Square D QO vs Homeline?

[Dagny]

Eaton CH silver plated copper very high quality. 25 years ago QO was equal in quality but not today the tin plating gets pits in it.

 

[matt_i]

I was surprised to find a 200A Homeline panel in my new commercial space. I don't object to saving money on breakers but I'm wondering how the aluminum bus bars can show up as a weakness. I will occasionally be using a welder or plasma cutter, and there will be a compressor (not sure of the size, but now on a 30A or larger breaker that trips in the cold). Otherwise, nothing that deviates much from residential use.

I think you'll be fine. I have a Homeline panel in my shop, something I got about 15 years ago on sale and didn't really know all of the differences and have moved it from shop to shop. I've run tig welders, compressors, phase converters and 1 to 10hp machine tools all from that panel without a single glitch or hiccup. Tig welder is on a 90A double pole breaker for example.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

The homeline breakers are wider if memory serves. So if you run a lot of breakers, it takes up more room. Do they make a 40 space homeline?

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

I was talking square d where the QO are 3/4" wide and the homeline are 1" wide.

They don't interchange,so it really doesn't matter.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Wrong. Reread the whole thread and you will learn the differences.

Only differance internary for the 2 breakers is the visa trip.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Old thread I know, but this is the newest one of many on this topic.

I was surprised to find a 200A Homeline panel in my new commercial space. I don't object to saving money on breakers but I'm wondering how the aluminum bus bars can show up as a weakness. I will occasionally be using a welder or plasma cutter, and there will be a compressor (not sure of the size, but now on a 30A or larger breaker that trips in the cold). Otherwise, nothing that deviates much from residential use.

New service is being run to the building so it may be moved or replaced without much drama, considering there are few breakers in it right now.

You won't have a problem with that panel as long as it's properly installed.
I've been in a lot of residential shops that have more equipment than that in them.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I believe that you are referring to half-thickness circuit breakers.

When you say twin breaker, that could be interpreted as a double-pole breaker which of course is necessary for any 240V loads.

Oh, I vote for the QO as well - we go one better where I work - we use the QOB, where the 'B' stands for bolt-on. Very reliable. Keeps the airplanes safely flying up in the sky (I do the electrical design for the ground-based facilities)!

No a twin breaker is a tandem breaker with 2 poles on the same bus.

 

[AntonLargiader]

Thanks. My question wasn't really, "Is it OK?" but rather, "If there's a functional difference, how does it show up?"

The posts before mine are two years old, so I doubt responding to them is of huge use now. It's pretty well-trodden ground, with a lot of "QO is best" talk but nothing concrete. Different bus bar material... but if neither fails, then both are OK. Trip indicator on the breaker, OK there's something but nothing pertaining to the quality of the power distribution. Although I have to say I do like having a trip indicator, given the choice.

The building I'm talking about is getting three more panels; let's see what the electrician specs out.

 

[sberry]

If I was starting over from home it would be Homeline. They are economical and common. Especially if I was going to thro a pile of extra breakers at it.

 

[ishiboo]

Old thread I know, but this is the newest one of many on this topic.

I was surprised to find a 200A Homeline panel in my new commercial space. I don't object to saving money on breakers but I'm wondering how the aluminum bus bars can show up as a weakness. I will occasionally be using a welder or plasma cutter, and there will be a compressor (not sure of the size, but now on a 30A or larger breaker that trips in the cold). Otherwise, nothing that deviates much from residential use.

New service is being run to the building so it may be moved or replaced without much drama, considering there are few breakers in it right now.

They really don't. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to use either one. Many services come in as aluminum anyway.

I don't really have an issue spotting a tripped Homeline in a second, even in a 40-space panel.

There's a lot of misinformation in this old thread. Homeline breakers have a lifetime warranty just like the QO. The QO you'd probably spec probably has an aluminum bus bar as well. As I said years ago, internally they are the same breaker - same trip mechanism/mechanics/etc., so they have the same trip curve. QO is the best but I think you'd be hard pressed to justify the cost difference, and its not even that bad, since they have so much stuff in common.

How do the differences show up? Once the panel is closed, they don't EXCEPT when you have to find a tripped breaker. Then instead of an orange flag, you have to look for an out-of-alignment handle. If your breakers are labeled and you know what's tripped, it should be just as fast. If breakers are frequently tripping, something is wrong.

 

[bczygan]

QO!!!

 

[AntonLargiader]

I have no issues with it; like I said I just wondered if there was any functional difference. I suspect Homeline is just a newer, more economical design. They still need to support QO, and customers will still want it, but they decided to reinvent the product line for the future and there you have it, Homeline.

Doesn't matter at work since the panel is already there, but I may be replacing a subpanel in my basement and I'll look at Homeline for that.