Electrical sub panel Sq D QO™ Plug-On Neutral Breakers

[Cadmandu]

I have a 200 amp Sq D QO 2003 style main panel in the house and i bought a 100 amp Sq D sub with a main for the garage.
I need a 90 amp branch breaker for the house panel. Do these old QO standard breakers in the house fit my new QO™ Plug-On Neutral sub for garage.
TIA

 

[infinkc]

yes the QO will fit in a plug on neutral panel and work fine. if you have arc fault/gfi breakers from the old panel, i believe you still have to connect the pigtail to the neutral bar. Plug on neutral breakers will not fit a QO panel.

 

[Cadmandu]

Can I install the panle between 2x4 or do I need a piece of 3/4" plywood

 

[pattenp]

It depends. Is the panel a surface or a flush mount?

 

[Cadmandu]

Its both I'm going to flush mount it

 

[pattenp]

If it's listed as flush mount then between the studs is fine, no plywood should be needed behind it.

 

[Cadmandu]

Thanks

 

[Cadmandu]

What do you do with all the white nuetral wires in a sub panle if you have a plug on nuetral QO sq d panel

 

[SlappyWhite]

What do you do with all the white nuetral wires in a sub panle if you have a plug on nuetral QO sq d panel

There should still be a neutral bar with screw connections. So if talking about the connections to the breakers...

• Regular breaker white/neutral from the wire goes to the neutral bar, hot(s) to the breaker.
• Non-plug on CAFI, DF... (pigtailed) the neutral pigtail on the breaker needs to still go to the screw connection neutral bar, the hot(s) and neutrals from the wire go to the breaker.
• Plug on neutral breaker gets its neutral from the plug on bus, so the hot and neutral from the wire just go to the breaker, no connection to the screw connection neutral bus.

 

[cmandp]

You also would need to separate the neutral and grounds if this is a sub panel. So you need a ground bar kit, all grounds will go to that. And all neutrals will go to the neutral bar.

 

[Cadmandu]

That is what I thought but that is no different than the old method except the separation of the grounds. How is the plug on nuetral breakers any faster to install

 

[slow]

plug on neutral only requires the branch circuit hot and neutral wired to the breaker, where non plug on neutral GFCI breakers require an additional neutral pigtail to the neutral bus as well as the hot and neutral wired to the breaker. A regular breaker, does not have the time savings.

 

[SlappyWhite]

That is what I thought but that is no different than the old method except the separation of the grounds. How is the plug on nuetral breakers any faster to install

It is only faster (and cleaner) when using the plug on neutral breakers. If using (reusing) legacy breakers of any type there is no difference.

Here, I have also noticed that the plug on CAFI, GFCI, and DF are cheaper than the older pigtail models... not sure if that is the same in other places.

 

[Cadmandu]

Ok thanks for your help