Sub Panel mfg. recommendation

[Bill Miltner]

I am having a 100 amp sub panel installed in the garage of my new house. Is one Mfg. better than another? I assume some, but which mfg. should I have installed? So far the new panel will have three 240v and six 120v circuits. Any recommendation is appreciated since I have -0- expertise in this area.

[Jim Andrew]

If I were you, would ask your electrician for their recommendation. What panel is in the house? Around here, they all say square D. And not the home line. I bought a 100 amp panel at Lowe's and put it in my shop. They are pretty reasonable.

[John Lanciani]

Match whatever is in your house, that way you only need one type of spare breaker kicking around.

[John Coloccia]

Everyone likes Square D. When I installed mine, I installed a GE panel because I happen to have a GE panel already and wanted to have all the breakers the same. In retrospect, it's like having a car you don't really like, but buying a second care exactly like it so all the spare parts match. Wish I had installed a Square D panel.

[Thomas Bank]

Another vote for SquareD QO panel. Good solid setup.

[Carl Beckett]

One additional thought: you want to use all the same breakers. So go with a brand where it is convenient for you to obtain the breakers (for future). If your house is a main brand (GE, square D), perfect, and as noted you can swap a breaker back and forthif needed.

If your electrician uses a certain brand, sometimes they have extras laying around so this can be good.

(I used am Eaton, and have found fewer places where I can get the eaton breakers)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

My electrician friends all adamantly recommended I go with the Square D QO as well. NOT the Square D Homeline, which is the cheaper option usually sold right next to the QO. I'm honestly not sure why they said that, so...

Just guessing that it has become an industry standard, is a proven performer and easily sourced. BTW, I just picked up a 100 amp QO panel to use as a sub last week at Menards, for $36. Had to do a double take on that one.

[Steve Meliza]

My main panel was SquareD Homeline and the breakers for it were plentiful at the local BORG so I got the same for my sub panel. Otherwise I would have got SquareD QO as it is also readily available and a better product. The only other brand with a large selection at my BORG was Siemens which would have been fine if the choice hadn't already been made for me.

Whatever the brand, make sure it is big enough to use full sized breakers for all of your new circuits with plenty of room left for additions in the future.

[Lornie McCullough]

Square D QO.

Lornie

[Bruce Wrenn]

In case no one has suggested it, Square D QO. Look up "multi-wire branch circuits, before planning wiring. Two 110's and a 220 at each location.

[Shawn Siegrist]

Cutler Hammer CH

[Jim O'Dell]

My shop has it's own meter, so not a sub panel, but that makes no difference. Square D QO all the way. Wish my house box was the same.
For those that recommend using the same box as in the house, how many times have you had to swap out breakers???? I've owned my own house(s) for over 30 years and never had a breaker go bad. Jim.

[Rollie Meyers]

Cutler Hammer CH

The CH "Classic" loadcenter is the best built panel on the market, copper bus & steel, not plastic interior, SQ D cheaped out years ago.

[Scott T Smith]

Match whatever is in your house, that way you only need one type of spare breaker kicking around.

This would be my recommendation as well. Multiple manufacturers all make quality panels that meet or exceed NEC standards, including Cuttler Hammer, Siemens, Square D, etc.

[Thomas Bank]

I've been debating the "match your house panel" thoughts... I just don't see it. How many people really keep spare breakers lying around? And I'd have to keep a collection of at least one 15A, 20A, 30A, 50A, 60A, & 100A breaker around to have spares to cover everything - and 110V and 220V versions of the 20A. It's not like fuses, where you have to keep them on hand in case you blow one. If one trips, you just go and reset it - not replace it. Am I missing something?

[John Coloccia]

I've been debating the "match your house panel" thoughts... I just don't see it. How many people really keep spare breakers lying around? And I'd have to keep a collection of at least one 15A, 20A, 30A, 50A, 60A, & 100A breaker around to have spares to cover everything - and 110V and 220V versions of the 20A. It's not like fuses, where you have to keep them on hand in case you blow one. If one trips, you just go and reset it - not replace it. Am I missing something?

And besides, if one breaks, you need to replace it anyway, not just shuffle them around. No, you're not missing anything. There's no advantage to matching the panels.

[Paul McGaha]

I would say my favorite is Square D, Type QO. Still all the major manufacturers are ok. GE, Eaton (Cutler Hammer), Siemens. I think they are all ok. I'd suggest you leave it to your contractor.

I happen to have a GE panel that came with my house and I put in a sub panel in my shop and happened to use GE also. They've done fine.

Good luck with it.

PHM

[Steve Meliza]

I have spare 20A breaker that will fit either panel as they are from the same line. I had two spares, but one of the newly installed 20A breakers kept tripping on a load that was <15A so I swapped it out with a spare. Before that I found that a 20A breaker in the main panel was connected to NM 14/2 so I replaced it with a new 15A breaker and moved the old 20A breaker down to the sub panel for use with one of the new circuits. If another breaker fails at an inopportune time odds are good that I can find a circuit that a breaker can be borrowed from for a few days.

No, it isn't a big deal and I'd go with what is readily available at the BORG as my highest criteria when selecting between a handful of quality brands, but if that fails to differentiate the brands then it can be handy to have all your panels using the same breakers.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I've been debating the "match your house panel" thoughts... I just don't see it. How many people really keep spare breakers lying around? And I'd have to keep a collection of at least one 15A, 20A, 30A, 50A, 60A, & 100A breaker around to have spares to cover everything - and 110V and 220V versions of the 20A. It's not like fuses, where you have to keep them on hand in case you blow one. If one trips, you just go and reset it - not replace it. Am I missing something?

I agree. Wiring in a new circuit is not a whim type of decision either usually, and breakers are relatively expensive, so why not just buy one as you need it? That's why I think availability is important.

[David Kumm]

While I'm a fan on Sq D most of the others, GE, Bryant, Siemens, Eaton, are interchangeable with each other so that helps. Dave

[Ole Anderson]

I have good spare breakers laying around because I had to remove full size breakers to make way for half size breakers when adding circuits. And I have a 200 amp panel in a 1500 sf house (full basement). But if I were adding a panel, I would go with the Square D QO, or CH as breakers for my old Federal panel are getting harder to find and saving a few bucks to reuse an old breaker is penny wise but pound foolish.