# Cutler Hammer Panelboards



## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

First off, welcome to the nuthouse. :thumbup::jester:

The reason those spaces are not useable is that each bus stab or finger has a certain ampacity, and those opposite the main are usually loaded to their max ampacity at the breaker's rating. Thus they cannot be used for other circuits.


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## gold (Feb 15, 2008)

Does anyone buy main breaker panels anymore?


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

gold said:


> Does anyone buy main breaker panels anymore?


All the time....


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## gold (Feb 15, 2008)

I keep hearing people ask various questions about breakers opposite the main. What advantage is there to back feeding a sub on a new install? Besides maybe availability or cost.

Not to hijack the thread but ...


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

gold said:


> I keep hearing people ask various questions about breakers opposite the main. What advantage is there to back feeding a sub on a new install? Besides maybe availability or cost.
> 
> Not to hijack the thread but ...


Well breakers opposite the main and backfeeding a sub are two different animals...

But as for the backfeeding a main in a sub, it is a matter of either preference, or to keep within the six throws rule....I did that in my garage subpanel in a house I owned..I had several branch circuits in the garage and just wanted a main there "because."


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

I only back feed a panel when it is in a separate building being fed with 60 amps. Most residential panels will not allow larger than 125 amps on the bus bar anyway. I think the bus connection at those points will not handle the higher load.


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## gold (Feb 15, 2008)

mxslick said:


> Well breakers opposite the main and backfeeding a sub are two different animals...


I suppose I could have worded that differently.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

gold said:


> I suppose I could have worded that differently.



LOL yeah, now that I re-read your post I can see that what you said is the same thing as what you meant.....I think....LOL it's dinner time, I'm getting confused.:blink:


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## Techy (Mar 4, 2011)

how many spaces were available below the main... a lot of times they'll put like a 48 'space' interior in a panel, use the top 6 for the main(3 breaker 3 rivited closed), and leave the other 42 to make a 42 space panel


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## yelirAmme (Jul 19, 2011)

That is exactly what this panel is, under the main there are 42 useable spaces


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