Back-fed Circuit Breakers [RE-wrenches]

[Jason Fisher, Aurora Energy]

I know that EH must be talking about UI situations since I've had a couple
of inspectors require this in my area. Even though UL listed inverters
(jab!) are designed to drop out upon loss of the utility signal, the NEC's
wording does not specify anything about this that I can see so an inspector
may not see things the same way we do.

Unfortunately, any inspector that is going to require that the back-fed
breaker is held in place is going to most likely require that a factory
supplied, and therefore listed, device be used to secure it. I would also
doubt that you'd have much luck finding retainers for some of the junk left
out there in existing homes. (By Challenger, I hope you don't mean a
replacement breaker placed into an old Federal Pacific panel board. The way
I understand it, FP was forced to stop making these panels years ago because
their breakers didn't trip under fault conditions!)

I would try to see if you could persuade the customer into understanding the
benefits of doing a service change of their equipment if their stuff is too
old or junky; most older panels in modern houses are maxed-out in circuits
anyway. Outside of that, you could try applying a tap to the service
conductors feeding a new retained or bolted small circuit breaker enclosure
or maybe better yet a fused disconnect enclosure (tap rules 240-21-b in 1999
NEC).

Hope this helps.

Jason Fisher
Aurora Energy


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Brooks [mailto:billbrooks7 at earthlink.net]
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 5:17 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: RE: Back-fed Circuit Breakers [RE-wrenches]

E.H.,

If this is a stand-alone system and the subpanel is on the output of the
inverter, it is absolutely necessary since the breaker could come loose and
arc against the busbar. If it is in a utility-interconnected situation and
we are talking about the interconnection breaker in the utility main service
panel, it is absolutely unnecessary since the inverter deenergizes if the
breaker were to come loose.

Bill.


-----Original Message-----
From: EH Roy [mailto:ehroy at solar-works.com]
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2002 1:39 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: Back-fed Circuit Breakers [RE-wrenches]


On grid-interactive residential PV systems, I am finding that utility
inspectors are starting to insist on retainer kits for back-fed breakers in
the home load centers - as required by NEC Article 384-16 Section (g).

Does anyone have a good solution for older load centers and breakers (such
as Challenger and Wadsworth) that are not manufactured anymore? I have not
been able to find retainer kits for them and sure hope that the load center
and breakers don't have to be replaced.

Thanks for any help or ideas.

E. H. Roy
Solar Works, Inc.
64 Main Street
Montpelier, VT 05663
1-800-339-7804 ext. 306
ehroy at solar-works.com


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