# Help: Breaker won't fully seat



## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

The proper breaker will fit right in the box no problem. Is this a Siemens breaker?


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## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

Are you trying to install a tandem breaker? There are only certain spots where these will fit in a panel.


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## davidy123 (Mar 4, 2008)

Speedy Petey - Thanks for responding. Yes, it is a Siemens breaker. 

Maybe a picture will help:









The left bus has three holes in it, but the top hole has the black pin I am having trouble with.

When I get home tonight I will swap the breaker that won't fit with one that I already installed to confirm that the breakers are OK. I guess I should also look under the 40A breaker on the right to see if there is a pin there too.

On a related note, how are the buses usually attached to the panel? I imagine breaking the black pin off and can almost hear the clang of the bus hitting the concrete floor :no:.

David


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## davidy123 (Mar 4, 2008)

HouseHelper said:


> Are you trying to install a tandem breaker? There are only certain spots where these will fit in a panel.


Nope, just a plain old 20A.


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## Gencon (Apr 10, 2008)

If I remember correctly, there are certain panels that wont accept a breaker in the #1 spot. Not sure why. Check the instructions.


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## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

Gencon said:


> If I remember correctly, there are certain panels that wont accept a breaker in the #1 spot. Not sure why.


I've never heard that. :huh:

That breaker should fit fine. Are you pushing in firmly on it?


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## jrclen (Feb 20, 2008)

I agree with Petey, the breaker should fit just fine in that space. Do pull the 40 amp across from this space and take a look. Maybe the mounting stud is not positioned correctly or was not set correctly. Let us know what you find.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

The hole looks blocked. Could a damaged breaker have left a piece of itself behind in the hole?


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## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

I think it is the plastic insulated peive behind the bus. It gas little nipples on it that the bus clips into to hold it in place.

I'm thinking there is a little too much plastic sticking out.

Pull the other breakers and see how the other holes/pins look. Probably just have to trim it down a bit.

Make sure it's off :jester:


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## davidy123 (Mar 4, 2008)

Speedy Petey said:


> Are you pushing in firmly on it?


Yes! 



jrclen said:


> Do pull the 40 amp across from this space and take a look. Maybe the mounting stud is not positioned correctly or was not set correctly. Let us know what you find.


Will do. What is the mounting stud and how should it look? I'll take another pic when I have it out.



joed said:


> The hole looks blocked. Could a damaged breaker have left a piece of itself behind in the hole?


That blockage is the plastic pin I was describing. It looks like it is supporting the bus in the panel. An original blank was always covering it so I doubt anything was in that spot.

I'll report back with more info and pics later.

-David


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## davidy123 (Mar 4, 2008)

220/221 said:


> I think it is the plastic insulated peive behind the bus. It gas little nipples on it that the bus clips into to hold it in place.
> 
> I'm thinking there is a little too much plastic sticking out.
> 
> ...


That is what I was thinking but I wasn't going to do anything without checking with you guys :thumbsup: . I'm not in a hurry (drywall going up tomorrow) so I'll see what I can see before doing anything.


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## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

The piece didn't come out of the injection mold cleanly. It will be obvious when you remove the breakers and see how the bus is clipped on to the plastic back piece.


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## davidy123 (Mar 4, 2008)

I was finally able to work on this last night and the problem is solved. 

I purchased extra breakers over the weekend "just in case". When I took a closer look at the black pin it didn't look abnormal, and it looked as though there was clearance to allow a breaker to properly seat. I thought I would try the new breaker and it went straight in - like a hot knife through butter - so I guess it was the first breaker. I thought about continuing to trouble shoot by moving breakers around but I don't want to touch it now that it is seated. I did examine both breakers closely and couldn't notice any differences between the two besides a slight (very slight) alignment of the metal where the breaker grips the bus.

Thanks everyone who offered their thoughts. It was great having all of your help with this. :thumbsup:

David


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## jrclen (Feb 20, 2008)

I'm glad it all worked out for you. Thanks for letting us know what the problem was.


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