Panels in Canada

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don_resqcapt19

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The Canadian Electrical Code requires the service conductors be in a separate compartment and no feeder or branch circuit conductors are permitted to be in that compartment. Since the compartment for the service conductors extends across the complete width of the enclosure, there is no top entry of the branch circuits unless you turn the enclosure on its side. Their code does not have a rule equivalent to our 240.81. Their design does a much better job of preventing contact with the energized service conductor than does our insulating barriers.
 

texie

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Given the big push toward more electrical safety in recent years and and the trend in the NEC the last 2 cycles toward barriers in service equipment, it would not surprise me to ultimately see the NEC requiring all service disconnects to be in their own enclosure or section.
 

Dennis Alwon

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Canada is ahead of us on this one for sure... I still thing a sideways mount would be a hard sell around here even if 240.81 were amended.

I think I would run the conductors to the bottom & side of the panel before I turned it sideways.
 

texie

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Fort Collins, Colorado
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Canada is ahead of us on this one for sure... I still thing a sideways mount would be a hard sell around here even if 240.81 were amended.

I think I would run the conductors to the bottom & side of the panel before I turned it sideways.
Agreed. The sideways thing is really hokey.
 

jim dungar

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There are some old QO panels out there that half the breakers turn off toward up side and the other half turn off toward the down.

I know the older (pre 1940) MO panel had breakers pointing 'upside down'.
I did find an adapter frame that allowed QO breakers to be installed in an MO-8 enclosure.

My 1960 QO catalog page is not definitive as to the position of breakers in QO6 and QO8 panels, but the way it lists the box dimensions I think the breakers are intended to be sideways not up and down.
 

ActionDave

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I know the older (pre 1940) MO panel had breakers pointing 'upside down'.
I did find an adapter frame that allowed QO breakers to be installed in an MO-8 enclosure.

My 1960 QO catalog page is not definitive as to the position of breakers in QO6 and QO8 panels, but the way it lists the box dimensions I think the breakers are intended to be sideways not up and down.
The ones I'm thinking of would be 1970s vintage, eight circuits or so and by all appearance made to install with the top breakers pointing down.
 

norcal

Senior Member
There are some old QO panels out there that half the breakers turn off toward up side and the other half turn off toward the down.
ITE EQ 4, EQ 6, & EQ 8 panels also had breakers on top, Cutler-Hammer, GE, & Bryant, had the same type of panels where the breakers on top handles were down when on.
 
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