OT - Double Tapped Circuit Breakers?

I assume he means that there are two wires connected to the terminal on those breakers. This is not allowed unless the breaker is specifically designed to accept multiple conductors.

Ned Simmons

A double tapped breaker as described can be made legal by splicing the two wires together with a pigtail and connecting the pigtail to the breaker. In theory, there should be no splices inside the box, so this should properly be done in a secondary splice box adjacent to the main box, However, a lot of inspectors will let this slide if it's done correctly with the right size wire, etc.

OTOH, most service entrance cable is aluminum. I haven't seen copper service entrance cable in a long time.

Really? I'd heard a lot of 1960's house fires had been traced to aluminum wiring meeting copper terminals. How do they get around that in a service box or is that not a concern?

George

retiring

entrance

Double tapped - Two conductors connected to the same breaker connection. Not allowed in most areas. Easy way around it would be to install a breaker of the same size and move the wire IF you have a couple spare holes. Since you probably don't the next easiest solution would be to get a couple split breakers, these have two breakers in one single breaker width unit. Buy two of them and install them in place of the double tapped current breakers. You need to know who made the breaker box and what type breaker is in there to buy the correct ones. OR pull a breaker and take it with you.

As for the service entrance I haven't seen a copper one in a LONG time. Aluminum is the common type. The only item there is that the aluminum has to be larger than copper and you should check the terminals for tightness every couple years just to be sure they are tight since the aluminum expands and contracts more than copper.

Steve W.

That was a problem with the 12/2 or 14/2 wire used to wire the house. It was very difficult to get the connections good and keep them from working loose (a little oxide, they get hot, collapses the aluminum, makes it looser, repeat until fire). The main service entrance wires, while often aluminum, have a special jelly on them to prevent oxidation and they use special connectors rated for Cu/Al to connect. What you REALLY want to avoid is the regular wiring in the house that is aluminum. They only used it for a few years before it went away (another nasty habit of aluminum wire is it breaks easily when you flex it a couple of times).

mikey

All,

Thank you all for your answers. I understand perfectly now....

Dave

Dave Young wrote:

AL wire was written out of the code a number of years ago after the insurance industry statistics showed it burning down a lot of houses. It is still grandfathered in existing installations, but I'd replace it if it was my house and my dog and my family. Bugs