Vent: A 20-year-old pushmatic panel finally gave up the ghost on a job in Mesa

The main breaker just welded itself shut yesterday, so we had to do a full panel swap on the spot. Anyone have a go-to replacement for those old Bulldog units besides the obvious Square D upgrade?

3 comments

3 Comments

spencer4111d ago

Wow, welded shut is no joke! Sarah makes a good point about checking for other damage, but if the main breaker fused like that I'd be swapping the whole thing too. What did you end up putting in?

the_tara11d ago

Check the bus bar for heat marks, because spencer41 is right about a full swap being the move if that main breaker was truly welded. A stuck old breaker is one thing, but a fused one can mean hidden damage. What did the panel guts look like when you opened it up?

the_sarah11d ago

Was it actually welded shut or just stuck? Those old Bulldog breakers get stiff but sometimes you can work them loose. A full swap seems extreme unless the bus was fried too. Did you check for other damage first or just go straight to replacement?