If anyone else has such anecdotes, please send them along, and indicate if you'd like your name on the posting, or would like it to be anonymous.
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 22:26:51 -0700 > > I just came across your page regarding Leviton, and the coincidence is > too strange to go unmentioned. > > As a retired EE, I sometimes help out friends and contractors who need > help with electrical wiring planning or hands-on construction. Just this > day, I was called upon to investigate a problem of unknown origin in a > new, single-family residence which did not pass its final inspection for > occupancy. Specifically, there was a neutral missing on several > outlets, downstream from a GFCI. > > I quickly determined that although the Leviton GFCI functioned correctly > for its own duplex outlets, the neutral was not being passed on to the > "load" connections. > Replacement happened to be made with a different brand component and the > branch circuit then performed correctly. Upon performing an "autopsy" on > the Leviton GFCI, I discovered that it was strictly a mechanical > mis-alignment of the neutral side contacts of the D.P.S.T. switch. > > It is unknown: 1) if it came this way from the assembly line, 2) if > Leviton does 100% Q.C. testing, or 3) if the failure might have been > induced in the field by exercising the "test/reset" function. It is > conceivable that lack of robust mechanical design leads to failure only > after a live test of the function in the field. Only a Q.C. procedure > of cycling through test/reset, more than once, could detect a component > destined to fail in the field. > > Upon relating this story, a few hours ago, to the electrician in > charge, he mentioned that several weeks ago on the same home he had > found a defective Leviton single-pole snap switch...out-of-the-box. > These two failures are what prompted me to search the internet for > information on users' dissatisfaction with Leviton reliability. > > At first I might have concluded that each of these was, after all, only > a residential grade component...but the fact that two dissimilar devices > failed in a simple, low-tech project sure bites Leviton in the > reliability statistics. Besides, apparently the failures you noted > included higher-end components, where Q.C. standards would be expected > to be even more exacting. > > Until more information comes along to explain away such problems, we > will be steering others away from Leviton. > > If you need any further specific details, please do not hesitate to > contact me. > > Regards,