A tandem circuit breaker is a double circuit breaker that takes up the space of a single circuit breaker on a panelboard. … While a two-pole circuit breaker gets connected to two different poles at a panelboard and has a common trip or a handle tie for simultaneous disconnecting of two poles, a tandem breaker does not.

What are tandem circuit breakers used for?

A special kind of circuit breaker is the tandem breaker, which is designed to allow two 120-volt circuits to be fit into a single slot in the circuit breaker box. They are normally installed in situations where the breaker box is already full with no available slots for additional circuit breakers.

What is the difference between double-pole and tandem breaker?

Also called a piggy-back, slimline, or twin breaker, a tandem breaker is a double breaker that takes up the space of a single-pole breaker. Unlike a double-pole breaker, which serves a single 240-volt circuit, a tandem serves two 120-volt circuits; it cannot be used to supply 240 volts to a single circuit.