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i'm still learning about the electrical panel installation. I've seen a lot of videos about this type of box:

enter image description here

And i already know that you have two live wires, one Neutral for the bus bar and a Ground.

But here is my question. I've also seen some video on this type of box (image below) i think is a DIN RAIL or miniature panel (not sure of the name)

How do you do a 220 Installation because almost all the videos are one Live, one Neutral, One ground.

So How do you make a 220 installation for this type of box:

enter image description here

Thanks

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    where are you in the world (so we know what we are working with)? the first image is common in north america using a busbar behind the breakers. The second image is common in europe, which is a DIN rail with breakers and (in this case) an external busbar, there the voltage between live and neutral is already 220V. And frankly following the local customs will be much simpler and cheaper in the long run.
    – ratchet freak
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 17:00
  • @ratchetfreak I live in Mexico, the reason for my questions is that i can go to my local Homedepot and buy either Panel, but we do have the 2 Live wires + one neutral wire configuration in the whole country for 220
    – Emir
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 17:11

5 Answers 5

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Very simple. The usual location for the top 120V/240V breaker panel is US/Canada. The usual location for the DIN breaker panels is "everywhere else". Which means "240V native", so live -> neutral in the places where the DIN panels are typically used is 240V. Getting 120V in those places is the problem, but most equipment in those places is designed for 240V, including the things that are typically 120V in the US/Canada (lights, small appliances, etc.).

Note that 240V is essentially the as 220V and 230V. The actual value has varied over time and in different locations. The majority of consumer-grade equipment (lighting, small appliances, large appliances such was washer, dryer, dishwasher, oven, etc., computers, TVs, etc.) is either 120V (which can range from 110V to 125V and all equipment is expected to handle the full range without a problem) or 240V (which can range from 220V to 250V and all equipment is expected to handle the full range without a problem, and for technical reasons much of this equipment is the US is designed to handle a nominal 208V or slightly lower as well).

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  • I see, so, they use one wire for 220 instead of two wires ?
    – Emir
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 17:07
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    @Emir one phase wire and neutral instead of 2 phase wires (which may or may not require a neutral).
    – ratchet freak
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 17:14
  • Thanks, i think i need to keep learning. I live in Mexico, we have the 2 Live wires + Neutral, but this two boxes are available on any Local Homedepot here. so, i still don't know how do people install the DIN RAIL in this country if we have 3 wires (L1, L2 , N)
    – Emir
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 17:20
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In Mexico, you'll be better off going with the first type of panel since the Mexican electrical system is nearly identical to the one in the US and Canada. I've found some sources that say the nominal voltage in Mexico is 127V, but that's close enough to 120V to make no practical difference. Like you posted, the distribution is the same as the US/Canada where you receive a single 240V phase with a tap that splits it in the center to give you the 120V. The second type of panel isn't designed to handle that center tap so no provision for the split phase.

I don't know how people would get away with installing the Euro/ROW style of panel in Mexico. I suppose if you didn't have any 120V loads you could get away with it, but in residential that is unlikely. I suspect those types of panels and breakers are available at stores like Home Depot just because of lax standards and occasional commercial/industrial users shopping there.

Late edit: I thought about it some more and I have a theory as to why those Europe-style DIN-rail panels and breakers are available. In the past few decades there was a huge expansion of European automakers moving their manufacturing options to Mexico. With imported German factories full of imported German machinery, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see them using imported German building wiring equipment and methods. Especially without a strong local authority telling them how to do it.

I bet some purchaser at Home Depot MX saw an opportunity there and made sure to be stocking those parts.

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  • Those European type panels should work if you are only using 120 volts(one single hot/live feed). The breakers probably don't care much about the voltage, only the amps/wattage. They might not trip at the normal over amps to protect the wires though.
    – crip659
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 18:10
  • They might, I mean functionally they probably wouldn't know the difference except things might get weird with GFCI/RCD protection since in a standard EU type system one side is 230V away from earth and the other is at the same potential. If you take the NA-style 240V feed, both sides are 120V away from earth. I'm not an EE so I don't know what exactly would happen there. This is of course assuming residental where you have to take what the PoCo hands you. In industrial, you can slap down a transformer and do whatever you want with your building wire.
    – Chris O
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 18:17
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The second panel can easily do whatever you want.

Single phase

Split phase

3 phase

The din rail breakers are fed from the top and are very common in industrial control panels.

As far as what is easier the top panel is because the breakers snap onto the buss. I have done mission work at K57 where we used a much smaller U.S. panel panel to electrify a home that only had a single circuit with Edison fuses before adding the panel.

The bottom or DIN rail style will require a lot of jumpers to feed the breakers but any configuration is possible.

I would suggest a main breaker panel this way you can turn the main off when working on the panel. And only 4 connections to power how many slots are used.

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  • But how, if you have the two live lines wires +neutral, how would you make the connection using the rail ones, two breaker? One breaker for line 1,second breaker for line 2, in that how can you distribute that to let's, say a 220 A/C, thanks for your answer
    – Emir
    Commented Jul 29, 2022 at 23:01
  • The neutral is not going to a breaker buss. In a main panel it is going to the “silver long buss” that connects with the ground all the neutrals and ground connect at the same point in a main panel. The same is true for DIN you only need the breaker for the 2 hots the neutral and ground have a common buss
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 30, 2022 at 14:58
  • Even if the breaker has a N (neutral) on one side, you can connect the second live line there? I just want to be 100% sure, thanks
    – Emir
    Commented Jul 30, 2022 at 18:46
  • Emir there are different types like GFCI’s that have a neutral connection these do not connect to the hot buss. With some the neutral is a snap connection similar to the hot but at the opposite end of the breaker.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 30, 2022 at 19:00
  • I think we are mixing the boxes here. I was refering to the miniature breaker (the white ones) As i mentioned above, i think i understood the basics of the Box with the Black breakers, my question is about the the DIN Rail. How could you make a two live lines connection if those breakers have a Neutral and one Line only, thanks
    – Emir
    Commented Jul 30, 2022 at 19:53
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All the answers here are great and I gave them an upvote because of that, but after some time I got my answer after I met some people who are been doing this for a little. In Mexico Din rails are installed using a "bridge" jumper wire or as one of the answer posted, using a copper bar with two sides so you can plug one 120 line 1 to one breaker and the second 120 line 2 to the next breaker, after that, you make a bridge to the breakers like this:

Pair breakers together and the noun breakers together, so it would be:

1,3,5,7,9(and so) are Line 1

2,4,6,8,10(and so) are Line 2

So, in case that you need a double pole breaker, you can feet that with both lines because it would be taking the space of a pair and a noun like 1 and 2 or 7 and 8.

The neutral is the difference from the European instalation, because that wire is bonded separately using a bus bar and not through the breaker. Thanks to all the answers

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multiple different bus styles are available for DIN rail panels.

enter image description here

I have also seen a variant of these in double-sided for use between a pair of vertical din rails.

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