There's nothing wrong here !!!

[tlower]

Had a "so called" electrician call me up today to tell me that he was inspecting a panel I checked the other day. I called out the double tap that you obviously can see below. The "so called" electrician was arguing with me that this is standard practice and that I should find another career!!! Needless to say I started to talk a little more up to their level to feel out what type of person I was dealing with, they were lost and had no clue about anything with an electrical system. I continued on to tell them that they should contact the owner and tell them that they need to find another electrician to fix the problem, as this is obvisouly to difficult of a repair for the "electrician" that I was on the phone with to fix (Maybe I will call ). I guess that I just had to share how some people can be so obsured and claim to be someone they are not, because this person obviously was not the "electrician" that they were claiming to be, probably just another real estate agent or owner tring to pull a fast one.

I am curious if anyone else has had this experience and how you handled it?

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by tlower

I am curious if anyone else has had this experience and how you handled it?

I can't tell from your small pic what type of breaker it is. Post a larger pic and a one with a view of the panel.

A number of mfgs. permit two wires on a breaker.

[Marc D. Shunk]

That's a Cutler-Hammer CH breaker, and what you picture is permitted for that brand and model.

Don't you feel silly now? Your post, manifesto style, is an example of what's wrong with some uneducated home inspectors.

[Bruce A. King]

Since I can't tell from the picture...

Mark, does that type of breaker have positions for two wires where they can be connected without the two wires physically touching each other?

I am thinking all breakers that allow two wires have two positions for the wires, right?

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by bking

I am thinking all breakers that allow two wires have two positions for the wires, right?

Yeah, but the CH's have sort of an oval where the wires enter, so it's hard to tell without up-close pics of the actual termination whether one is on each side of the screw or not. I think it probably is terminated correctly, however, because it's pretty hard to get it wrong on a CH. The way that oval window is, if you have one conductor on the bottom already, it's downright hard to get another in there.

[Michael Larson]

You're so harsh Marc.
Let's try to be nice.
We don't want to scare people away from being able to learn and interact.

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by mlarson

You're so harsh Marc.
Let's try to be nice.
We don't want to scare people away from being able to learn and interact.

As long as they don't start out with a manifesto, I'm game. You know I'm "nice" 99% of the time, but I reserve that 1% for special occasions. This was the right time for that. The OP started out bashing this EC, so he opened that Pandora's Box and I obliged. Matter of fact, I should quote his OP for posterity, since this is the sort of stuff that gets edited when the OP returns:

Had a "so called" electrician call me up today to tell me that he was inspecting a panel I checked the other day. I called out the double tap that you obviously can see below. The "so called" electrician was arguing with me that this is standard practice and that I should find another career!!! Needless to say I started to talk a little more up to their level to feel out what type of person I was dealing with, they were lost and had no clue about anything with an electrical system. I continued on to tell them that they should contact the owner and tell them that they need to find another electrician to fix the problem, as this is obvisouly to difficult of a repair for the "electrician" that I was on the phone with to fix (Maybe I will call ). I guess that I just had to share how some people can be so obsured and claim to be someone they are not, because this person obviously was not the "electrician" that they were claiming to be, probably just another real estate agent or owner tring to pull a fast one.

I am curious if anyone else has had this experience and how you handled it?

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by Marc D. Shunk

As long as they don't start out with a manifesto, I'm game. You know I'm "nice" 99% of the time, but I reserve that 1% for special occasions. This was the right time for that. The OP started out bashing this EC, so he opened that Pandora's Box and I obliged.

I understand if you thought he was ripping an electrician.
But he is contending that the guy wasn't.

[Bob Elliott]

electrician was arguing with me that this is standard practice and that I should find another career!!!

That may have caused an angry post from anyone.

We all make mistakes, though we are not %100 positive if the conductors are correct to the breaker yet.

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by relliott

We all make mistakes, though we are not %100 positive if the conductors are correct to the breaker yet.

I'm 100% postitive and I also would have questioned the OP's career choice and whether the OP has the knowledge required to make such an analysis.

[klott]

As long as we're on the subject Marc, can you tell who all alow double taps please? Thanks, Ken

[Marc D. Shunk]

Originally Posted by klott

As long as we're on the subject Marc, can you tell who all alow double taps please? Thanks, Ken

Certainly, for a nominal fee. Would you like my PayPal address?

The one in the pic in this post absolutely does. Square D QO and Cutler Hammer CH are the two popular one's, in 15 and 20 amp. There's a couple others, but they escape me at the moment. It is notated on the breaker, however.

[klott]

Fair enough. Pay him Michael!

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by klott

Fair enough. Pay him Michael!

Why? I already knew the two Marc mentioned allowed it.

[Stephen W. Stanczyk]

Marc, is there a date change on those CH panels? I just checked mine. I have one from about 1977, nothing in the panel or on any of the 13 single pole breakers states OK for two wires. I checked each side of each breaker and the two interior labels. Zip. Although I see the oval access hole does appear to have room for two conductors.