# Breaker Interchange



## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

doubleoh7 said:


> Breaker interchangeability - I really need to study up on the stuff. Today, on a service call, I added a 20 amp Siemens S.P. breaker to a Murray panel. Is that a listed interchange?​


Siemens and Murray are one of the same.....Murray is Siemens cheap knock off brand.


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Well technically, Siemens and Murray are not interchangeable despite being absolutely identical. I still interchange them anyway. 

Now, if we are talking about mixing and matching other brands, that is just plain hack.


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Shockdoc said:


> Murray is Siemens cheap knock off brand.


The only difference on the breakers is the name. The panels are slightly different but still share many of the same features.


----------



## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Peter D said:


> The only difference on the breakers is the name. The panels are slightly different but still share many of the same features.


Siemens usually sports a copper bus and bus length neutral bars.


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Shockdoc said:


> Siemens usually sports a copper bus and bus length neutral bars.


Yeah. And Siemens has the neutral terminals backed out and they are square drive. Murray still uses old fashioned straight blade neutral bar terminals.


----------



## doubleoh7 (Dec 5, 2009)

Peter D said:


> The only difference on the breakers is the name. The panels are slightly different but still share many of the same features.


 

I thought they were cousins. I was having second thoughts. I would hate to burn up someone's bussbar. The panel was hackorama,maybe ten years old. I asked the customer, (HO's son) who wired the home? He said, well the guys that did it weren't really electricians. I laughed out loud and said "yeah, I can tell".:laughing:


----------



## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

There's a few lists out there. A quick Google search brought up this list.

Its a PDF file by the way.


----------



## doubleoh7 (Dec 5, 2009)

Mike_586 said:


> There's a few lists out there. A quick Google search brought up this list.
> 
> Its a PDF file by the way.


 
I need to print that off and keep it in the trailer.


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Peter D said:


> Well technically, Siemens and Murray are not interchangeable despite being absolutely identical. I still interchange them anyway.
> 
> Now, if we are talking about mixing and matching other brands, that is just plain hack.


Yes they are..


Murray and Siemens are the same.


Murray = Chevy

Seimens =Cadillac


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Peter D said:


> Yeah. And Siemens has the neutral terminals backed out and they are square drive. Murray still uses old fashioned straight blade neutral bar terminals.



Murray has not use the straight blade neutral bar terminals for a long time now..


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> Yes they are..
> 
> 
> Murray and Siemens are the same.
> ...


So if they are the same, why is one a Chevy and one a Cadillac? :blink:


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Peter D said:


> So if they are the same, why is one a Chevy and one a Cadillac? :blink:


Top Shelf

Bottom Shelf....


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Harry --------->:drink:


----------



## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Every once in a while you'll get Seimens breakers in Murray packages, and vice-versa. More and more, I favor carrying a classified-replacement breaker on the truck (generally from CH), rather than carrying so many odd brands for service calls. If I'm doing a project where I KNOW I'll be using a bunch of a certain brand, I'll buy that brand particular for that panel. For service work, I just use a type CL breaker, unless I happen to have the right one kicking around on the truck.


----------



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Peter D said:


> Harry --------->:drink:



Too comlpicated for you ehh pete..:laughing::laughing:


----------



## RePhase277 (Feb 5, 2008)

Like Marc said, I only carry three types of breaker generally. Cutler Hammer CH, Square D QO, and Cutler Hammer CL.

If I'm doing a remodel or new work I'll get the brand breakers, but there is no reason to not have a case or two of the CL breakers on board.


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> Too comlpicated for you ehh pete..:laughing::laughing:


Not quite. You don't make any sense. The breakers are identical and the panels nearly identical. I don't see how one is Cadillac and one is a Chevy. They are both a Chevy.


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

I carry most Homeline since that is my main brand, followed by Cutler Hammer (since I run into a lot of Bryant, Challenger, Westinghouse, T&B and C-H panels) as well as a few boxes of mixed Siemens/Murray stuff. I really should mix it up with some CL though.


----------



## oldtimer (Jun 10, 2010)

Peter D said:


> Not quite. You don't make any sense. The breakers are identical and the panels nearly identical. I don't see how one is Cadillac and one is a Chevy. They are both a Chevy.


 I totally agree with you. *But* Little Dog knows best!!


----------



## RePhase277 (Feb 5, 2008)

Peter D said:


> Not quite. You don't make any sense. The breakers are identical and the panels nearly identical. I don't see how one is Cadillac and one is a Chevy. They are both a Chevy.


A more apt analogy would be one is Chevy, one is GMC.


----------



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

InPhase277 said:


> A more apt analogy would be one is Chevy, one is GMC.


Right. Good point. :thumbsup:


----------

