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| Subject - Load Center VS Panel board | |
| David Hyatt | Is there a code reference stating whether you can use a load center in a commercial building? |
| JimmyDee | I just did a search on load center and only one come up in the code. Its talking about trailers. So I guess my next question is, just what do you mean by load center? I think you might mean a panel without a main breaker, is that correct? Jim |
| David Hyatt | No, I consider a load center to be used in residential and a panel board to be used in commercial. Can you use a residential panel in a commercial building? Residential panels are light weight steel construction and have prefabbed KO's. Most panel boards for commercial you have to drill your own KO's. I guess the biggest difference most panel boards have bolt-in breakers. Also they are normally larger to dissipate heat from continuous loads. This is my explanation between the two. |
| Ryan_J | UL tests both of them under the same guidelines. In my opinion, one is as good as the other. |
| lctrc789 | Is it possible that they are reading a panelboard that says (LOAD CENTER) on it and confusing it that way. For insatnce if you buy a residential panel it may say ITE loadcenter. However to me a panel is a panel, I guess. There are single phase snap in breakers in commercial, as well as bolt in breakers. The Panels them selves are larger for commercial and industrial which is rated that way for heat and wire bending etc. Could you buy a 40 circuit 200 amp panel at a Home depot and install it in a small commercial building yes, IT is UL listed single phase 120/240 Breakers rated at 250 volts. As long as is it installed properly. |
| JimmyDee | quote: What goof?     Jim |
| lctrc789 | I did that Jim, Thanks for the info. I am new here and don't know all the ins and outs yet. BOY did I goof LOL |
| David Hyatt | I guess the proper way to refer to the different panels is commercial and residential instead of load center and panel board. This terminology is some what common around here. |
| Scott Vickrey | The way I understand it, the difference between a panel and a load center is simply wording. Kind of like the difference between Unistrut and Kindorf or a ridgid coupling and a collar. I could be wrong so someone stop me when I'm lying.
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| karlwayne | I think a panelboard would be the "guts" to a panel that you would install in a cutout box. May or may not have a main breaker, and versatile in configuring specific layouts for specific needs. |
| iwire | The code section that may prevent you from using a typical Home Depot panel board / load center in a commercial building is 110.10 quote: A typical home panel may have an AIC rating of what, 20,000 to 40,000? You may need a panel in commercial space with more than 65,000 AIC rating. In the work I do we will match or exceed the ratings of what is already in use in that building. The short circuit fault current available in some commercial spaces may cause an underrated panel or breaker to literally blow apart before the breaker clears the fault. Personally I always hate to see a plug in panel when I go into commercial spaces,  mostly because I do not stock them on the truck.
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| Russell120 | A load center is generally a panel with a small bus and limited number of breakers. Engineers I have worked with have called small three phase 208 panels "load centers" so I am not sure that the residential-commercial distinction is accurate. The large interrupt ratings of transformers comes from when the power is shut off and all the magnetic power in the coils is converted back into electrical power. Motors do the same thing, but generally it takes a large (125 hp+) motor to make a difference. The two primary factors in determining the transformers AIC is; "transformers rated amperage X (100/Transformer Impedance). Commercial properties tend to be fed by large transformers and residential transformers are almost always limited in size. Therefore, the services of commercial properties have a large interrupt ratings. However, on a large building panels further away from the main service will have a greater impedance (the Resistance of the wire) and thus their AIC will go down. And that is where you use load centers in commercial buildings. In remote areas where you don't want to run 20 sets of 12AWG 200' to distant outlets, you run one set of feeders to a "load center" and then run your branch circuits from there. Sorry if this is too technical. Bussman (the fuse people)have some good booklets and some of them are (or at least used to be) in pdf form on line. The calculations are not as hard as I am probably making them sound and for people working on commercial properties the AIC can be very important. |
| veganfan | In the wiring class I just finished for Journeyman’s card we were told the difference between the two was just size. Load centers depth is a little smaller so easier to fit in small residential walls. |
| cgw | This is a good question. To me the difference (as stated above) is that the load centers are the smaller panelboards intended for residential construction. The big difference that matters to me is the depth of the enclosure. The load center will fit in a 3-1/2" stud wall. I use them in cases where a small (sub)panelboard is needed (small in number of circuits and amperage). I refer to it as a panelboard though as load center is not a term used in the NEC. I do not think there is a code issue (aside from the short circuit rating). Maybe there is a UL listing issue? |
| IndCom | Okay, I may be way off base here...but, has anyone ever seen a loadcenter with stab-lock breakers rated with over 225 amp bussing? I think that is where the difference of Loadcenters and Panelboards really come into play. Because, Panelboards can have a much higher Amperage Buss rating than Loadcenters. The largest I have seen is a 600a 480v 3ph-4w 42ckt. And a 240v 400a 84ckt split-buss 3ph-4w w/ a 225MCB. |
| kbsparky | Since Load Centers are available in 3-phase, which not normally utilized in residential services, I see no reason for restricting their use in commercial applications. The Code does not offer any restrictions or differences between Load Centers or Panelboards as far as I can tell. I have installed both load centers and panelboards in the same structure -- usually 3 phase commercial applications. The main difference I can find while browsing through my Square D Digest is the ratings of load centers seem to max out at 225 Amps. Anything over that, and you have to look in the Panelboard section. |
| Talvez | Load centers = plug in breakers panelboards= bolt on breakers Generally sized by incoming feeders. (tough to keep large copper in a push in breaker) |
| blackrd | As i remember in my textbooks, a panelboard was a steel enclosure where you could mount all kinds of stuff like contactors, motor starters,etc. But it has been a long time since I looked in those books. |