Rivets in Panelboard Breaker Mounts

[chris kennedy]

For example once I needed 3 port lugs for an existing Siemens P3 panel. Siemens said it can only be done at the factory and they can't send me the parts.

Same thing recently happened to me. EE speced 3 sets of 350's for an 800A P3. Delivered with 2 port lugs.
Found the 3 port lugs in the Speedfax for the P3 panel board. My supplier said he couldn't get them even though I gave him the catalog number.
Now I know why.

 

[Fred B]

Same thing recently happened to me. EE speced 3 sets of 350's for an 800A P3. Delivered with 2 port lugs.
Found the 3 port lugs in the Speedfax for the P3 panel board. My supplier said he couldn't get them even though I gave him the catalog number.
Now I know why.

Probably because the 3 port model was several hundred or even a thousand more than the 2 port model and they didn't want you to buy the cheaper one and then just change the lugs for a hundred in parts.

 

[electrofelon]

Same thing recently happened to me. EE speced 3 sets of 350's for an 800A P3. Delivered with 2 port lugs.
Found the 3 port lugs in the Speedfax for the P3 panel board. My supplier said he couldn't get them even though I gave him the catalog number.
Now I know why.

But why? Is it some sort of listing thing that for some reason seemed is only allowed to factory install them? Or simply a choice made by Siemens to not sell them separately, whether it be Fred's reason or another?

 

[electrofelon]

I dig up the email on this from my Siemens rep:


From Siemens;



An 800A MLO P3 can be built with (3) 3/0-500 but it couldn’t be done in the field. They would have to order a new interior with provisions for the existing branches so they could re-use those to keep the expense down

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Perhaps it's an issue of terminology, but I order "custom" panel boards from Siemens all the time. I doubt they are getting a UL listing for each of these. Most of the "customness" is just getting it factory assembled with the quantity of various breaker frame strap kits that I specify. These kits are typically available and I could have bought a factory assembled stock panel board, bought the mounting/strap/finger kits and configured it myself. However there are some configurations that can't be done in the field. I'm not sure why this is. Are some of these fabricated on an individual basis? For example once I needed 3 port lugs for an existing Siemens P3 panel. Siemens said it can only be done at the factory and they can't send me the parts. Also some main breakers have to be factory installed and they can't send you parts to install them in the field.

I think it is much like companies who build control panels. They have the ability to put a listing mark on the panels, even though they are all pretty much unique from each other. The builder itself is evaluated and permitted to put the listing mark on their products.