ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Parallel Breakers?

Fair enough Joe we can once again disagree.

This for me has been strictly something for discussion.

I will now remove my GE service panel and send it to GE with a note that says "Joe says it won't work".


I am not optimistic about either of those, I am counting on the fact the breakers will have different characteristics.

2 - 200 amp breakers in parallel supplying one feeder.

The load on the feeder some how goes above 400 amps.

The first breaker trips leaving the remaining breaker to hold the load which would still be over 400 amps.

This second breaker no matter how far out of whack from the first is going to trip quickly with 200% or more of it's rating passing through it.

Now lets say the planets where perfectly aliened and for some reason just as the first one tripped the current dropped from more than 400 amps to less than 200 amps just at the right moment leaving us with a '200 amp feeder'

All that has happened is the power stayed on perhaps to trip out on another day.

The level of inconvenience seems the same.

Do you work with building wiring systems?

I ask because you seem to look at it like building a fine watch when in reality it is a fairly crude process when dealing with typical inexpensive molded case circuit breakers.



Handle ties do not ensure both breakers will open on a 'trip'. Handle ties only ensure manual operation is simultaneous.

This is a result of breakers 'trip free' design.

I will see if I can post a picture of my GE panel.

I also never said I would do this, it is an NEC violation to do this in the field.

Bob