Circuit Breaker Tripping

[Bill]

Hi, When checking the circuits and installing new electric baseboard heat I found that an outlet and heater were on the same circuit...so I was getting 220 V to a 120 15A outlet. (it fried my battery and charger) An electrician came by and corrected the circuit so that I would get 120 to the outlet. Did not realize at the time that the heater was tied into it because the heater had been removed. Wired in the heater and it did not work. Called someone else, first electrician did not keep several appointments. This person comes over and puts it (the heater) on its own 220 circuit. Next I find that I need to rewire through another knockout...do that. Mount heater. When heater turns on the breaker trips. It is a double pole in a subpanel. If I leave the heater on and turn the breaker on then the whole subpanel trips from the main. With the heater off and the breaker reset it just trips the breaker again. I need to recheck my connections and then those in the subpanel. To me it sounds like a short, or maybe a bad breaker? Advise to troubleshoot myself? The heater is in the bathroom....I've heard of GFI breakers. Should I be installing one of these?

Thanks in advance, Bill

[m Ransley]

Did electrician screw up call him back and complain to the city.

[Joseph Meehan]

It sounds like you may have several problems. That can make tracking down all the problems difficult and dangerous. I strongly urge you to find a competent electrician to come in an check out the whole area to assure full compliance to code. You will live longer for it.

[PipeDown]

Definately have a short of some kind. The breaker is probably OK since when you forced it on, you subsiquently blew the larger subpanel breaker.

Most likely a miswire since it hasn't been demonstrated to work yet. Good chance the neutral and one hot or ground were swapped when the heater was connected. This could be a miswire at the receptacle (if it is plugged in) or in the heater itself. Have someone who knows check it out. Have the second electrician come back and check his work. If it is the receptacle, he should rewire and correct for no charge. If he finds that the heater is defective or wired in by someone else incorrectly, expect to get charged for his time.

You should not have a GFCI or AFCI breaker for a dedicated heating unit. Any heater that cannot be unplugged must be on its own circuit.

[Bill]

Electrician came over yesterday and repaired. He balanced the phases by moving some of the 220V breakers from the A phase to the B phase. Heater works great now and no tripping.

[Tekkie®]

Bill posted for all of us... I don't top post - see either inline or at bottom.

Huh? I think the sparky moved the 110 breakers from one leg to the other.