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Any advice on how to find the appropriate part (breaker cover) and how to install it?

Photos show the issue. My exterior breaker (for my whole apartment-style condo) is missing a cover. Other condos exterior breakers are not. Came up as one of many hits on a home inspection.

missing cover and mislabeled has cover Even if this is responsibility of the condo association or utility, if it's an easy fix, just like to do it, rather than convince someone else.

Thanks in advance for any help. I'm very tool-stupid. But trying.

P.s. Just trying to pound out as many fixes as a I can from a long list. If this is really hard, please advise me, and I'll just leave this one be.

P.s.s. Breaker also mislabeled (wrong number). Should I just take a sharpie or some dymo tape to fix that? [doesn't feel worth a whole separate question so sneaking it in here.]

EDIT: Adding some more pictures as requested in comments:

This is the bank of meters and breakers--for six apartment style condos; the "house" breaker/meter is on the lower right:

bank of meters and breakers

Note that one breaker cover appears new/replaced, second from the right on top row:

new cover

[Actually, I'm not sure if that is a new breaker or a new cover...can look next time I'm out there...I think I remember it just being a new cover.]

Meter writing (seems like the only descriptive writing unless I open the panel!):

meter writing

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    Can you post photos of any labeling on the meter-main hardware?
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Jul 3 at 3:14
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    Looks to me like the cover has been missing for a while—at least one repaint worth of time.
    – Huesmann
    Jul 3 at 12:22
  • Looks like there is something inside the right hinge-hole and running along the top almost to the left hinge area. Could it be a broken-off fragment of the missing breaker cover?
    – Armand
    Jul 4 at 2:38
  • 3-phase EEl: see edit, with more pictures. Huesmann...yeah that thing is painted over like crazy...screw threads filled, etc. Armand: I looked at it carefully yesterday. You are correct.
    – Post as a guest
    Jul 8 at 2:14
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    Paging @ThreePhaseEel ... looks like this happened once before, and they gave up on finding the correct lid and shoehorned in a Mulberry 1-gang cover mulberrymetal.com/shop/…
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Jul 8 at 4:20

2 Answers 2

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The correct part likely was a Square-D BCH, but that's long-discontinued

It looks like your meter-pack unit is an older Square-D design from the QO breakers it takes. Sadly, Square-D hasn't made that style of breaker cover (part # BCH) available as a separate part since 2010 according to their website. So, you'll have to see if an electrical supply house can find a NOS part on some dusty shelf somewhere.

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  • Thanks, man. If I were to find such a beast, how do I install it? (I'm tool stupid.) Does the cover go into the hinge? Or is the part, including the plate...meaning I have to get the painted over screws out? Also, do you think I can tell the utility to do it? Like is it their gear?
    – Post as a guest
    Jul 10 at 18:39
  • @Postasaguest -- you'd probably want an electrician to install it since it'd be on the customer side of the meter, so to speak. (I can't speak personally to how it's installed)
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Jul 10 at 19:13
  • Roger. Perfect. Got some other electrician things that are beyond me (dropping outlets in the bathrooms at the sinks, instead of the light switches). Can add that into this list. And I'm fine if he Mulberry Gangs it.
    – Post as a guest
    Jul 11 at 16:17
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You'd have to research the manufacturer of that meter pan, and preferably model number. Once you have the manufacturer, call around to electrical supply houses to find someone who is a dealer of that line. Sometimes you can contact the manufacturer directly.

Service equipment does change, and it may be obsolete. But that big condo building type service equipment with a bunch of meters is pretty costly so they may do a better job supporting it.

There is no requirement for a Dymo or other label on the main breaker to identify the unit, but there does need to be such a mark on the equipment somewhere unambiguous. Typically NEC requires labels which are not hand written.

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    Note that while the NEC doesn't require address/unit labeling on meter-packs, local utilities often will!
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Jul 3 at 3:14
  • H-RM: (1) added some photos. Not sure if sufficient. (2) I hear you on the code, but it's kind of a functional need for the label to show which apartment. Right now, it says my neighbor's apt number (i.e. two with that label in the bank!). We had to test both to figure out which was mine! I gotta find/buy a Dymo labeler or paint/Sharpie it. I think I can do that, at least. Not that tool stupid.
    – Post as a guest
    Jul 8 at 2:19

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