Sub Panel. Which brand??

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wiresandpliers

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Summit Hill, PA
I am currently planning an install of a 1ph 100A sub. Customer does not want Square D for some unknown reason. I was thinking about a Siemens?? All I have ever done was Square D!! Now I even have to find a new supplier because my current does not stock Siemens.

Your thoughts on Siemens???
 
There's nothing presently on the market that I'd call complete junk (except probably Murray). I generally try to match what brand and model already exists in the building. Siemens is fine. Just another 1" Westinghouse copy. I like their switchgear a lot. Square D and Cutler Hammer are my first picks. You do realize that this is a Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge type question? There's really no right answer. Ask 10 electricians, and you'll probably get 12 different opinions.

Your profile is a little bit different. Would you care to ellaborate on your type of work?
 
wiresandpliers said:
I am currently planning an install of a 1ph 100A sub. Customer does not want Square D for some unknown reason. I was thinking about a Siemens?? All I have ever done was Square D!! Now I even have to find a new supplier because my current does not stock Siemens.

Your thoughts on Siemens???
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Siemens is decent with a few exceptions, SqD Q0 has a copper buss, seimens you can order copper, but most stock panels with the AL buss, only other problem we had using seimens was every so often the 200A main breakers in the loadcenters would lock up and you could not move them with a 2x4, seimens say they had no problems with it, 4 other area EC's had the same problem, might have been a bad run that year, sure hope it was not a design problem with the breaker.
 
i thought square d homeline also had plated copper busses just like the qo?? anyhow, i do not like CH at all; i used siemens for a bit when one of the supply houses quit carrying squareD. i actually liked them. one thing i didn't like was that the mounting holes on the rear were not parallel with each other, so mounting to uni-strut took more time because you had to measure and drill it to make it line up. another thing i didn't like so much about siemens was that none of my homeline breakers would stay snug on the bus, so i couldn't use them.
 
brantmacga said:
another thing i didn't like so much about siemens was that none of my homeline breakers would stay snug on the bus, so i couldn't use them.
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Well, that's a good thing. That would be a violation if you did. :wink:
 
I use Siemens whenever I am installing new equipment. I like them I only use copper buss panels. I use what ever the homeowner has currently if putting in a sub (unless it is no longer available)
 
i use square d homeline panels because of price and availability. i've never had a problem with the aluminum buss. has anyone else?
 
brantmacga said:
i just went to square D website; it says qo and homeline both have "sheilded one-piece plated copper bus construction" on convertible mains panels. go to http://ecatalog.squared.com/pubs/Electrical%20Distribution/Load%20Centers/Homeline%20Single%20Phase%20Load%20Centers/1100CT0501.pdf

scroll down to convertible mains panel; says tin-plated copper bus.
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Scroll down to page 44 Homeline has Interior Tin plated aluminum bus

You may be reading the QO information sheets, the page header has QO - Homeline a bit misleading.
 
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wiresandpliers said:
I am currently planning an install of a 1ph 100A sub. Customer does not want Square D for some unknown reason. I was thinking about a Siemens?? All I have ever done was Square D!! Now I even have to find a new supplier because my current does not stock Siemens.

Your thoughts on Siemens???
Click to expand...

I've never had a moment's problem with Square D, Cutler Hammer or Seimens. When I used to do contracting, the thing that used to get me was when I got on the job and opened the panelboard cover and found the bonding bolt or strap missing! What a pain! I'd like a dollar bill for every time that's happened over the years. :) Finally got smart and checked before I left the supply house. ;)
 
The only bus problems I've had (not including school) have been with split-bus CH panels and the red plug-on 200a main breakers, and always the B (right bus) stab; I forgot which brand, but the plug onto they top two stabs.

These are the ones that look like main-lug busses without the main lugs, and some people have suggested flipping the bus (if not full) end-for-end, instead of replacing it, when replacing the main breaker.

Aren't Siemens and Murray the same? They have different type letters, but they sure seem to use the same case molds. Also, I've read that Homelines and Br's use the same internals as their QO and CH counterparts. True?
 
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