying to pull it out because the breaker failed to trip. They hire Slick The Lawyer, who goes after the deep pockets of Groupe Schneider (Square-D) for providing a defective breaker. Schneider's highly paid insurance investigator traces the breaker installation back to you and it is discovered that you did not install a new breaker. They are off the hook; you and the refurbished breaker supplier are now on it. Their "guarantee" specifically states in the fine print that they are not responsible for any consequential damages, essentially saying that you use their product at your own risk. The $12 you saved pays for approximately 2.5 minutes worth of your lawyer's time. Your children do not go to college, but your lawyer's children do.

 

[iwire]

My guess is that a law would require you to clearly state on the bill / contract that your using refurbished parts which might not sit well with folks unless they share in the savings. So that $12 savings just dropped to $6 and as mentioned above you put yourself more at risk.

I can't say I have never put in used breakers but I would rather use new.

 

[mdshunk]

Got a link to these breakers? You can PM me with the supplier's name if you want. I seriously want to get my hands on a couple of these. I'd bet a nickel they're counterfeits, and they're suspiciously cheap, so they're selling them as "refurbished".

I'm not even sure how you'd refurbish a breaker that's riveted together.

 

[480sparky]

Got a link to these breakers? You can PM me with the supplier's name if you want. I seriously want to get my hands on a couple of these. I'd bet a nickel they're counterfeits, and they're suspiciously cheap, so they're selling them as "refurbished".

I'm not even sure how you'd refurbish a breaker that's riveted together.

I got a nickel that says Marc's plannin' sumpin......

 

[jim dungar]

What does refurbishing mean? Do they clean the dirt of of the outside of the breaker? Do they cut out the rivets and clean the inside of the breaker? Do they take parts from several breakers and combine them to make a breaker?

I know of no organization that has refurbishing instructions for small molded case breakers like QO. The CPSC recommends that they be "cleaned and re-used".

...Groupe Schneider....

The company's name is Schneider Electric. They have not been Groupe Schneider for more than 10 years.

 

[petersonra]

Here's a scenario.

You install a "refurbished" GFI breaker, you save $12. Someone drops a radio into the tub, they get seriously injured trying to pull it out because the breaker failed to trip. They hire Slick The Lawyer, who goes after the deep pockets of Groupe Schneider (Square-D) for providing a defective breaker. Schneider's highly paid insurance investigator traces the breaker installation back to you and it is discovered that you did not install a new breaker. They are off the hook; you and the refurbished breaker supplier are now on it. Their "guarantee" specifically states in the fine print that they are not responsible for any consequential damages, essentially saying that you use their product at your own risk. The $12 you saved pays for approximately 2.5 minutes worth of your lawyer's time. Your children do not go to college, but your lawyer's children do.

Actually, Schneider is still on the hook for the breaker. Just like Ford is still on the hook for a used car that explodes. They only get off the hook if they can show the "refurbisher" modified the device so it no longer worked.

The only thing that happens a little differently is that the "refurbisher" might also be on the hook.

Think about it this way. You bought something for $10 or $15. How much "refurbishing" can be done for that kind of money?

 

[wptski]

Refurbished is just a word used for electrical/electronics that's rebuilt and tested. You can buy refurbished Fluke test equipment with a factory warranty.

You get a brake job, they machine your drums or rotors but they've been rebuilt, similiar to refurbished. Just like buying a rebuilt starter motor vs a new one. Buy a PCM(computer) for your car/truck. It isn't new, it's refurbished, most often.

 

[Jraef]

The company's name is Schneider Electric. They have not been Groupe Schneider for more than 10 years.

I stand corrected. I got a check from them when they bought out my Sq. D 401K plan after the takeover in 1989, it said "Groupe Schneider" on it. The name has stuck with me ever since.

 

[mxslick]

Don't think I could trust ANY molded-case breaker that purports to be "refurbished".

I understand that the larger sizes of metal-clad and MV CAN be rebuilt to be as good as a new unit, though, and wouldn't have an issue spec'ing one.

I agree with petersonra who said:

You bought something for $10 or $15. How much "refurbishing" can be done for that kind of money?

Blow off the dust, wipe down the case and play with the handle?

 

[hillbilly]

The breaker that I'm looking for is a QO220GFI
I need the breaker for a friend.
Just trying to save him some $$$.

The site seems legit.
I'm sending it to Marc to have a look at:wink: .

Thanks for the reply
steve

 

[cowboyjwc]

We have several companies here in the Los Angeles area that sell used / refurbished equipment. Mostly it's just used hard to find stuff, but I've never saved money doing it.

I once needed two "M" style breakers for an old house. I first told the guy it would be about $60 (30 years ago) to change out the breakers. When I called the wholesale house they just laughed at me and said the haven't seen one of those breakers in years. I called one of these companies and asked if they had them and they asked how many I needed, cool I need two 20 amp breakers, the guy tells me ok that will be $100 :-?. The typical I got 'em you want 'em pricing. But I have picked up a special order breaker from them that would take weeks to get and sometimes that's worth the price.

 

[R Bob]

Got a link to these breakers? You can PM me with the supplier's name if you want. I seriously want to get my hands on a couple of these. I'd bet a nickel they're counterfeits, and they're suspiciously cheap, so they're selling them as "refurbished".

I'm not even sure how you'd refurbish a breaker that's riveted together.

My thoughts exactly!
It has got to be cheaper to manufacture a new breaker than it is to "refurbish" a used molded case CB of that size.
I'm thinking that a "refurbished" circuit breaker = "used" circuit breaker + Windex + paper towel = wind fall profit for seller = "scam"
I guess you could put a politically correct spin on the word used and call it "recycled" or "previously owned".
Buyer beware!

 

[wireguru]

the scary thing with these is you dont know where they came from, how theyve been handled or stored. I saw a place that was taking breakers from scrapped panelboards that had been sitting in the rain for what looked like years, cleaning them up and selling them. thats a fire waiting to happen....

 

[mpd]

i inspected a commercial job a couple years, and the contractor used all refurbished breakers in the MDP panel, failed because the info on the breaker was not legible and the plans specified new, the engineer would not approve the change, contractor had to eat the used ones & buy new ones

 

[Cavie]

The breaker that I'm looking for is a QO220GFI
I need the breaker for a friend.
Just trying to save him some $$$.

The site seems legit.
I'm sending it to Marc to have a look at:wink: .

Thanks for the reply
steve

$125.00 on ebay. Google "Referbished Sq D Breakers". Lot's of hits.

 

[mxslick]

This really upsets me...

This really upsets me...

$125.00 on ebay. Google "Referbished Sq D Breakers". Lot's of hits.

Ok, so it's $125.00 on flebay, Now add shipping, how much?

Now compare that to the cost of a new one. I am aware that SqD gear is pricey, but c'mon.

I don't care if it's less than half the price of new, the OP is NOT doing his friend a favor trying to save money taking chances on a used or refurb GFCI breaker. What gaurantee do you have that it works properly? What gaurantee do you have that it's not near the end of it's useful life? What gaurantee do you have that it will function when needed? If you really want to save your friend the money, sell him a NEW breaker at COST and donate your labor to install it.

Otherwise why not just play with a loaded gun or a can of gasoline and book of matches instead?

I dunno, maybe I'm a dinosaur or something, I just can't in any way justify compromising the safety of life or property just to save some bucks. I would not be able to live with the knowledge that my attempt to save anyone, friend or client, some money resulted in a death, injury or loss of property.

 

[peter d]

They were probably "refurbished" by the Heng Shen Electricity Products Factory, Ltd. :roll:

 

[mdshunk]

Seem like the 'refurbished' molded case breakers I'm finding out about since this thread started are new and unused. Just surplus, no box, damaged box, dusty, or shelfworn. It appears that the extent of the refurbishing involves a damp rag and some Armor All.