MWBC handle tie

[mike93lx]

I will be feeding a shed with a MWBC and want to use this Siemens breaker, but they don't make a handle tie for it (as far as I can find)

Siemens SiePortal

mall.industry.siemens.com

Is there an alternative to a Siemens-made tie? I've read online of people making them, but I don't want to drop $85 on a breaker and have it fail/be unsafe.

A GE THQL tie looks like it might be wide enough

 

[yatg]

That sorta looks like it started out life as a quad breaker format and the middle pair were deleted for the SPD guts. You might want to try sourcing a quad breaker outside pair tie.

 

[alfredeneuman]

I noticed the breaker in the picture is 40A. Is it for a panel?
With only handle ties all loads must be line to neutral (120V) because they don't trip both circuits. (1 tripped, the other just switched off).
In order to run 240V loads you must have a common trip breaker.

 

[mike93lx]

I noticed the breaker in the picture is 40A. Is it for a panel?
With only handle ties all loads must be line to neutral (120V) because they don't trip both circuits. (1 tripped, the other just switched off).
In order to run 240V loads you must have a common trip breaker.

No idea on that application, but for me, I will not have 240v loads. Just want two 120v circuits in the shed without having to put a sub panel in

 

[mike93lx]

That sorta looks like it started out life as a quad breaker format and the middle pair were deleted for the SPD guts. You might want to try sourcing a quad breaker outside pair tie.

Not having any luck finding that. Just ties for the inside pair on a quad or for a pair of single pole breakers. And part number you have available?

 

[theoldwizard1]

I always wonder why MWBC need a handle tie. They ARE two separate circuits.

 

[sparky 1971]

I always wonder why MWBC need a handle tie. They ARE two separate circuits.

It's for the guy working on the circuit. In order to shut one circuit off, both need to be shut off. That way, it eliminates the chance of getting nailed by a loaded neutral.

 

[mike93lx]

I always wonder why MWBC need a handle tie. They ARE two separate circuits.

They are not separate.

 

[yatg]

Not having any luck finding that. Just ties for the inside pair on a quad or for a pair of single pole breakers. And part number you have available?

No idea of a P/N. My shop panel has some quads with handle ties and thought it might be a fit for your proposed breaker.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I always wonder why MWBC need a handle tie. They ARE two separate circuits.

They are not separate because the neutral is shared.

code requires the handle tie to prevent someone from getting shocked when opening a neutral splice with a load on it.

 

[mike93lx]

No idea of a P/N. My shop panel has some quads with handle ties and thought it might be a fit for your proposed breaker.

Can you swipe one for me?

J/k... Unless you are game for it


From what I can find, siemens doesn't offer that tie separately, so I would likely have to buy a breaker to harvest it. The 20/30 one is $28. Maybe there is a cheaper size.

 

[mike93lx]

I ordered the surge protection breaker and will see if I can come up with something once I have it in hand. Eaton has an outside handle tie that I can buy for about 10 bucks that looks like it might fit and the ge tie may as well, but that will obscure the led's. Ultimately, I may just buy a siemens with the tie and harvest it

 

[mike93lx]

I ordered the breaker and will see if I can come up with something once I have it in hand. Eaton has an outside handle tie that I can buy for about 10 bucks that looks like it might fit and the ge tie may as well, but that will obscure the led's. Ultimately, I may just buy a siemens with the tie and harvest it

After going back and forth with Siemens on this, they don't offer a replacement outside handle tie, so I ended up ordering an open box quadplex on Amazon and will just pull the tie off of it. For $23, I know it will fit and I'll have a replacement breaker that I almost certainly won't ever need.