Ganged Circuit Breaker has strange ganging configuration. 40-[30-30]-40

Question

I have a scenario where the Circuit Breakers for a Dryer and a Range are intertwined in the CB panel. In the picture below 17 and 20 are ganged together with that wild ganging clip. 18 and 19 both 30amps are ganged together normally.

1. Is this kind of ganging of breakers with in code ?
2. Why would anyone do this ?
3. Why wouldn't they just connect this normally 17 & 18 and then 19 & 20?

EDIT 7-11-2018

Based on write ups and comments etc.. I felt it better to edit my post rather than to go through each write-up/comment.

Please don't read anything into the numbering of spaces, I was told the previous homeowner did that numbering.

• 17 & 20 Range........40 Amp Range.
• 18 & 19 Dryer..........30 Amp Dryer.
• 1 & 2, 3 & 4.............60 Amp Heater.
• 5 & 6, 7 & 8.............30 Amp Air Conditioner.
• 21 & 22, 23 & 24.....30 Amp Water Heater.

I know each pole is 120V circuit. I know that you gang them in a 240V circuit (L1,L2) - in a residence in USA you don't normally get 220V Single Phase (HI-Leg or Stinger Leg - of course they all sting if you ask me).

So each pole Odd/Even slot - A & B Phase if you will (L1, L2). Normally Odd (1, 3, 5 etc) is L1 and Even (2,4,6 etc) is L2 (of course I don't think code states which is L1 and which is L2). That way when you place a 240V breaker in; it takes up the Odd Slot {120V - L1} and the Even Slot {120V - L2} for 240V. This might be panel dependent but that is the jist of getting 240V from L1 and L2.

As for the breaker in question I do believe it is a Quad as some have linked to. Which basically sounds like 2 Double Stuffs in one unit , in order to fit the number of breakers that are needed. Seems to me the Builder did not size the panel correctly and just Stuffed away.

Answer 1

This is a bit backwards, but OK as long as the breakers have a common trip mechanism inside them

Normally, you'd see this configuration as a 30-40-40-30, but either way, this is a quadplex breaker, where the outside half-poles are ganged together to form 1 240V circuit while the inside half-poles are ganged together to form the other 240V circuit. You wouldn't get anything good out of the other configuration, as the two upper half-poles connect to the same bus stab (i.e. are on the same leg), and likewise with the two lower half-poles. The crazy-looking handle-tie (what you call a "ganging clip") is manufacturer-supplied, and normal for this type of quadplex breaker -- it allows the handles to be operated together when you operate them by hand. Common trip is handled by an internal mechanism, however.

As to why someone would do this? They simply ran out of panel space -- this is also evidenced by the large quantity of double-stuff breakers in the panel. (This is why putting in a panel that barely fits is penny-wise and pound-foolish, especially for the main panel in a building.) It's OK by Code as long as the panel is labeled and listed to accept double-stuff breakers in those two slots -- check your panel labeling for details.

Answer 2

Because you haven't numberd braker spaces - you've numbered half spaces. Each space only has one pole, so a breaker that only takes one space (i.e. 17-18) can only access 120V.

Your 240V breakers need two poles.

See this discussion of how poles work.

That is actually a 16 space breaker panel. That is far too small for a modern home. They lean very heavily on the double-stuff breaker "crutch" but that is not allowed anymore: most circuits today require AFCI and/or GFCI and/or whatever they come up with next. Far and away the easiest and least awkward way to do that is xFCI+breaker combo devices, and none of those will fit in a half space. They can't be double-stuffed.

A better panel size choice is 30-space, but even there you'd already be out of spaces on day one... This is why we recommend a 40+ space panel.

Answer 3

To go right to your point, in simplified language and using your numbering system, #17 and #18 are on the same leg (0 V difference); same with #19 and #20. To get a pair of 2-pole 240 V circuits this type of breaker pairs #17 and #20 for the 40 A circuit and #18 and #19 for the 30 A circuit.

The visible physical links between #17 and #20 and between #18 and #19 insure that if you manually switch the breaker both breakers will be switched. These are 2-pole breakers powering a single 240 V circuit and you want either both on or both off.

In addition, according to @Tyson (comment) each pair of this model of linked breakers is "common trip", meaning there is an electrical connection inside which causes the other breaker of the pair to trip even if the over-current in only in one of the pair. (This could happen if only one leg was shorted to neutral or to gnd.) There are breaker pairs which have a physical link that are not common trip. These are used for a different purpose than powering a single 240 V circuit.

EDIT I was under the impression this was a split bus panel, but not so.