Ckt Breakers-Question for you electrical guys

[BB_TX]

The load center in my house is 200 amp but a relatively small number of slots for breakers. All were used when the house was wired 22 yrs ago. It is a Crouse Hinds box. I would like to change a couple of the full slot breakers to half slot breakers so that I can add one more 220 v breaker. I have not found a local source of CH breakers yet. Are any other brands compatible with the CH load center? Or will I have to find the correct CH breakers?

 

[BobRip]

I have a Cutler Hammer box and they don't make a 1/2 size breaker. It could be Crouse Hinds does not either. You might want to install a subpanel or a larger panel. I would check on the Crouse Hinds web site and see about 1/2 slot breakers.

 

[DieselPower]

They would not be "CH" breakers, those are Cutler-Hammer. Does your Crouse-Hinds panel have QO breakers by chance? If so here's a complete listing of breakers for QO breaders and panels. http://www.crouse-hinds.com/catalog/PDFS/00630to00631_00657.pdf

Probably the easiest thing to do is do as Bob suggested and put in a Cutler Hammer subpanel that takes the easy to find QC breakers. Then if you ever want to add anything in the future it will be easy to find the QC breakers. It's been a while since I saw any QO breakers in a hardware store. You might also check with a local electrical supply store as they tend to stock alot of the off brands that hardware stores do not.

 

[Highbeam]

In my new-to-me house was told that I need to replace my entire panel since the model/brand is on a list of not so safe panels. New breakers for my older panel are certainly not to be found at Home Depot. It turns out that a whole new panel is relatively inexpensive and if you happen to know an electrician things can be downright cheap. The whole panel replacement will allow you to use updated, common, and cheap breakers plus your new panel can be bigger to accomodate the additional circuits.

The cost might only be a little bit more than a subpanel and much cleaner.

 

[Buckeye_Jim]

Here is a link to an Electrical Supply house in Victoria. You can email them with the question and they can also make some recomendations: Mid-Coast Electric Supply, Inc.

BTW my company has a customer at the Coleto Creek Park in Fannin. I have been their a few times over the years. We build environmental data collection systems.

Jim

 

[bamatoolmaker]

If I were you I would follow advice already given swap to C/H or Sq. D

 

[AL_Josh]

I just replaced my electrical box. It had Pacific Electric breakers in it. I had heard that these were not very safe and also I had a hard time finding replacement breakers and when I did a 25 amp would cost me 75.00. The electrician said the breakers I had were worth alot of money. I have a 100 amp Pacific Electric breaker he said I could get a pretty penny for.

I now have a Seimens breaker box. It cost me 400 dollars for the install and parts. I have an older home and all of my breaker boxes are on the outside of the house so it was easier for hom to work on.

 

[randy41]

I've got a GE breaker box...very nice. plenty of room and easy to wire. i got it at an electrical supply place not a box store. 200 amps.

 

[caver]

Siemans or Murray may work in that panel.

 

[BobRip]

What I like about the Cutler Hammer )CH) is that it has copper bus bars. The others are aluminum. I have seen several panesl with aluminum bus bars have breakers fail from heat at the connection. The CH was recommended by my local electrical supplier for this reason.