Electric panels

[gimpyrobb]

Getting ready to upgrade electrical service, what's the best panels?

[toprecycler]

The ones that your local stores has circuit breakers for. I can’t say anything more, but that would be my main consideration. I would guess that you should be able to get most new ones at one of the big box stores, but I know the two big ones don’t seem to carry all the same ones.


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[midmosandblasting]

GE ,Square D ,Homeline all take same breakers .Easier to find .

[Norcal]

Originally Posted by midmosandblasting

GE ,Square D ,Homeline all take same breakers .Easier to find .

But they are not interchangeable, GE is not classified to be used in competitive makes of panels, Square D has a link stating the same thing about Homeline breakers, there is really no such thing as a interchangeable breaker, stuffing a mix of makes of breakers in a panel is a sure sign somebody does not know what they are doing, the only 1" wide breakers that can be used is Eaton CL & are not the same as BR, and they are more expensive then original equipment products. The only panels that did allow other makes is the now obsolete Murray/Crouse-Hinds panels, they allowed Murray/Crouse-Hinds, ITE, & Bryant breakers to be used.

SQ D link https://www.se.com/us/en/faqs/FA129931/

[Shade Tree Welder]

I put in SD Homeline panels 30 years ago, got great service out of them,
zero problems. No problem with buying parts.

I have been replacing my GFCI outlets with GFCI breakers as the outlets fail;
have not had a Homeline GFCI breaker fail yet.

The only panel I have that is not homeline now is my phase converter/ 3 phase
set up as there is no such thing as 3 phase Homeline. So I did a QO style in
that. But is set up as a sub panel off my service to the shop. My shop is fed
from the transformer at the road and has it's own meter separate from the
house. I am zoned ag. so I can easily do that.

[gimpyrobb]

I wasn't sure if this was a dumb question but I see a lot of things I hadn't considered! Thanks gang.

[Norcal]

Originally Posted by Shade Tree Welder

I put in SD Homeline panels 30 years ago, got great service out of them,
zero problems. No problem with buying parts.

I have been replacing my GFCI outlets with GFCI breakers as the outlets fail;
have not had a Homeline GFCI breaker fail yet.

The only panel I have that is not homeline now is my phase converter/ 3 phase
set up as there is no such thing as 3 phase Homeline. So I did a QO style in
that. But is set up as a sub panel off my service to the shop. My shop is fed
from the transformer at the road and has it's own meter separate from the
house. I am zoned ag. so I can easily do that.

The only thing "wrong" with Homeline panels is they are aluminum bussed, but SQ D is the only manufacturer to apply a dab of oxide inhibitor to the HOM breakers, SQ D introduced HOM products for competitive reasons, because QO is a premium line, and they wanted more of the residential market.

[Norcal]

Anything except Eaton BR which I call "Zinsco II" or GE, some people like Leviton loadcenters but I worry they will go the way of SQ D Trillaint, which died & parts are impossible to find, I prefer copper bus, so Eaton CH, or SQ D QO are higher quality, SQ D Homeline is aluminum bussed, Siemens had some class action suits going on, but I am mostly a anything but BR, hated them for over 40 years starting when they were still Bryant.

[greywynd]

That I believe is also a Square D panel. May help in the search for a front cover.


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[gimpyrobb]

$48.60 at home depot for the cover. The thing I really like is the wires terminate on the panel instead of the breaker. I can wire the whole thing and then go back and insert all the breakers. If a breaker goes bad you just swap it out, no wire to mess with. It also has a copper main, but that is less important to me. I think I've talked myself into it, Just want to make sure if someone here knew they were garbage first.