2 Electricians Banter on the Difference between A Load Center Vs. Panel Board #hendythesparky

Hey dad, what's the difference between a load center and a panel board? Well, a load center is residential, all in one unit, and a panel board is multiple devices, a backboard, an interior. The main difference between a panel board and a load center, panel board has bolt-in breakers, right? So, they're captive. They're held in. They also can handle a higher interrupting capacity because of that, right? They're less likely to explode and blow out when they're bolted in versus a load center that just has a traditional plug-in breakers. Mhm. The benefit of a load center is you can get these at Home Depot, any type of hardware store. Whereas bolt-on and bolt-on breakers are usually specifically at a supply house. Yeah. Cuz this is the panel board right here, and that's the load center over there. Correct. So is a separate piece. So when you buy panel board, you're going to get the back box separately, which is kind of nice. So when you're on a job site, it's nice to get the backboard so you can mount the backboard, run all your conduits, and then later put your interior in. Whereas at a load center, it already comes pre-built. Oh, I see. So you you're not putting in the interior. You open it up out of the box, it's got a simple surface cover. Whereas a panel board actually has a dead front. Okay. Oh, I see a dead front right there. Right. This is a dead front. Stays on. Put that on right now. Yeah. What do you like working with personally? a panel board or a load center. I always would like working with a panel board cuz a panel board has more room. Look at the size of it, right? It's just better quality. Load centers are fine, but this is the residential side. This is the commercial, more heavier duty side. Got it.