Breaker questions?

[gmckenzie]

I'm still learning, so I wanted to get some opinions and explanations about this 125A panel in my future brother-in-law's house. Ignoring the double taps, the neutrals bonded with gound, the frayed wiring, the dust buildup, broken conduits and several other things in the background, my question centers on the 30A breaker in the upper right hand corner. It apparently feeds a sub panel that contains the breakers for the AC and heater. It is rigged so that the inner switches can be operated independantly of the outer swiches and vise versa. Also, if you trip the top switch, all four switches trip. I've never seen a breaker that operates like that. Any information would be helpful. Thanks

[Marc D. Shunk]

That breaker is called a "quad" in electrician trade slang. It's like four tandems connected together. Some have the two inner breakers handle-tied to make a 220 breaker in the middle, and have two singles on each side. Others have the two inners tied and the two outers tied, making two double pole breakers. It's a space saving thing for an already jam-packed panel. They're a little bit pricey as well. They're certainly not a truck stock item for most electricians.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

240V circuits are tied together (each leg of 120V) so that all power is cut when a breaker trips (opens). These "mini" breakers are powering two appliances with 240V each. Think of it as four 120V circuits from only two "stabs" on the bus bar.

Ignoring the neutrals bonded with gound

Neutrals are required to be bonded to the GEC at the service equipment.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Oops. Marc beat me to the punch. . .

[gmckenzie]

Thanks. That also adds credence to the idea that the breaker is feeding the sub panel that is controling the AC and heater - one 240V for each.