Industrial RC38-20 Plug-In Tandem Circuit Breaker

RC38-20 is a 20-amp, 240-volt, two-pole plug-in tandem circuit breaker in the RC family, designed to protect a single-phase two-pole branch circuit in compatible panels. Because it is a half-size tandem device, RC38-20 provides two independent circuit protections within a single physical slot, a space-saving arrangement common in older panels that are designed to accept RC-type tandems. It uses a thermal-magnetic mechanism for overcurrent protection and carries a 10,000-amp (10 kA) interrupt rating at 240V, with long-time and instantaneous trip functions to quickly clear faults while minimizing nuisance trips on normal inrush. In terms of compatibility and availability, it is associated with legacy Zinsco and GTE Sylvania Challenger panel lineups, and while some catalogs show RC38-20, many listings note that this exact RC38-20 model is no longer manufactured by the original maker, with aftermarket replacements offered that fit the same footprint in RC-series panels.