Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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http://www.nachi.org/bbsystem/usrimages/D/DSC06882.JPG ]
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Inspection Nirvana!
We're NACHI. Get over it.
http://www.nachi.org/bbsystem/usrimages/D/DSC06882.JPG ]
We're NACHI. Get over it.
Originally Posted By: dandersen
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Looks like a lot of heat!
Green around the lug.
Discolored lug & wire.
Most likely a loose connection.
Would recommend a new breaker also. Heat like this will damage them.
Have an IR thermometer?
Great tool for this.
Originally Posted By: Thomas Ogryski
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Looks to me more like a moisture problem. Any chance that this breaker panel is outdoors or that water is wicking in thru the cable jacket?
For sure, trim the conductor back to clean copper & replace the breaker.
Tom
Originally Posted By: chorne
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pretty blurry, but it looks like the feeds exceed the breakers
is there a picture of the entire panel?
Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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http://www.nachi.org/bbsystem/usrimages/D/DSC06881.JPG ]
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Inspection Nirvana!
We're NACHI. Get over it.
Originally Posted By: chorne
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Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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Carla, what??? It’s just a little ole Square D panel.
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Inspection Nirvana!
We're NACHI. Get over it.
Originally Posted By: jmyers
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John,
Good catch!
Looks like that side of the circuit is being overloaded, or as possibly pointed our in an earlier post, a loose connection.
I find it hard to believe that is not tripping! Or maybe it was and they just forget to have it fixed. And...they forget to put it in the sellers disclosure! 
--
Joe Myers
A & N Inspections, Inc.
http://anii.biz
Originally Posted By: dandersen
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Is this 3 phase panel on a residential house?
Originally Posted By: jmyers
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David,
Looks like single phase in a residence.
--
Joe Myers
A & N Inspections, Inc.
http://anii.biz
Originally Posted By: Thomas Ogryski
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In my experience, copper does not turn green when overheated. Slight overheating results in a conductor that is still copper colored but looks dull instead of shiny. Serious overheating generally turns the conductor a dull gray or black along with charring or embrittllement of the insulation.If the damage was due to heat, the aluminum lug on the breaker would be discolored also.
Looking at both photos of the panel, I see other signs of moisture damage, either due to leaks or condensation. Regardless of the cause of the damage, this panelboard deserves a little TLC from an electrician.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell
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It depends on the humidity. Here in Florida overheated copper will usually end up green if it has heating/cooling cycles. That is particularly true in areas not under air.
Originally Posted By: jonofrey
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I’m inclined to think that heat is involved. The breaker was warm. Warmer to the touch than the other breakers.
There was a intermittant smell of plastic wafting about. Not burnt plastic, but the kind of plastic smell that you get if you were walking through an injection mold factory. It wa very faint though.
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Inspection Nirvana!
We're NACHI. Get over it.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell
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John I agree 100%.
If you see a bad looking conductor heat is the #1 suspect, usually indicating a bad connection.
If I had one piece of advise for a customer it would be watch for signs of heat in your electrics (popping, static in the radio or whatever) and don’t hesitate to have it checked by someone who knows what they are looking at.
Most people who have had electrical fires could point to the source because it was “acting funny” for quite a while.
Originally Posted By: dandersen
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| Quote: |
| In my experience, copper does not turn green when overheated. |
Copper oxide is green.
I find three or four of these a week.
The IR thermometer is a real hound dog in finding these before they make it to this point.
Yesterday I found a breaker connection at 180 degrees. Everything brite and shiny. I test amperage draw, compare to breaker rating, test temp, compare to panel ambient, then yank it out and check the interior connections and the buss bar.
If they don't fix it (which a sparkie will likely come back with it's OK), next time back it will not look like it did yesterday.
Actually this happened to my pool pump breaker two days ago!
Originally Posted By: pbolliger
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My two and half cents are: or " CSI (crime scene investigations ) home inspections ideas are:" ha ha ha
The conductors are moist from water following it down . The conductor at that radius is like a drip loop so you should have some evidence of damage below that "bend". Add heat and you have a "boiling" effect / "de-mineralizing effect" like steam distilled water.. leaving minerals on the conductor. Since it is out side and probably not sealed to water I would think that the inside corners and various points will all be changing colors..
Turn that panel into a "coffee maker" 