Originally Posted By: jmyers
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
To everyone:
Double tapped breakers has come up many times in the home inspection industry and I would like to clear up a fact concerning them.
You are allowed to double tap breakers. According to the manufacturers spec sheets on Cutler Hammer (CH Series) and Square D (QO and Homeline Series) it is perfectly acceptable to have two wires under the lug on a breaker while still maintaining the UL listing. I am still researching the Siemens QP series, when I found out anything I will come back and post it here.
It has been presented many times as a NEC code violation and that statement is absolutely incorrect. I could not find any code that referred to double taps at the breaker as being illegal. If you know something that we don't, please pass it along to others can share the wealth.
IMHO....while I personally do not like to see this, mostly because I have witnessed the lugs loosening, with signs of overheating of the wire from arcing or shorts I could find nothing wrong with this.
I do consider this a bad practice and this and shared neutrals, although legal, is personally frowned upon by me.
What are your thoughts?
Joe Myers