Torquing the Electrical Panel

My last blog was on wiring the electrical panel. As I said during the writing of it Take your time and do the tasks neatly and correct. But in order to do so you’ll need to install it and its components according to manufactures specifications.  This would include torquing the lugs of the panel. Wone would think that you could ask google for the manufacturers specifications for the various torques required but that is not the case. This maybe because the manufactures’ requirements are often on the side of the various breakers themselves and inside the panel itself.

Understanding this may be a bit small to read easily I recommend taking a photo of it and then emailing it to yourself. Enlarge the section you’ll need to refer as needed and then printing it off for ease of use.

I did go online to see that the main lugs wires are to be torqued at 250 lbs. I caution you to remind your self these are to be torqued in inch pounds not foot pounds. If you use a foot pound rachet to toque the main lugs then you’ll need to divide the 250 by 12 to obtain your inch pounds requirement. Two hundred and fifty divided by Twelve is twenty point eight, three, three or 250/12+ 20.833

So would a professional electricians tighten these as required. Let’s change that question to one more suiting for the occasion. Do you trust a person who swears they follow all manufactures instructions and then only follow the ones they agree with. Are you willing to assume the risk of improper tightened components. To lose may damage the wires insolation and cause the flicker light syndrome, to tight and may break a lug or the wire in the future, which could cause a fire.  These simple questions show the importance in a different light. The way you answer will indicate how you will respond. You know where and how to obtain the needed information. I’ve been taught that wisdom is the proper application of knowledge.

Note: Images on this blog site are from a free source or taken by the author. No image or group of photos is intended to represent the people the author serves. The author does not care about Race (that is a politically correct term that he does not like because we are all of the same Race, the Human Race. He prefers the term ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender, marital status, disability, genetic information, national origin, source of income, Veteran or military status, ancestry, citizenship, primary language or immigration status.) He is a service provider for all people. We will all rise together when we band together and help one another. Joseph Erwin is a Real Estate Broker, DRE # O2131799, and a CA general contractor # B 696662. He’s a member of the CRMLS and The East Valley Association of Realtors located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California.