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I am having a problem finding a new breaker for my fairly new (one year old) Square D box. I needed more circuits for my new garage-shop and the original boxes (2) were really outdated so I had a new Square D box installed about a year ago. It is full: there are no empty slots. I need to install an additional 220 V circuit, 20 A for a window style air conditioner. You just can't work in the South Texas heat without AC in the summer time - at least I can't. It IS a NEW BOX: I watched them take it out of the cardboard box before it was installed.
Anyway I need to make room for this breaker which will take up two slots. The existing circuit for an AC is 115 V so I do have one slot available, but I need another. A piggy-back or tandem breaker would do this: I can combine two existing circuits into one slot and then add the new, 220 V breaker. They DO make tandem breakers for this style box because it already has several installed in it. Unfortunately, they are not marked with the model number: I looked. I have been searching both the internet and local stores and suppliers for about a week and there seems to be a problem finding the appropriate Square D tandem breaker. The box is an QOC40UF and it says it uses QO breakers. But "QO" seems to have been used by Square D for at least three or four different styles of breaker. ????? Insane! But true. I need help identifying exactly which QO, tandem breaker will fit in my box.
The breakers in the box are of the plug in variety. They have two or three "U" shaped lugs on the bottom that clamp onto the buses and a plastic "hinge" in the box. The 220 V breaker I need to install has the model number QO220 on it.
I bought a QOT2020 thinking it would work, but no luck. It had a hook like projection at the outside end instead of the "U" shaped clamp that I need. But these are commonly sold in the same shelf area with the style that I need. Apparently this is for newer (?) boxes that limit the number of tandem breakers you can install to a few slots at the bottom. All I need is the correct Square D part number.
Anybody here understand the Square D numbering system? Any help would be appreciated.
Anyway I need to make room for this breaker which will take up two slots. The existing circuit for an AC is 115 V so I do have one slot available, but I need another. A piggy-back or tandem breaker would do this: I can combine two existing circuits into one slot and then add the new, 220 V breaker. They DO make tandem breakers for this style box because it already has several installed in it. Unfortunately, they are not marked with the model number: I looked. I have been searching both the internet and local stores and suppliers for about a week and there seems to be a problem finding the appropriate Square D tandem breaker. The box is an QOC40UF and it says it uses QO breakers. But "QO" seems to have been used by Square D for at least three or four different styles of breaker. ????? Insane! But true. I need help identifying exactly which QO, tandem breaker will fit in my box.
The breakers in the box are of the plug in variety. They have two or three "U" shaped lugs on the bottom that clamp onto the buses and a plastic "hinge" in the box. The 220 V breaker I need to install has the model number QO220 on it.
I bought a QOT2020 thinking it would work, but no luck. It had a hook like projection at the outside end instead of the "U" shaped clamp that I need. But these are commonly sold in the same shelf area with the style that I need. Apparently this is for newer (?) boxes that limit the number of tandem breakers you can install to a few slots at the bottom. All I need is the correct Square D part number.
Anybody here understand the Square D numbering system? Any help would be appreciated.
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