Eaton BR panel double breakers?

[Innovate1]

Helping a friend with adding an receptacle circuit. He has a fairly recently installed 200A Eaton BR main panel. The panel is full with one double 20A breaker. So off to Lowes to get a double 20 to squeeze in one more. The panel is labeled 30 spaces/60 circuits. But the breaker has a metal tab that makes it only fit on a bus bar tab with a slot in it. And none of the bar tabs have a slot. I pulled out the existing dual 20A and found the plastic had been broken to remove the metal piece so it could be put on a bar without the slot. I am not familiar with Eaton panels so am wondering what is going on. I expected that all the tabs would be split since the panel is labeled 30/60. I double tapped one of the existing breakers for now until I figure out the best plan forward.

I also noticed a number of things about the install. A number of the wire clamps for wires leaving the box didn't have a nut to hold them in the box - it didn't fall off because it would have still been on the wires inside but was missing. Some didn't have the bar to clamp the wires. A bunch of the ground wires were just twisted together. One #10 ground wire on a 30A circuit was twisted to a #12 wire and the #12 connected to the ground bar. Supposedly a licensed electrician did the job but they were the low bid - by quite a bit I was told. I cleaned some of it up but didn't have time or materials with me to address it all.

 

[Stuff]

Eaton decided they needed to confuse everyone but make more money on breakers. For the newer panels you need to buy non-CTL style tandem breakers. Get part number BR2020 and they will fit. The cheaper BD breakers no longer work with some of the current Eaton panels.

They snuck this in. See footnote on page 88: https://www.eaton.com/ecm/groups/public/@pub/@electrical/documents/content/vol01_tab01.pdf - "Suitable for use in plug-on neutral style loadcenters."

 

[Innovate1]

I thought the purpose of the "feature" was to limit the number of circuits but for this panel ever space can be a dual so it makes no sense why the bus isn't slotted for all tabs. And this isn't a plug on neutral panel. Looks like the BD2020 is CTL and the BR2020 doesn't have the piece that makes it require a slotted stab (for about twice the price).

 

[Stuff]

It did say that it has been for the plug in neutral versions. Maybe they expanded it to others. Post some pictures as maybe something stands out and you can help others that run into the same issue.

Eaton decided that they don't need to follow the CTL rejection rule.
Discussion here: https://forums.mikeholt.com/threads/eaton-and-non-ctl-circuit-breakers.2552488/

 

[Terry D]

Another reason not to use Eaton BR

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Another reason not to use Eaton

Eaton BR that is.

Eaton CH is great!

 

[Norcal]

As I have said many times before my name for Eaton BR is “Zinsco II”.

 

[Innovate1]

Glad it's not mine and don't have any pictures. I did find the non-ctl breaker available locally for about $15 so that's what I will recommend. He plans to add a garage with a subpanel. Sounds like replacing this with a better/larger panel at that time is a good plan.

 

[Terry D]

Eaton BR that is.

Eaton CH is great!

Thats what i meant, but i added BR to it. I still think of CH's as Cutler Hammer, even though they are Eaton now

 

[Norcal]

Thats what i meant, but i added BR to it. I still think of CH's as Cutler Hammer, even though they are Eaton now

Eaton has owned C-H since 1978.

 

[Terry D]

Eaton has owned C-H since 1978.

Actually it was 1974, but my point is, at least in my area, even though eaton aquired cutler hammer, when i worked for a contractor 20 years ago, that is all we put was BR and CH panels. They were refered to as both cutler hammer panels. You didnt ask for a eaton you asked for a cutler hammer. Im not sure that the name Eaton was even on the box like it is now. There were two lines, BR and CH. BR being the old Bryant line.

 

[Terry D]

Edit

 

[Norcal]

Actually it was 1974, but my point is, at least in my area, even though eaton aquired cutler hammer, when i worked for a contractor 20 years ago, that is all we put was BR and CH panels. They were refered to as both cutler hammer panels. You didnt ask for a eaton you asked for a cutler hammer. Im not sure that the name Eaton was even on the box like it is now. There were two lines, BR and CH. BR being the old line.

Not according to a book that Cutler-Hammer Inc put out detailing their history up to the point of the acquisition by Eaton, or "Powering Business The First 100 years of Eaton Corporation" they both say 1978. The BR line came from the 1994 acquisition of Westinghouse Electric Corporations distribution and controls business unit. The BR line was originally Bryant, and later Westinghouse, before being branded C-H. Gould Inc bought the ITE Imperial Corp in 1976, & GTE bought Zinsco in 1973, Zinsco became GTE Sylvania, until being sold & becoming Challenger Electrical Equipment Corp, & they bought FPE, & Westinghouse bought Challenger, they had their BR breakers listed for Challenger loadcenters, which continues to this day, & adopted the Challenger loadcenter as the BR loadcenter. which is part of the reason I call them "Zinsco II".

 

[TRWham]

...

Eaton decided that they don't need to follow the CTL rejection rule.
Discussion here: https://forums.mikeholt.com/threads/eaton-and-non-ctl-circuit-breakers.2552488/

That's because no one needs to follow the CTL requirement anymore. With the elimination of the 42 circuit limit over 10 years ago, the need for CTL went away, so Eaton is not claiming anything that any other manufacturer could not also claim. 408.54 simply says it should not be possible to install any more circuit breakers than the panel is listed to take. Even if you put a tandem in every space in a new production panel, it should be within the limit.

 

[Stuff]

The old 42 rule has nothing to do with it. If a panel is only designed for 24 circuits using 20 spaces then you need some way to prevent 25 circuits. (because of space/volume issues, lack of neutral connections, etc.) The CTL requirement is still there for that case. Last I looked not all of Eaton's panels took tandems in every space. It's more of a listing issue than a NEC issue.

 

[Innovate1]

For what it's worth the BR panel is clearly labeled for 30 spaces/ 60 circuits and doesn't have slots in the stabs. So you have to use non-CTL breakers for any dual breakers and apparently could use one in every location.

Wondering what to recommend to them for when they add about a 60A feed for their garage. The could put several dual breakers in and squeeze in the additional circuits. The box isn't crowded. But when adding on I would be temped to drop in a better main panel at the same time.