On Sun, 11 Feb 2007 19:13:24 -0500, "RBM" rbm2(remove wrote:

Haven't got a clue.

Not exactly the response I expected.

I hate the damn things, not to mention how potentially
dangerous they are.

Comprendere, senor.

With a single main disconnect, say 200 amp, when your
load reaches that point, it trips.

And if one manually opens the main, barring a fault of a certain kind
and/or a main breaker failure, one can expect that there is -no-
power anywhere in the house (given a simple, single svc. panel
application)?

With a split buss, you "could" have six
100 amp main disconnects on the same 200 amp service, depending upon the
actual load in the building, presuming it's less than 200 amp. Thirty years
goes by, countless DIY's , handy men, etc, and who knows what's actually
being drawn through the service conductors

And it can take (at least figuratively) 40 days and 40 nites
to precisely figure out what's what in the circuitry? :-)

Your honesty is appreciated.

I'll assume split buss (residential) prevalence has *something*
to do with "The Industry" until I have evidence to the contrary.

Thanks,
Puddin'


"Puddin' Man" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 22:41:05 -0500, "RBM" rbm2(remove
wrote:

Yep, that's a split buss panel, and all the breakers on top are "mains"
and
yes, that panel has main lugs and upper buss that is always live

20+ years ago I needed a new svc. panel. I looked at such split buss
panels and recoiled. Installed the simplest imaginable 200a panel
with "The One True Main" breaker and never regretted it.

As I recall, such panels weren't much more expensive than split buss.
A professional electrician would do much better than I with split
buss, but it's hard for me to imagine a complex job being easier
with split buss, regardless of training/experience.

Just curious. Why were (residential) split buss panels so
extensively used?

Cheers,
Puddin'


"Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather
than the victim."
- Bertrand Russell