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?
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?
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?
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?