Wafer style breakers

[Tim Maxwell]

This was the work of the home owner is what I suspect because there were electrical tools and extra breakers and such on the work bench near by.

The label on the panel door indicates wafer breakers can be used at the lower part of the panel and not in the upper part of the panel.

It looks like when the basement was finished lots of wafer style breakers were switched in for the single breakers at the top.

I didn't check these panels till kind of late in the inspection and didn't have any trips and I didn't find any kind of overheating at the breakers.

I plan to recommend an electrician come in and review this but I could not remember all that can go wrong with this situation to tell the buyer.

Can the elite sparkies refresh me on this please?

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[Jim Katen]

If wafer breakers are placed where they aren't intended to go, then it's wrong, period.

It means that the panel is being used in a way that doesn't comply with its listing and it means that someone probably had to alter the breakers to fit in those locations.

I can imagine an insurance company declining to cover a loss caused by this panel in such circumstances.

[Jim Port]

In addition to Jim Ks comment someone might have used non-CTL breakers in a CTL panel instead of modifying the breakers. Either way it would be wrong.

[rbaake]

Some good info from the ASHI Reporter on this subject:

http://www.ashireporter.org/articles/ar ... px?id=2047