Electrical Help needed

[Lee Schierer]

I have to replace a 20 Amp 120 Volt circuit breaker in a Westinghouse Type NPQ panel. It calls for a Westinghouse Quicklag P or Bryant BR and Bar circuit breakers. Any idea where to purchase these or will Square D, GE or other breaker fit properly?

I don't want to buy them from ebay......

[Scott T Smith]

Usually it's a good idea to use the recommended brand / type of breaker.

I just did a quick e-bay search - quite a few Westinghouse Quicklag P breakers listed there.

[Ralph Butts]

if the breaker is not rated or listed for use within the panel the AHJ will not approve nor will your insurance company provide coverage.

[Jeff Erbele]

I have to replace a 20 Amp 120 Volt circuit breaker in a Westinghouse Type NPQ panel. It calls for a Westinghouse Quicklag P or Bryant BR and Bar circuit breakers. Any idea where to purchase these or will Square D, GE or other breaker fit properly?

I don't want to buy them from ebay......

I use to work for Westinghouse in their industrial repair division. In their final years they could not decide what business they wanted to be in. In rapid succession they bought and sold a lot of different companies in various industries; some rather odd including a kit furniture company. Towards the end they sold or spun off their legacy-core divisions. One of those was Westinghouse Electrical Supply CO or WESCO http://www.wesco.com/

If you can't find the a Westinghouse breaker, I would look for the recommend Bryant alternative.

I've not had any good luck with eBay on replacement parts. After being stung a couple of times with look-a-likes, and unsuitable cheap imitations that is the last place I personally will turn to. In the same breath, I'm sure others had better and great experiences and that is maybe their first go to place.

I would first look at the major electrical supply houses and industrial supply & distribution companies including
GrabaR http://www.graybar.com/
Grainger http://www.grainger.com/
McMaster-Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/

A local electrician should be able to point you in the right direction, for the nearest electrical supplier wholesaler/retailer.

The big box stores are also an option, Home Depot, Lowes, and your regional equivalent. Menards may not be that far East, in PA.

[Chuck Wintle]

I have to replace a 20 Amp 120 Volt circuit breaker in a Westinghouse Type NPQ panel. It calls for a Westinghouse Quicklag P or Bryant BR and Bar circuit breakers. Any idea where to purchase these or will Square D, GE or other breaker fit properly?

I don't want to buy them from ebay......
McMaster-Carr or Grainger.

[Lee Schierer]

McMaster-Carr or Grainger.

No such luck at either place.... :(

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Lee,

Look in your local yellow pages for an industrial electrical supply house. Even if they don't have it in stock, they often will order it in for you.

I prefer to deal with local suppliers as much as I can. Once I find one who seems honest and wants to provide service, I stick with it until given reason to do otherwise. Being a repeat customer has often had good benefits for me.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

BR breakers are common. The actual manufacturer doesn't matter much. In my area all the big box store carry them. If I read your post correctly, BR is all you need.

[Ole Anderson]

BR breakers are common. The actual manufacturer doesn't matter much. In my area all the big box store carry them. If I read your post correctly, BR is all you need. That is my experience also.

[Lee Schierer]

Picked up a BR breaker at a local electrical supply shop this morning for $4.00. Installed it before lunch and hopefully the problem is solved. The breaker would trip for no apparent reason. My clamp on ammeter says the max load is 10.5 amps. The breaker was at least 25 years old. The temp tonight is already at -10 and it is only 8:15 so hopefully the heat stays on all night.

[Ole Anderson]

The breaker would trip for no apparent reason. My clamp on ammeter says the max load is 10.5 amps. The breaker was at least 25 years old. Better that it trips on a load lower than the rating than not tripping at all. I accidentally cut a 12 ga romex on a hot 20 amp circuit with my dykes. I can now use them as 10 ga wire strippers and I got a pretty noticeable burn on my fingers from the arc when the breaker did not trip. I have just now replaced all of my 38 year old breakers with new ones. Breakers can fail both ways. I tell you, it cured me of a bad habit of not double checking to make sure the wires were dead before working on them. To make it easier, I just picked up a $5 electrical proximity checker at HD. Man I loved those dykes, much nicer than the Kleins that replaced them.