# Are Square D QO main breakers universally interchangeable?



## bob_cntrctr (Jan 30, 2008)

Gentlemen,

Doing some inventive scrounging to satisfy the cheapskate in me.

I'm having a unit's old fuse panel replaced with a breaker panel. The electrician has a Square D QO panel in stock (Personally, I think "in stock" means he got stuck with it on another job, but whatever.) that would be perfect in terms of slots/size, but it has a 200A main in it and this unit only has service for 100A. By convenient coincidence, my local hardware store has a single Square D QO panel, a little one, with a 100A main, on the clearance table for half the price the electrician says for a 100A main breaker alone at his electrical supplier.

Can I buy the small panel and hand it to him to take out the main and be confident it will swap into the other panel?

Thanks.


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## bob_cntrctr (Jan 30, 2008)

Oie - more reading has illustrated just how dumb a question this is. No, definitely not universal.


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

I am just guessing here but i am going to assume that you being this cheap also means you will not be upgrading the service to 200 amp nor will you be upgrading the grounding. A service entrance is no place to "cheap out" and is also a well worth expenditure for raising the homes value.

IMO have your electrician upgrade the service to 200amp wire, install the panel he has, upgrade the grounding and be done with it. And yes, we electricians often keep a 200 amp 40 slot panel in stock as well as a 200 amp disconnect. At least i do anyway. Too far for me to drive to get one in an emergency and at least i will have a main breaker if i get a call on a weekend.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Breakers come in 'frame sizes'. A 100a breaker is a different frame size than a 200a.

In short, to answer your question: No.


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## Winchester (Jun 29, 2008)

I'm confident you can make it work.

:laughing:


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## DC construction (Mar 14, 2012)

Haha ya ok


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## Mikenra (Mar 22, 2012)

Just nothing as confidence inspiring as the words "cheapskate" and "Electrical" in the same sentence.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Winchester said:


> I'm confident you can make it work.
> 
> :laughing:


Ok how did I miss that good of a joke, delayed reaction but that deserves a :laughing:


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