tie bar made of copper wire

[Kenneth Dolin]

So just for a definitive answer because it has been coming up so often lately, please tell me that it is not ok to use a piece of copper wire to tie breakers together. or tell me I have just been being a pain in the report

and since I have your attention, this has had the main distribution panel upgraded with a square D 200 amp with main breaker, but the left the federal pacific 200 amp main breaker exterior next to the meter. other than a notation should I make any other mention of that?

[Bob Elliott]

Last /First
I mention brand of breakers in my reports just because I notate materials, but I am guessing you feel concern the main breaker being FP might be a concern ...Nah.

You are correct that a piece of copper wire is not acceptable as it may not trip both at the same time and create a safety hazard as a result.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

See it all the time, but that doesn't make it right. Components must be listed for their purpose.

[Christopher Currins]

Originally Posted by kdolin

this has had the main distribution panel upgraded with a square D 200 amp with main breaker, but the left the federal pacific 200 amp main breaker exterior next to the meter. other than a notation should I make any other mention of that?

There is only one *main* breaker (service disconnect). In your case it would be the FP at the meter. This also makes the square D *main* distribution panel a remote distribution (sub) panel, and should be wired as such.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Originally Posted by kdolin

and since I have your attention, this has had the main distribution panel upgraded with a square D 200 amp with main breaker, but the left the federal pacific 200 amp main breaker exterior next to the meter. other than a notation should I make any other mention of that?

I must have been sleeping this morning, because I missed this part of your post.

Unfortunately, that make no sense at all. As Chris inferred, lose the terms "main-breaker" and "main-distribution-panel." Remember these things;

There is "service equipment" and there is "other-equipment."

There is a "service" switch/disconnect, and there are "other" switches/disconnects.

There is only one service panel (i.e. service equipment), and there is only one service breaker (i.e. service disconnect).

"Other" panels should be referred to as sub panels, distribution panels, remote panels, lighting panels, etc., and "other" switches/disconnects should simply be referred to as switches, disconnects, breakers, etc.

So the service equipment is the FP with a 200 amp service disconnect, and the distribution (sub) panel has a 200 amp disconnect. There is nothing to note about that type of set up.

[Christopher Currins]

Originally Posted by jpope

I must have been sleeping this morning, because I missed this part of your post.

Unfortunately, that make no sense at all. As Chris inferred, lose the terms "main-breaker" and "main-distribution-panel." Remember these things;

There is "service equipment" and there is "other-equipment."

There is a "service" switch/disconnect, and there are "other" switches/disconnects.

There is only one service panel (i.e. service equipment), and there is only one service breaker (i.e. service disconnect).

"Other" panels should be referred to as sub panels, distribution panels, remote panels, lighting panels, etc., and "other" switches/disconnects should simply be referred to as switches, disconnects, breakers, etc.

So the service equipment is the FP with a 200 amp service disconnect, and the distribution (sub) panel has a 200 amp disconnect. There is nothing to note about that type of set up.

You've taught me well.

[Robert Meier]

Handle ties are required to be identified by the NEC:

240.15 Ungrounded Conductors.
(A) Overcurrent Device Required. A fuse or an overcurrent trip unit of a circuit breaker shall be connected in series with each ungrounded conductor. A combination of a current transformer and overcurrent relay shall be considered equivalent to an overcurrent trip unit.
FPN: For motor circuits, see Parts III, IV, V, and XI of Article 430.
(B) Circuit Breaker as Overcurrent Device. Circuit breakers shall open all ungrounded conductors of the circuit both manually and automatically unless otherwise permitted in 240.15(B)(1), (B)(2), and (B)(3).
(1) Multiwire Branch Circuit. Except where limited by 210.4(B), individual single-pole circuit breakers, with or without identified handle ties, shall be permitted as the protection for each ungrounded conductor of multiwire branch circuits that serve only single-phase line-to-neutral loads.
(2) Grounded Single-Phase and 3-Wire dc Circuits. In grounded systems, individual single-pole circuit breakers with identified handle ties shall be permitted as the protection for each ungrounded conductor for line-to-line connected loads for single-phase circuits or 3-wire, direct-current circuits.
(3) 3-Phase and 2-Phase Systems. For line-to-line loads in 4-wire, 3-phase systems or 5-wire, 2-phase systems having a grounded neutral point and no conductor operating at a voltage greater than permitted in 210.6, individual single-pole circuit breakers with identified handle ties shall be permitted as the protection for each ungrounded conductor.

Article 100-Definitions:
Identified (as applied to equipment). Recognizable as suitable for the specific purpose, function, use, environment, application, and so forth, where described in a particular Code requirement.
FPN: Some examples of ways to determine suitability of equipment for a specific purpose, environment, or application include investigations by a qualified testing laboratory (listing and labeling), an inspection agency, or other organizations concerned with product evaluation.