Electrical panel.’what brand?

[bagged89s10]

I’m getting ready to purchase an electrical panels for my detached garage and also my house addition. I’m going to grab both with all the breakers at the same time. My house has a Murray/Siemens panel and my old garage had the same brand. I’m going to run each sub panel off 100amp breakers but I will get a larger panel with 20-30 spaces.

Is there a benefit going with any particular brand?
Locally it’s looks like I can easily get...
SIEMENS
SQUARE D HOMELINE
SQUARE D QO
EATON
GE

 

[Neggy]

I'm a Square D guy, but I'd tale anything at this point.... make sure if you buy the panels you can get breakers, lots of out of stock (unobtanium) nationwide on everything electrical

 

[theoldwizard1]

Square D QO seems to be the "go to" brand commercially. Not sure if it is really that much better than Homeline.

 

[Norcal]

Anything other then Eaton BR, I call them Zinsco II, but my first choice is Eaton CH, Siemens, or SQD QO, but if you have Siemens I would stick with it.

 

[pattenp]

Eaton CH is my first choice.

 

[alfredeneuman]

+1 for Eaton (Cutler/Hammer) CH

 

[joel63]

Square D QO is all I use.

 

[toyotadriver]

I have Eaton CH in both my house (2 panels) and in my shop. I've been happy with them.

 

[slow]

I am biased, but Square D QO would be my choice, as long as you can find them.

 

[Jim greengo]

Sq D homeline.

 

[u2slow]

Im a Square D QO guy.

But I do see the cost advantage of Siemens, and you can re-use your breakers.

 

[Terry D]

I use Siemens with a copper buss

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Square D QO

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Eaton CH copper buss

 

[Norcal]

Since the OP has Siemens already, it makes no sense to add another make into the mix. My own shop has a hodge podge of panels, Cutler-Hammer CH main panel, shop power is a GE A-Series panelboard, lighting panel is a Siemens S1 panelboard, & compressor panel is a SQ D NQOB panelboard, which means 4 different types of breakers, CH plug-in, GE THQB, Siemens BL, & SQ D QOB, bolt-on, none are compatible with each other, had them around & have spare breakers, but always makes sense to keep everything the same.

 

[klassenl]

Eaton BR for sure.

 

[Norcal]

Eaton BR for sure.

You mean Zinsco BR. Garbage panel.

 

[klassenl]

I find our personal biases interesting. Especially in light of vast evidence.

 

[alfredeneuman]

What vast evidence?
.

 

[Norcal]

I find our personal biases interesting. Especially in light of vast evidence.

That the BR interior is the Challenger design, the successor to Zinsco/Sylvania, BTW, 150-225A main breaker BR loadcenters used Zinsco mains prior to the current design. It's the Yugo of the electrical industry.

 

[mike93lx]

The significant concern on this board for interchangeability confuses me. How often are you guys moving breakers around between panels and how often are your breakers failing that you need to be concerned?

 

[engineer2]

I wonder if there are regional favorites around the country.
Mostly QO around here for both commercial and residential, but we are in the land of IBEW and EMT.
In my first house I replaced Federal Pacific with Homeline (to save money) and it was fine.

 

[Norcal]

I wonder if there are regional favorites around the country.
Mostly QO around here for both commercial and residential, but we are in the land of IBEW and EMT.
In my first house I replace Federal Pacific with Homeline (to save money) and it was fine.

Homeline is not a favorite of mine but will use it, but anything other than the BR line is OK, getting rid of Zinsco, FPE, & the BR line is always a improvement.

 

[rburke65]

The contractor I worked for was strictly Sq. D QO (quick open). I have both Sq. D and CHammer in my home....I am all electric. I installed a SD Homeline in my shop when I built.

 

[u2slow]

The significant concern on this board for interchangeability confuses me. How often are you guys moving breakers around between panels and how often are your breakers failing that you need to be concerned?

I'm always modifying my electrical. Four QO panels between house and shop currently.

 

[alfredeneuman]

How often are you guys moving breakers around between panels

There are at least 4 full time electricians contributing to this thread so I'd say pretty often

 

[mike93lx]

There are at least 4 full time electricians contributing to this thread so I'd say pretty often

Swapping breakers between panels in their home shops? I get adding stuff, but most people don't have 4 panels and aren't in them that much. Advising to only have one brand for interchangeability and coverage in a failure is a stretch

 

[klassenl]

What vast evidence?
.

The vast evidence that all currently manufactured panels are extremely safe no matter our personal thoughts.

 

[mike93lx]

The vast evidence that all currently manufactured panels are extremely safe no matter our personal thoughts.

Unsafe products are made all the time today. It's not unreasonable to assume that an electrical product currently on the market is sub par

 

[Ado]

Personally, I like Square D. Homeline is a slightly less expensive Square D option as I recall, but I doubt there is much difference at all in the quality and function. Both models have to meet National Electric Code standards.

 

[Norcal]

The vast evidence that all currently manufactured panels are extremely safe no matter our personal thoughts.

FPE, & Zinsco/Sylvania, were never recalled despite known issues with their residential panels, UL did not pull the listing on Zinsco/Sylvania, & FPE went for years with their UL listing intact until they got caught. So I have no trust, or should say I don't trust UL as a NRTL.

 

[klassenl]

FPE, & Zinsco/Sylvania, were never recalled despite known issues with their residential panels, UL did not pull the listing on Zinsco/Sylvania, & FPE went for years with their UL listing intact until they got caught. So I have no trust, or should say I don't trust UL as a NRTL.

A "known issue" does not necessarily make it unsafe.
There are many systems in this world with "known issues".

 

[mike93lx]

A "known issue" does not necessarily make it unsafe.
There are many systems in this world with "known issues".

Norcal never said they were Unsafe, so I don't know where you are getting that from...

 

[klassenl]

We all know discussions on the internet are all about civility and open mindedness. Seeking to see both sides of the coin and not about winning the debate.

Why would Norcal be so concerned about something other than in the basis of safety.

 

[Jakemedic]

Square D QO is what I used. Found needed breakers on eBay for much less than the big box stores. Brand new, and 25 to 50% less. They make a good product. I was always told to stay away from Homeline. Nothing to back it up though.

 

[reader2580]

You mean Zinsco BR. Garbage panel.

Can you explain why you are so against BR panels? I did some web searching and I only found one article about a BR panel that completely melted at the bus. The biggest complaint out on the web is their AFCI breakers tripping.

I probably won't buy another BR panel because I am using all Siemens on my property now, but I had two BR panels in my motorhome until I replaced them with Siemens recently due to need more space and not wanting to use tandems. I have a total of five Siemens panels on my property including the two in my motorhome.

 

[alfredeneuman]

The BR (and the Homeline) both are available with aluminum (tin plated) bus bars only.
QO and Siemens both have tin plated copper bus bars. CH have silver plated copper.
The Homeline shares the same internal workings as the QO, without the red "tripped" window.

BR breakers have loose tolerances and the covers don't fit without pushing up on the breakers on the lug end (because of gravity).
You can feel when CH and QO breakers are seated because they snap in with a positive stop. Not so on the BR and Homeline that just slip in to a straight piece of aluminum.

Folks that do this all day every day are more familiar with how the products perform in the field.

 

[Terry D]

I said in a earlier post that I use Siemens copper buss. My supply house is a Siemens distributor. They are a good panel. They just changed their line, the copper buss used to be the PL series. Now I believe they are called the PN series. The copper buss now is actually tin coated, it has CU stamped on it to let you now it is copper underneath. They say that this is better that bare copper, who knows. What I don't like about the newer ones is that they shortened the panel height, the one I use by 6 inches, still the same amount of circuits. They didn't remove the whole 6 inches from the top, but still took a lot off. Where it makes it hard to get the 4/0 into the main breaker.

To me, Square D QO and CH panels are at the top. I like the way the breaker attaches to to buss. My only pet peeve with QO is how the neutral buss is at the top. As far as the BR panels, when I worked for someone, that's all we put in. The quality is just not there. The cans have sharp edges where you can nick yourself. And the breakers flop around until you put the cover on it. And I don't know if the 100 amp MB panels are still the same, but for the main, it was a 100 amp breaker back fed. To me just seemed a little tacky. Back then they were called Cutler Hammer BR and the premium line was the Cutler Hammer CH. The BR is the old Bryant line that was bought out. Installing new Bryant panels was before I got into the trade, but I have removed a bunch of them.

 

[Norcal]

Eaton BR panels were being marketed as “engineered value” that is just a another name for cheap, it is the same market that Zinsco/Sylvania/Challenger aimed for in their day, since the use of different makes of equipment is regional ever noticed where those makes listed above were/are common that projects where everything is bottom Dollar, like tract and multi family housing those cheap makes were most common?

 

[rburke65]

11 years doing residential rewire I had never replaced a Sq D panel. FPE (Federal Pacific Electric) Panels were frequently an issue, as were Zinsco.