I had a home inspected recently and the home inspector brought up the fact that the manufacturer of the breakers in the panel did not match the panel manufacturer and that because of this there was a possibility that the home insurance company could deny a claim if there ever was an electrical fire due to breaker failure.

Now I have seen this before in a commercial application. So I spoke to another home inspector who is also the CE instructor for home inspectors and he had not heard of this before.

Has anyone heard of this requirement and how was it handled. Thanks for your input.

Mismatched breakers may void the warranty of the electrical components, but it's very unlikely that an insurance claim could be denied from such a condition.

Generally, there are no "functionality" issues with mismatched breakers, and if they fit properly, there's no concern.

Panel manufacturers list their panel-boards for specific breakers - typically of the same brand. The NEC requires that equipment be installed per the listing provided by the manufacturer. So "technically" it could be a "code-violation."

I think the inspector was misinformed.

Thats about what the other inspector said, I appreciate your comments Jeff.

There are some panel manufacturers that do not even manufacture breakers. What is important is not the brand but the type of breaker. The breakers have different connection methods. Most panels describe the type of breakers to use. I would think that is what the inspector was getting at.

inspectordave, thanks for the feedback. In conversation with the inspector he specificaly said that if you have a Square D panel then it needed Square D breakers. Or any other brand for that matter. I'm with you , as long as the breaker is rated proper then it should be fine.

Bringing something like this up to a buyer when it is not an item that needs attention and is functioning as intended just opens a can of worms when it comes to them wanting something like this repaired. This inspector stepped over the line by including this in his report.

I am just trying to build my case if the buyer comes back and wants the breakers changed.

The Inspector erred if that is what he sad on the report. The manufacturer isn't as important as if the particular breaker was manufactured to fit that box - period - whoever that may be.

The comment the inspector made may be untrue. It depends on the panel and the breaker manufacturer. If there are compatability restrictions, they would be marked on the panel. Several panel manufacturers accept different manyfacturers circuit breakers. Absent of details, I can't comment further.