Posted: 7/31/2012 9:57:32 AM EDT
| I have a mobile home at my hunting camp. I was up there a few weeks ago, smelled something burning and the breaker panel was hot. I am no electrician but since I have a main breaker outside I cut the power and tried to figure it out. Main wire on right side of panel was hot up to about 7 inches away from the panel and a little insulation was burned. Main breaker on right side was hot but all the breakers under were cold. I figured main wire was lose, it was not. Took it out anyway cut it back to good insulation tightened it up. I tightened every screw I could get to all were pretty snug. When I turned the power back on it got hot again. When I leave camp I always turn the power off by the main outside. My buddy was up there a few weeks before and he turned of the main breaker at the panel. So I flipped the main breaker at the panel on and off a few times, tuned main power outside back on and it cooled down. Now my problem is that the panel is still pretty warm. Not hot like it was but still not right. Can a main breaker go bad and cause it to over heat? Replace the main breaker at the panel, call an electrician? Any help would be appreciated. |
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Quoted:
Not sure on gauge of wire looks to be 2 gauge. 2 - 75 amp breaker with pole. http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr103/mondov/IMAG0043.jpg That looks like a pretty dramatic way to vaporize two inches of a tape measure 
(j/k... assuming your outside breaker was off or you'd have never got the pic...) |
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Quoted: Quoted: Not sure on gauge of wire looks to be 2 gauge. 2 - 75 amp breaker with pole. http://i474.photobucket.com/albums/rr103/mondov/IMAG0043.jpg That looks like a pretty dramatic way to vaporize two inches of a tape measure (j/k... assuming your outside breaker was off or you'd have never got the pic...)  Yes power was off. I have a lot of respect for electricity, I find myself triple checking everything.
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I would confirm wire gauge, material, and insulation type (it should be written on the wire itself) and make sure what you have is actually rated for 150 amps.
I am not an electrician, and don't have the NEC in front of me, but I *think* that may be undersized. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |