Appreciation post: The old Square D breakers that never quit

I had a call last Thursday in a house over in Wichita where the panel was from 1972. Everyone online says you gotta rip out anything old and replace with new AFCI/GFCI stuff. But that old Square D QO breaker still tripped like a champ when we needed it to, saved the homeowner from a short in their basement wiring. Has anyone else found older breakers that just work better than some of the new ones you see failing after a year?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_miller2415d ago

I read a post on a electrician forum just last week where a guy tested a 1970s Square D QO 20-amp against a modern equivalent, and the old one held at 35 amps for over a minute before tripping while the new one popped at 22 amps. @margaretm23 is dead on about those old QO breakers being overbuilt. That copper and spring setup in the 70s models was just way heavier duty than what they cheap out on now. Makes you wonder why they changed a design that clearly worked.

margaretm2315d ago

Old Square D stuff is built different. Those QO breakers from the 70s were overbuilt like a tank. New ones trip from a gnat fart sometimes. That old breaker saved that homeowner's bacon. Not everything old needs tossed. Some of it just works better.