Originally Posted By: William Dorsey This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
My friend just had someone who was supposed to be an electrician install a new 100 amp service panel for him in an old house he was remodeling. The installer left (with cash in hand) and my friend thought everything was working properly. There were two 20 amp circuits installed each with two temporary lights and one receptacle outlet. The service had a driven 8’ ground rod which has bonded to the panel via 4 AWG bare copper. The neutral was bonded properly as was the panel. The feed was #2 copper for both legs and the neutral.
The lights appeared to operate fine until you decided to plug a tool into either of the receptacle outlets. When you ran a tool in either circuit the light in that circuit dimmed and the light in the other circuit flared up brightly. Checking the panel with a meter the voltage on each buss was 120 volts and across the two busses 240 volts as you would expect. When the fault was occuring the picture changed though to an unbalanced condition where the voltage dropped on the loaded side's buss and rose on the opposite buss.
Anyone care to name the ghost haunting this panel?
Originally Posted By: William Dorsey This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
As you suggested the problem was indeed a loose and corroded split bolt connection between the drip loop and the line to the electric company’s pole. Everything in the main panel was fine but with the poor connection to the neutral the voltage varied as you attempted to load the circuit. The First Energy truck just rolled away after redoing all of the connections with crimp connectors, and the electric service is back to normal.
Originally Posted By: William Dorsey This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Kyle, Yes I did. When the problem existed the voltage from each buss to the neutral lug was 120 volts (actually it was 122.6 volts to be specific). When the panel was loaded the loaded buss voltage dropped and the other buss voltage rose an amount identical to the rise.
Because there happened to be an additional problem caused by the mason inadvertently driving a steel stake through the underground feeder cable to the garage I also got to see what happenes in the extreme condition. In this case he had shorted the circuit. When it was attached to a breaker the voltage in the one buss dropped to zero and the voltage on the other buss rose to 240 volts accompanied by instantaneous burnout of the light bulb on that circuit.
Originally Posted By: Kyle Kubs This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Somewhere there must be a connection either between the hot buss and the neutral or between the two legs of the hot bus - Possibly inside the meter base or a defective main breaker. Do you have a picture of the main panel? - Also, just for giggles, turn of the main disconnect and make sure the meter is not turning…
– Those that say it cannot be done should stop interupting those of us who are hard at work, doing it…
Originally Posted By: mboyett This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
William Dorsey wrote:
As you suggested the problem was indeed a loose and corroded split bolt connection between the drip loop and the line to the electric company's pole. Everything in the main panel was fine but with the poor connection to the neutral the voltage varied as you attempted to load the circuit. The First Energy truck just rolled away after redoing all of the connections with crimp connectors, and the electric service is back to normal.
Kyle....did you happen to miss this 6:25 pm post? 