Anyone ever seen this before?

[Bruce Thompson]

Found this today in a Federal Pacific with Stab-locs

What reason could anyone have for soldering the wires onto the buss? Does it somehow provide power to the lower half of the panel? (assuming the lower half didn't already have power)

Bruce

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Split Main Panel

[Bruce Thompson]

So it's OK?

[tdietrich1]

Odds are they are 'crimped'. The dot in the center looks like pressure was applied to fix the cable into the bus.

tom

[tdietrich1]

Originally Posted by bthompson1

So it's OK?

Federal Pacific with Stab-locs?

[Bruce Thompson]

Well not THAT part.

Actually there is a double-tap as well, so I'm already calling for an electrician's eval. I explained to the client about FPE and will send him some further information.

[tdietrich1]

Originally Posted by bthompson1

Well not THAT part.

Understood.

Split buses are common in 'older' houses. The photo you show has no discoloration, or damaged insulation. So it looks solid. However, you have enough to defer to a qualified electrician for further evaluation/replacement.

tom

[Bruce Thompson]

Originally Posted by tdietrich1

Understood.

Split buses are common in 'older' houses. The photo you show has no discoloration, or damaged insulation. So it looks solid. However, you have enough to defer to a qualified electrician for further evaluation/replacement.

tom

Obviously I've never run across one of these but I don't really understand why you would do this. So did the installing electrician somehow split the buss or would it have come from the factory like that?

Ignorantly,
Bruce

PS thanks for all of the quick responses

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by bthompson1

Obviously I've never run across one of these but I don't really understand why you would do this. So did the installing electrician somehow split the buss or would it have come from the factory like that?

That's the way it came from the factory. It wasn't cobbled together like that in the field. It came pre-cobbled.

[Robert J. OConnor]

Originally Posted by bthompson1

I've never run across one of these but I don't really understand why you would do this.

Some older panels were done that way with a split buss to save the expense of a larger main breaker for the entire panel. There just had to be no more than 6 switches/breakers to completely shut power off. So the top part of the panel would have the breakers for the larger circuits (e.g. stove, dryer), and one breaker that fed the lower part of the panel intended for more lightly loaded circuits. No main breaker ... just an additional breaker to feed the lower buss, which was less expensive.

[Marc Benz]

Bruce :

this type of breaker box is split panel and it was pretty common in 50's to i think about early 70's after that they went away

anyway for that type of split panel it willbe useally i will say useally be a 100 amp service but few case i ran into are 60 amp service as well

the other thing i will like to give few guys here a head up that one part of the split buss is hot all the time regaurding if you did turn off all the breakers the bussbar on upper [ useally ] part will stay engerized until the meter yanked out or cut the service drop [ or riser ]

Merci, Marc