Originally Posted By: pcarter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Had an unsual humming noise coming out of Main Distribution Panel yesterday after I lightly tapped the cover. I backed away from this immediately after hearing the humming noise. There were other issues with the electrical in the home I had discovered before I went to the main. So I made a judgement call to stay out of it but my curiosity is alive and well. So the question, and pardon me if this is a dumb question? What can cause a main to emit a fairly loud humming noise after lightly tapping the panel cover?
Originally Posted By: pcarter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Richard,
With the other electrical issues (10 not counting outlets and switch covers missing, scarred or cracked) discovered before looking at the main, it would be safer to back off and I had already determined that a electrician needed to be called in because of electrical conduit being knocked off the exterior wall and had exposed the service wires going to a private well pump in the back yard (should say acerage). he wiring in this home was done by the homeower, if it was an electrician, someone should discuss with them about thier abilities. No, it was a DIY gomer. period 
Originally Posted By: pcarter This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Did’nt this MB have spell checker before? Also noticed my signature line is gone as well. Geeeeezesh, get busy for a few days and come back and things change.
Originally Posted By: bbadger This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
pcarter wrote:
Did'nt this MB have spell checker before? Also noticed my signature line is gone as well. Geeeeezesh, get busy for a few days and come back and things change. 
Yes it did but there is some sort of upgrade to the forum going on so many features are temporally disabled.
Originally Posted By: jsieg This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I agree with what everyone else has said, stay out. As a side note, even though it is becomming colder, if the main is out doors their is always the possibility of BEES.
Originally Posted By: bbadger This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
rbennett wrote:
Now that we know what causes a hum -- As HI's what do we do when we hear one
Remember sparkie charges for a service cal
Keep in mind I am an electrician and I do charge for my time so perhaps I am bias. 
That said 99.9% of home electrical panels are silent, they do not hum or sing.
In my opinion if you hear a constant hum from an electrical panel you should have an electrician come out ASAP. Yes I agree that it may be harmless but in my experience normally it is not harmless usually something is wrong and it ain't gonna fix it self.
A short hum from a breaker suppling a heavy load like an AC compressor I would not worry about.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
You can usually find a loose cover or bracket with a non-conducting stick. When you press on the offending chunk of metal the noise will change or stop entirely. I would not do this with a screwdriver or metal stick.
Thanks everyone for your input and idea's, this inspection was a long one due to the overall condition of the home. 4500 sq. ft home that was built in 1979 and with 11 full pages of write-ups. Boy was I tired after this one 6 hours and 10 minutes not including the time going over everything with buyer. Good thing I only had one inspection scheduled for Friday.
