[chandler48]

Utility company may be prohibited by their own rules from reconnecting without an inspection.

 

[Sgonyo]

Possibly.

 

[wheynot22]

I recently purchased a house that was remodeled and had an electrical upgrade done at that time. The main circuit breaker panel was replaced with a 200 amp Square D Homeline panel. I needed to a few circuits and when I removed the panel cover noticed the breakers on the right side were not fitting in the cut out, the left side was fitting properly. After I added the new breakers I tried to reinstall the panel cover and cannot get the breakers to fit within the breaker cut out. I have pushed the breakers in as hard as I can to seat them however they will not move. I also took a claw hammer and held the handle against the breaker and smacked the head with my hand trying to move the breaker without luck. I cannot see any reason the breakers will not seat properly and don’t know what to try next. I have removed a few of the original breakers and do not see anything wrong. I’d greatly appreciate any ideas or suggestions on what to try next. I did call Square D technical support and they have offered to send me a replacement load center, however I would like to make sure I am not doing something wrong before going that route or overlooking something. Pictures below will probably explain what is happening better than I can. The panel was installed upside down with the main at the bottom. It appears to me that it is the left row that needs to move deeper to be properly installed. My concern is if there is not a good connection the potential for creating heat and a fire hazard. View attachment 660666 View attachment 660667 panel cover fits left row of breakers or the right,however not both at the same time. View attachment 660668 View attachment 660669 View attachment 660670

I had the same problem with the Homeline panel. I took the cover to a metal machine shop and had them trim a 1/4" off one side of the slots. Also my panel cover latch doesn't work. First and last time I buy Square D products

 

[seharper]

Wait, isn't there a recall out on HOM products?

Square D recall

https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Schneider-ElectricTM-Recalls-1-4-Million-Electrical-Panels-Due-to-Thermal-Burn-and-Fire-Hazards Square D is recalling certain panels. Check the models listed in the article

www.diychatroom.com

Or now 2 years later I wonder if the panels are being left in a hot car and the plastic is warping.

HOM is Square D's cheapie line, everything in the line is cost-shaved. I wouldn't judge QO by it, but I might have an opinion about the ones who makes a beeline to HOM because it's 3% cheaper. Very little of the manufacturing cost savings are passed onto the consumer.

 

[wheynot22]

I recently purchased a house that was remodeled and had an electrical upgrade done at that time. The main circuit breaker panel was replaced with a 200 amp Square D Homeline panel. I needed to a few circuits and when I removed the panel cover noticed the breakers on the right side were not fitting in the cut out, the left side was fitting properly. After I added the new breakers I tried to reinstall the panel cover and cannot get the breakers to fit within the breaker cut out.

I have pushed the breakers in as hard as I can to seat them however they will not move. I also took a claw hammer and held the handle against the breaker and smacked the head with my hand trying to move the breaker without luck.

I cannot see any reason the breakers will not seat properly and don’t know what to try next. I have removed a few of the original breakers and do not see anything wrong. I’d greatly appreciate any ideas or suggestions on what to try next.

I did call Square D technical support and they have offered to send me a replacement load center, however I would like to make sure I am not doing something wrong before going that route or overlooking something.

Pictures below will probably explain what is happening better than I can. The panel was installed upside down with the main at the bottom.

It appears to me that it is the left row that needs to move deeper to be properly installed. My concern is if there is not a good connection the potential for creating heat and a fire hazard.

View attachment 660666 View attachment 660667
panel cover fits left row of breakers or the right,however not both at the same time.
View attachment 660668
View attachment 660669
View attachment 660670

I had the same problem. I took the cover to a metal machine shop and they cut a 1/4" from one side of the slots. Now fits like a glove. First and last time I buy Square D products

 

[wheynot22]

There is nothing wrong with the box. The cover is not properly manufactured. Don't go to all the work to replace the box. Have a machine shop trim the cover slots on one side

 

[A Little Short]

There is nothing wrong with the box. The cover is not properly manufactured. Don't go to all the work to replace the box. Have a machine shop trim the cover slots on one side

Do you have a pic of your cover? Looks to me like if you trim some out of the slots, the breakers wouldn't fit snug in there and could move around.

 

[wheynot22]

The slots were cut to the edge of the breakers. The cover is very tight up against the breakers.

 

[jimcgreen]

I am having the same problem with the breakers not fitting in the cover on the right side on a Square D Homeline 200 amp panel. I'm doing an upgrade from a 100 amp Zinsco panel to a Square D Homeline 200 amp. The Square D is not live yet. The Square D is along side the Zinsco and has a new mast. All I have to do is get it inspected and have the electric company move the service from the Zinsco to the Square D.
The breaker slots on the right side seem to be about 1/8 inch too far to the left leaving a gap on the left side and not enough room on the right side. I could have the cover machined but it would still have that gap on the left side of the breaker. Has anybody had any luck with Square D just replacing the breaker cover?

 

[chandler48]

Loosen the cover screws, shift the cover over to the right. It should snap right in there. Tighten the screws. Find a blank plate to go over the hole in the upper right.

Square D Homeline 1 in. Load Center Filler Plates (3-Pack) (HOMFPCP) HOMFPCP - The Home Depot

Complete your electrical work easily and effortlessly with the addition of this excellent Square D HomeLine Filler Plates. Made easy to install and maintain.

www.homedepot.com

 

[jimcgreen]

There is no room to move the cover to the right. I would have to shave of 1/8 inch of the right side of the cover in order to move it to the right and then the breakers on the left would not line up with the openings.

 

[chandler48]

There is supposed to be clearance on all sides of the panel. Can you post the reason the cover can't be moved?

 

[seharper]

I've seen this twice before with HOM panels. Pop the cover off and put some breakers in the left side. Is there a conspicuous wedge of space between the breakers, widening out toward the front?

I think the panel interior (big black plastic thing the buses attach to) warps from heat (e.g. being left in a hot car or semitrailer) and is bulging outward from the center. Your second best bet is to call Square D about a warranty claim, they'll send you another interior and you can swap it. If I recall, some Square D panels are recalled, check the sticky on this forum.

 

[donealot]

I've spent time figuring this out. I have a new 40 space panel and a new 30 space panel. Only the 40 space has this problem. The lugs on the busbar are too long on the 40. My guess is the bend that forms the lugs is done incorrectly. I measured a 2.3mm difference consistently between the 2 panels. Becasue the lugs are too tall, the breakers are sitting at an angle which you can easily see in all of his pictures. My situation is exactly the same. This causes the breakers to spread apart at the face which causes the interference with the cover. The 40 space panel was purchased at Home Depot on 2/2/24 model HOM4080M200PCVP. All you need is the busbar assembly. If they want to send you a new box just remove the busbars and transfer them to you existing box. The busbars are super easy to remove. There is one screw in the center near the top (under the main). Remove that then slide the busbar structure up. There are tabs all up and down the sides that hold the busbar in and it slides nicely out of them. You can number your breakers and just let them hang but you'll have to remove the neutrals. One thing no one speaks of in these forums is the importance of keeping the lugs clean on both the breakers and busbar AND make sure all connections are very tight. You absolutely should use a torque driver. Since your saving a ton of money doing the work yourself buy a decent driver. The torque values are on the panel for all of those lugs and on the breakers for the breaker lug. Also, after tightening wait a period of time and retighten. Copper is a soft metal and it relaxes so retightening is necessary.

 

[A Little Short]

Copper is a soft metal and it relaxes so retightening is necessary.

It is not necessary to re-tighten copper if torqued properly to start with. Aluminum can "cold flow" but copper will stay put if done right.

 

[rdrr68]

This is November 2024 and I have this EXACT same problem. Just got off tech support with Schneider and they say that THEY KNOW that the factory has made a bunch of these panels with bus bars slightly elevated and this makes them install with a V-shaped gap between the rows and the cover won't fit. They will send you a new interior to fix this.
Here is a snip from the chat:
Jonathan (11/20/2024, 11:33:03 AM): The plant recently discovered that some of the bus bars for Homeline load centers were not made to the correct specifications. As a result, when the branch breakers are plugged onto the bus bars, they are slightly elevated. This causes the deadfront cover not to fit over the breaker faces within the twist-out opening. The solution to this issue is for the plant to send out a new interior for the load center. We will have the plant send a new interior to the address provided in this case.
Alan (11/20/2024, 11:34:56 AM): I was afraid you were going to say that. WHY haven't they been recalled?
Jonathan (11/20/2024, 11:35:26 AM): It has been determined it is not a safety issue, but a quality issue.
Alan (11/20/2024, 11:35:45 AM): Yes, but a big PAIN IN THE A...
Alan (11/20/2024, 11:36:06 AM): Doesn't everyone want their cover to go on?
Jonathan (11/20/2024, 11:36:20 AM): Yes, I agree and we do apologize for the inconvenience.

 

[Young spark]

Where I’m from hydro snipes ya they don’t reconnect until they see a permit. And secondly I install a lot of home line series. And the panel quality is going down hill. I think Schneider needs to into there quality control process. Tubs bent, panel covers not machined correctly. A lot of stuff at the point where I’m looking at joining EATON

 

[diyguysacto]

Not sure if mentioned earlier, but a lot will depend on the legitimacy of the inspector. Was he hired by you directly without influence of the Real Estate agent, or did he/she recommend the inspector. If the latter, he/she was there purely to facilitate the sale of the house, not protect your interests. That is probably why it was not mentioned.

That comment is rather generalized. For you to make a blanket statement like that without using a word like "possibly". I work with agents all the time who do hire me. I don't work to please the agent but to protect not only my client (the buyer or seller) but to also help ensure the agent is protected as well by calling out everything I see. If the inspector didn't call it out, it may be because the inspector isn't observant or trained enough to notice it. For you to assume all home inspectors hired by agents do this is rather ignorant. Home inspectors have a lot of liabilities because of this. It is in our best interest to call out EVERYTHING. The funny part is the whole reason I looked this up is to see what others have been mentioning about this. I have observed several Square D panels like this and have been calling it out every time. If the cover does not sit properly on the panel and the breakers have a gap like this, there is clearly something wrong. My main point to look it up is to find out if there is a remedy or if a correction has been made.

 

[chandler48]

That comment is rather generalized.

It may be generalized, but it is not false. Choose your sword carefully.

Home inspectors have a lot of liabilities because of this.

The only liability inspectors have is the cost of the inspection. They cannot be held liable for "mistakes" or "oversights".

I can argue with you all day long on this, as I have seen it hundreds of times. Homebuyers new to an area will rely on the Real Estate person to "suggest" an inspector. Well, they will obviously choose someone who will facilitate the sale, and not complicate things. Fast sales mean good money.

I was often called to perform "repairs" based on letters of contingency. Some were done by "in house" inspectors, and I would urge the buyer to get an independent inspection. Some did and it was a world of difference as to what was discovered. So the proof is there that it happens.

But it's your first post, so I'll go easy on you.