Originally Posted By: jwatts1 This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hey guys,
Maybe you can help me out on this one… As I am carefully removing the cover, I don’t know if I am setting of the main breaker or what? but I have only experienced this twice with older panels, as I am lifting off the cover the main will automatically shut off…
I am very slow and steady when I remove the cover, so I was wondering if there is somehting I am doing wrong, or what!!?!?!?!
Originally Posted By: rmoore This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hmmmmm…never had that happen.
Assuming that you aren't catching the breaker handle as you remove the cover (?), then it sounds like something very serious and potentially very dangerous is occurring. I would guess that there are damaged conductors somewhere in the panel that are shorting when the pressure from the cover is released.
Report it as an immediate safety concern and call for a Sparky.
Oh...and be very careful replacing it. In fact, if that happened while I was in the process of removing a cover (and I was sure that I hadn't caught the handle) I would immediately and tentatively replace it and go no further.
-- Richard Moore
Rest Assured Inspection Services
Seattle, WA
www.rainspect.com
Originally Posted By: bking This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
What type of panels are doing this? I assume the breaker was not warm which could be a bad factory connection just below it. Very unlikely that real current was present to trip the main, you would have arcing like a welder.
Next time you see one of those, tap around the breaker before removing the panel to see if it will trip this way. If it does it must be bad.
My action would depend on the following, house occupied? refrigerator in use? owner present? client present? I would probably reset it and come back every 10-15 minutes to check for heat problems in the whole panel.
Originally Posted By: rmoore This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Oooops, I forgot the obvious “bad breaker” or poor bus-bar connection for a beck-fed main. Those Californians and their nasty exposed, corroded, exterior panels.
Question...does arcing (such as might occur at a poor bus-bar connection) draw more power than normal? (Which might cause the breaker to trip.) My guess would be yes, as extra heat is being generated, but I don't know that for sure.
-- Richard Moore
Rest Assured Inspection Services
Seattle, WA
www.rainspect.com
Originally Posted By: jwatts1 This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hey Guys,
This is a mystery to me, one panel had push-matic breakers, which maybe I could see this happening… they are problematic to begin with, the other (looked) like Zinsco style breakers but the panel was not a Zinsco, can’t remember the name, may have just been a GE…
I just want to find out if this is a common thing that happens in older breakers, I don't want to get FRIED!!!!!!!....
