AC Breakers in series? Code?

[wpns]

I’m getting ready to have some AC combiners installed and I’m trying to remember if it’s bad (or against code?) to have AC breakers in series?

For instance, a box with 200A main breaker and a 200A load breaker feeds another box with a 200A main breaker. Does that work or should some of these be switches?

Thanks?

 

[hwy17]

There's no problem with that as long as each wire has it's own appropriate overcurrent protection.

I.e. If you had a main panel with a 60A load breaker, going to 60A wire, to a "100A" rated subpanel, with a 100A main breaker, that is allowed and the 100A subpanel main breaker just serves as a disconnect.

I don't know for sure if you could flip those around, and have a 100A load breaker serving 60A wire, to a 60A main breaker subpanel. It feels like the appropriate OCP should be upstream of the wire in question, and that may indeed be the rule.

 

[dougbert]

I’m getting ready to have some AC combiners installed and I’m trying to remember if it’s bad (or against code?) to have AC breakers in series?

For instance, a box with 200A main breaker and a 200A load breaker feeds another box with a 200A main breaker. Does that work or should some of these be switches?

Thanks?

fine

Every breaker panel I have has a main breaker in it. my outside main disconnect feeding my inside grid entry (the original main lug panel), which feeds my mini grid downstairs, which feeds the UPPER feed of my Transfer switch. The output of the Transfer switch feeds my Critical Loads Panel, which in turns feeds 2 separate subpanels, each with their own local disconnects

I like to be able to turn off a panel while standing in front of and NOT run off upstream.
costs more, but adds features I like