2005 Electricals or 2006?

[eugenebrooks]

I have not taken a breaker panel apart to check consistency of the design with the recommendations, but you want your high current grounds as close as possible to the ground lug, and you want your high current breakers as close as possible to the power lug, in order to minimize voltage drop for these circuits. The internal layout that you would guess from exterior layout is consistent with this.

We love this breaker panel and next year we might have time to put some of the diagnostic info on the IO display. I don't want to do a dash board, but I think that a led light when a new breaker pops and an indicator on the user led display of which one it is could be a good thing.

Originally Posted by Gary Dillard

We used the 2005 at my request - clean, compact, light. I loved it when it came out. Didn't use the diagnostics.

I have a couple questions, however:

1) IFI instructions (and lettering on the panel) say "For optimum power distribution, the auto-resetting breakers should be installed from the lowest number to the highest number", starting with 30 Amps. Does this really make that much of a difference? Is it just the power drop due to difference in resistance because of a shorter circuit length through the board? Wouldn't I have an equal or similar increase in power drop if I had to add additional length wiring to reach the lower numbered terminals rather than taking the shortest path to the breaker board?

2) Likewise, isn't ground ground? Does it matter where on the ground panel I hook up my ground wires? Can't I hook the ground from source number 1 to any ground terminal and get the same effect?