Can you put two QOT tandem 1-pole breakers next to each other and tie the center pair of handles to get a 2-pole breaker with common trip? It would be like the Siemens quad breakers with center common trip. I don't think Square D makes something like that.
Assuming you can do it, would the metal pin Square D makes for tieing the handles of full-sized breakers work, or would I need to fabricate something on my own?
I'm in the planning stages of replacing a small FPE subpanel (that's falling apart) with 12 circuits on my dad's farm. Square D's panel with eight 3/4" spaces would fit nicely in the same spot. He has three 240V circuits, and if I use full-sized breakers for all 3 of them I won't have any empty spaces left when I finish redoing the 120V circuits.
According to their catalog: "Order two QOT1515 or QOT2020 circuit breakers and handle tie Cat. No. QOTHT at $2.50 for common switching of center two poles." Based on this, it would only be an approved installation if you use their handle ties. Any Square D distributor should be able to provide these or order them.
First you left out how may 120 volt circuits you would need extra apart from the 3 double breakers. yes you said 12 circuits but are the double or single circuits.
If you used up 6 slots with the 3 double Sq. D , you would have 2 slots open which you can use piggy back breaker to use and can get
4 more circuits out of 2 slots.
Now you say you don't have room for a Sq. D can bigger than 8 circuits but you do know the Dq. D box / can does not get wider but only longer and you can just cut out the bottom area for the use of a longer box. you can put a 32 circuit box if you like and just cut out at the bottom to fit the longer box in.
Now the Piggy Back / Tamdem Sq.D Breaker used with a pin to attach each to getting can be ok I guess but just not nice at all.
Now Siemens has the small tamdem breaker to do what you want and get 16 circuits out of the same space as a 8 slot Sq. D box. Now with the Seimens boxes and breaker. You accepting a less quality of equipment but you take what will fit with out more cost.
Not allowed in some jurisdictions, still sold and installed in others. Check with your inspection authority. The two single breakers sometimes do not trip both poles. I had one on my pool pump. One side would trip but not the other. That is why they make two pole common trip breakers. Why not just get a bigger panel? They do not cost that much more.
There is no inspection authority. You shoulda seen some of the stuff I've replaced there that was installed by a supposed electrician.
When he replaced the main panel, the AL overhead triplex feeder to the garage was too short to thread the wires down the weatherhead and into the new panel without splicing them. Rather than spend $10 on the necessary connectors and paste and short pieces of copper wire, he wrapped a bare #6 copper wire around the #6 ASCR messenger wire (without any connectors or black goop) and shoved the splice into the EMT where nobody would see it. This served as the neutral and only ground connection for a 70A feeder to an outbuilding 100 feet away. (the building had no ground electrode.)
I cut the ASCR off near the weatherhead and spliced it properly with a white #8 copper wire to the neutral bar, changed the 70A breaker to 40A cuz that's all he really needs for the subpanel and the #6 AL runs into the garage, and I installed a ground electrode at the garage.
Thanks for the warning about the breakers. Did you have the right handle tie?
I might do that; I'm not sure how much room I have. My father built a wooden cabinet around the subpanel with a hasp so he could padlock it. (He never padlocks it.) I don't think he'll let me tear out the cabinet, so I gotta work with the space I have. I also want to look at Siemens (with copper busses) and GE panels and see what might fit the best.
I won't get to redo everything right until he dies, so I'm in no hurry. ;-) It's *much* safer now than it was 2 weeks ago. Getting that delapidated FPE panel out of there is the next step.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.