ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Panel preferences

Siemens for me. With a name like that it's got to be good. I like the way the ground bars are compared th CH. I did like em more a few years ago whe their were 2 the full length. Also I hate the CH tan color. The Siemens come out the best value when you get everything.

SqD is out of control with the pricing. The breakers are more then double. With ark faults and GFI's it adds up fast. Last I got were made in Mexico. A D panel with breakers raises the price a few hundred in a house.

Tom

most common i used for resdentail usage is Ch and SqD i dont have much trouble with it at all.

For Ge breaker in resdentaial usage ughh i am not too thrilled with it due poor design espcally with mini or thin breakers and the buss is not very strong at all and the other reason why that if ran with thin it is easy to get on wrong voltage. [ common curpit with ge's]

for other usage like Industrail or commercal usage i used CH or SqD or few other as the spec called for.

Merci, marc

I do like Cutler Hammer and Square D, but since they aren't available from my main distributor, we install Siemens 99% of the time. My distributor also pushes GE (a bit cheaper than Siemens), but after trying their panel once I won't install one again. I've always steered clear of FPE.

You know, this thread has got me thinking.....and I think I'll start a new thread, where we can dream about "the perfect panel."

I asked the head of my supplier why they did not sell SqD. He said that SqD would want them to sign an exclusive agreement where that is all they can sell.

I just remembered I got a Siemens with typo error the other day. On the cover the breaker number is stamped next to each one. On the left side near the bottom the numbers go 33, 35, 37, then 36 last. They got the 6 & 9 backwords.

Well I do favour the SQ-D a lot even though they are pricey.. You all are going to think I am nuts but I like the FPE... We have NEVER had a problem with any of their new stuff, although I will admit they are slow to trip, but DO TRIP... When I worked at the supplier I had people coming in that would use EXCLUSEIVELY FPE and nothing else, they were the only ones that seemed to hold up in barns and outbuildings!

Cutler Hammer.. their older resi panels that used bolt on breakers I think were junk... seen too many with the sides of the main breaker burnt out of them!
The push on siemens ITE Cutler... Meh, not fussy about them, I have had some that were so loose they kept falling out of the panel, had some arc and spark to the point where they welded themselves in and I could NOT get them out of the panel. Problem being that chincy aluminum- copper connection between the buss and the breaker... To top it off I dont like the way the lugs on some of the higher amperage breakers hold the conductors.. the lugs dont seem " deep" enough...
The FPE and Sq-D seem to have nice deep lugs that grab the wire and hold very tight..
Ahh well, I have my whining!

A.D

Sq D QO/QOB resi & lite comm. Sq D I-Line, EHB comm.

As to GE...used to be a 'favorite' 'till the cb's came from Mexico. Hated the 'thins', then and still now. GE Dist. (Uhr Northern 7 GE Supply disappeared into the sunset.

Siemens follows Sq D, if the EE specs it; my choice is Sq D.

John

For residential I like Siemens. I like the way the ground and neutral bars are setup. When you bend your wires, the bend is clear of the hot on the breakers. And there is always plenty of spaces on the bars. I also like that the panel cover supports itself when your putting the screws in.

CH is cheaper around here.

It was an adventure doing the service upgrade. It's one of those adventures that will long remain in my memory.

The HO actually liked the look of the new Siemens panel and I also took him to the big orange box store and had him chat with the manager about continuity of supply for future parts. That seemed to ease his mind. He has been advised of all the pro's and con's of different panels and finally agreed wholeheartedly the what was now "his" choice of the Siemens panel was the best choice.

I briefly chatted with the manager after the HO left and when I came out into the store he had a big bag of something he had just purchased. - None of my business or so I thought.

We returned to his home and I started to work on removing the old panel after the POCO had pulled the meter off. I have a little 6kw generator that I can use for temporary lighting and it fired up O.K. in the minus 15 C temps. The next thing I knew the HO put down the bag he had purchased and inside were about 25 nice shiny new octagon boxes with covers. He said I could use those to splice into the existing wiring.!!!!

After a bit of discussion, I told him that I would probably have to replace about 6 or 7 new home runs because of the condition of the NM and "splicing" is just something I would not do. He asked me how that was going to happen and I mentioned that it was probably going to happen the old fashioned way - i.e. fishtape and a drill.

He told me that I would not be doing any replacement of home runs.

So I wrote up my invoice and handed it to him, picked up my generator and walked off the property.

The next morning the HO's wife was on the phone at 07:00. She said I should come back to finish the job. I said that I would not consider it if Mr. HO was going to be around and she advised me that Mr. HO was not to come home until the job was finished - she made him book into a hotel for 4 days and just stay away. I agreed to come back and finish the job but only if I could make it code compliant and done with proper workmanship.

She was in tears when I got there at 09:00 and almost begged me to forgive them for the "advise".

I lugged the generator back out back and hooked it all back up and got to work. I finished the job today and he was "called" home.

He almost fell over with approval when I turned the breakers on.

7 homeruns and lots of fooling around with fishtape and drills (God I hate outside insulated walls) and I was done.

I think next time I get "advise" from an HO before I start a job, I'm going to take the advise of many of you here.

-RUN- Run as fast away as I can.

At least I made about a grand for this 3 day job. Not enough to stay in business for long but better than nothing.