Pop Warner and MCBs are fine for most houses, I dont get the hate

I was on a service call in a 1970s split level in Phoenix last month where every single breaker was a Square D QO. Homeowner kept saying I should swap them all for AFCIs. I told him straight up no, theres nothing wrong with these unless you have a specific issue. I ran a load calc and his panel was barely at 60 percent. I fixed his loose neutral at the range outlet in 10 minutes. Why spend $400 on breakers that dont fix anything?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly_craig29d ago

That QO panel is probably built better than anything you can buy today. People get so caught up in the latest code requirements they forget old breakers still trip just fine when they need to. The whole AFCI push is mostly about new construction anyway, nobody is forcing you to rip out safe working equipment. You fixed the actual problem and saved the guy a bunch of money. That's the kind of work that actually matters, not swapping parts for the sake of fancy stickers.

the_mary28d ago

Wait are you saying old panels actually break less than new ones? @kelly_craig

the_faith28d agoTop Commenter

Right on, Kelly nailed it. That's exactly the kind of thing that burns me up - people wanting to throw money at a problem that doesn't exist. Good on you for actually fixing the issue instead of just swapping parts for the sake of it.