25 Amp Breaker

[John Allingham]

Are 25A breakers readily available. The reason I ask is that the A/C I looked at today had a name plate that said max fuse/breaker size 25A but there was a 30A breaker in the panel.
Here's one answer I found but I don't know that I believe it.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electrica...elp-C-Unit.htm

[gbeaumont]

John,

25 amp breakers are available, but are generaly a "non-prefered" size, that is to say that few electricians would have them on the truck so they commonly use a 30 amp.

Guess what it's still wrong, if the manufacturer calls for a 25, then it should have a 25, the NEC clearly states that it has to be installed in accordance with the manufacturers instructions.

Regards

Gerry

[Shawn Rowe]

Are you calling out the wrong size breaker per manufacturer specs? 25 MAX? If so, then you are right, let someone else say its cool to put a 30 on it. It may not be a big deal but let the electrician tell them that. State what you see. IMO, you done good! I probably get at least 3 oversized breakers each week.

I didn't read the entire post you posted but it sounds like you are comparing apples to oranges. They are referencing wire sizes not MAX allowable breaker by manufacturer. I will go back and re-skim through it

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

I cite it on about 50% of every house I inspect. I'm in the habit when I look at a condensing coil data plate to state into my voice recorder the max breaker size. Here's what I say:

"A *XXX* amp breaker provided over-current protection to an air conditioner which is rated for a maximum *xxx* amp breaker. This circuit is thought to be "over-fused" and needs service. Failure to correct the issue may damage the unit and/or result in a fire."

[brian winkle]

Originally Posted by jallingham

Are 25A breakers readily available. The reason I ask is that the A/C I looked at today had a name plate that said max fuse/breaker size 25A but there was a 30A breaker in the panel.
Here's one answer I found but I don't know that I believe it.
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electrica...elp-C-Unit.htm

Was there also a fused disconnect?

[Russell J. Hensel]

The size is too large, but once again it says the MAXIMUM sized breaker is 25, is the minimum 20 amp by chance?

[John Allingham]

There was a disconnect but not a fused disconnect.
I didn't notice a minimum breaker size listed.

[gbeaumont]

Originally Posted by rhensel

The size is too large, but once again it says the MAXIMUM sized breaker is 25, is the minimum 20 amp by chance?

I would suspect that that compressor would be quite happy on a 20 amp breaker, as when running normally it should only be drawing around 75% or less of the maximum, which would be 18.75 amps.

Start up loads should trip a 20 either as the load doesn't (or shouldn't) last long enough.

More info is really needed as to the RLA of the unit.

Regards

Gerry

[Paul W. Abernathy]

I agree with the Coon Hat Fellow........if the nameplate says 25A Max then that is what should be installed. The NEC clearly lists a 25A breaker as a standard breaker size based on 240.6

240.6 Standard Ampere Ratings.
(A) Fuses and Fixed-Trip Circuit Breakers.

The standard
ampere ratings for fuses and inverse time circuit
breakers shall be considered 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50,
60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 300,
350, 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800, 1000, 1200, 1600, 2000,
2500, 3000, 4000, 5000, and 6000 amperes. Additional
standard ampere ratings for fuses shall be 1, 3, 6, 10, and
601. The use of fuses and inverse time circuit breakers with
nonstandard ampere ratings shall be permitted.

So call it out and let the electrician take care of it. What we dont want to do is assume it is ok when it could have been placed on the circuit because of a problem with a piece of equipment that had to be increased to a 30A for some reason we as HI's are not aware of during our brief inspection process.

[gbeaumont]

What we dont want to do is assume it is ok when it could have been placed on the circuit because of a problem with a piece of equipment that had to be increased to a 30A for some reason we as HI's are not aware of during our brief inspection process.

Agreed, the braker MAY have been replaced due to a worn out compressor motor that was overdrawing and tripping the breaker, however it is more likely that a more modern replacement AC was installed requiring a smaller breaker, and that was over looked.

I as others have said see that a lot.

Regards

Gerry

BTW, Leave the Racoon out of this fella

[Keith Swift, PhD.]

I don't give opinions on anything electrical, and Gerry knows why. Just for the record, that not a racoon hat but a picture of Gerry with long hair and a pony tail taken in the 70's.

[John Allingham]

Thanks for all your help guys.