I used to overtighten every single service panel screw until a house fire call changed my mind

I had a buddy call me out to his house after a sparky finished a panel swap and the main lugs were torqued so hard the bus bar cracked. That got me thinking about my own work, so I bought a torque screwdriver from Klein for $180 two months ago. Started torquing everything to spec on new installs, breakers, lugs, even the deadfront screws. The difference is real, no more stripped threads or cracked plastic. Has anyone else switched to torquing everything or do you still go by feel?

3 comments

3 Comments

nathan8511mo ago

Your feel changes depending on how tired you are" - that's the realest thing in this thread. I've been doing it by feel for years and never thought about how much my grip strength varies day to day. Might finally spring for that torque screwdriver after reading this.

the_hugo1mo ago

Honestly, that bus bar crack is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me up at night now. I used to crank everything down like I was trying to weld it in place, but torque specs are there for a reason. The deadfront screws especially - nobody bothers with those, but overtightening them can warp the whole cover and leave gaps for moisture or bugs. People think "feel" is enough but your feel changes depending on how tired you are or what you ate for lunch. A torque screwdriver takes all that guesswork out and makes every connection identical. Best $180 I ever spent, even if it felt like a lot at first.

sage5211h ago

Used to call torque specs "suggestions" but that bus bar story changed my whole view on it.