MAn Sue, you have some real hack contractors there. We all know that panels get put into kitchen cabinets. This DOES NOT make it a good idea and IS quite illegal. Whether some inspector on the take will let it go is another issue. To even suggest leaving off the original cover is STUPID at best and criminal at worst! The panel WOULD NOT be covered. I don't care what you think or what the GC tells you. Any "cladding" you might want to put inside the cabinet will do squat! The ORIGINAL cover MUST be in place on the panel and ANY open holes MUST be closed. This is a serious code and more importantly common sense. Ever see a panel that failed and had a bolted fault inside???? I have. It is NOT pretty. Sorry if I seem rude about this but the whole concept has me AMAZED!

"""""Unless you do the test with the actual wiring and fault it repeatedly to adjust everything it is NOT going to work""""" """"This is a very application dependent item, not anything a lab can do for you. """" It�s like beating a dead horse.... This will be the last time I am going to try to explain this to you because I am not getting it through to you. I guess square D, engineering firms and hospitals do this kind of thing for fun and like to spend 7, 10 or 20K on things that don't work. You are only talking in opinion. Please provide your comments with some articles that a selective coordination study is bogus from a reputable source? You say you have seen all these issues but provide not details as to the specs or conditions it was under. It�s almost an insult and as if you�re saying the engineer who performs these studies is performing a job that serves no purpose. What else are you stating that can't be duplicated at a test site???? You can get the resistance of the wire, the temp, weather conditions, motor torques, load, time ran, splice types, terminations, age etc. During the study the engineer should get plans that show your entire setup. If there is something odd then they will review that and take it further into consideration. If someone doesn't do a spice correctly that is an incorrect installation, but if you take into account the available AIC at the site and spec your breaker correctly it will open without damage. The amount of time and calcs is why it cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Let�s take one common sense note, if it�s BS then why does the code require it in certain instances? Once again the study will take into effect the amount of available current and if done correctly will match the equipment to this. You say that a lab can't duplicate the field conditions???. Some labs test some of their gear at 200% in some instances. Take a look at MGE gear and see what they do upon testing/commissioning. So if you are in the field and a splice fails or a phase to phase short and the breaker blows off the wall or does something off normal then you better start looking at who designed it or setup the settings, because in MOST (not all) cases it wasn't correctly installed to handle the fault. Please before you go any further please read the link I added. It is an example of a study and it is from cooper/bussman. Look at page 1 number two on "SHORT CIRCUIT STUDY" I do hope you understand this better and that this helps clear things up for you. """"""Ever seen conductors move under fault current? You should see power lines jumps. """"" I have a lot of experience in high voltage and yes the air can become a conductor. Where are you going with this? Here is a link that might be useful: READ THIS LINK! Example of a study and what it includes

Bus_driver, I never said I had both type breakers. I was trying to figure out which type I had. Anyway, I talked to my cousin who is a ME and in turns out the load center will not have to be replaced. All the slots will accept a tandem breaker which will replace a couple of the singles. It's not like I'm adding additional loading to the box. I just had to add a dedicated circuit for the microwave and I want to add a dedicated 20 amp breaker for my home theater both of which are currently on a shared circuit. Also a minor decrease in loading was obtained by going with LED lighting throughout the kitchen. Additionally, the service (main) panel will have less loading due to changing to a gas cooktop. If the center required replacement, I had no intentions of doing this my self; and, I was only trying to find out what model box was needed and are the tandem breakers widely used. Believe it or not, the above was a blessing in disguise. My cousin who works for the local power company came by to look at the load center. He also wanted to look at the service panel; and, I'm glad he did because the insulation on one of the hot leads had been severely damaged to where it's almost was shorted to the box. He stated this needed to be addressed asap. It turns out that washing your house with a clorox mixture is very damaging to the service panel and its contents. The DW has been complaining about the lights flickering but I just kind of blew it off. I feel very fortunate that this was discovered before something bad happened. I already called an electrician. Anyway, thanks for the advice and believe me when I say that I know my limitations when it comes to electrical work but one can learn given time.

"The breaker protects the appliances on the circuit, not the wiring." Not exactly. Depends on the circuit and the equipment which it supplies. In some cases, the overcurrent protection value is selected for the equipment, while the conductor size is also selected for the equipment. The rules for motors could result in a #12 being protected at 40 amperes in certain cases Examples are motors and air conditioning/refrigerating equipment. The protection is based on conductor size alone in the case of general purpose branch circuits in residences and many other applications. The NEC has many nuances and special cases that must be considered. In the case of the range, if the manufacturer of the range specifies a maximum of 40 amperes for the supply overcurrent protection, then the installation of the 40 amp breaker is correctly indicated-- and needed.