If it's what I think, the OP should call an electrician. And schedule a day for the power company to shut the power off, so the electrician can work safely.
Philo, yes, aluminum is a problem. I've heard the paste is a good idea.
- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .
While in the panel, please consider tighten the other power feed wire. And the neutral. And then go down the row of breakers, and snug down all the black wires. I've also had neutrals and grounds come loose, so perhaps those need snug down also.
Looking forward to a follow up report, please.
- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .
First off, as mentioned ,the power company will disconnect your power free, so I'd do that. Since what you are doing will only take a minute, I'm sure they will stick around and reconnect .
That said I already know you are just going to go ahead and do it...so good luck to you.
In addition the the shock hazard, it the possibility of shorting something out if your Allen wrench slips. (Hope you saw my photo)
Finally, if things do look at all burned...even a slight tarnish, the money you spend to have a qualified electrician fix it will be a pittance compared to your house burning down.
It's not just sprying it when it's live that can be an issue. Penetrating oil is flammable, so if you use it to free up a galled fastener, you need to remove it completely before re-energizing the circuit so it doesn't ignite if it sparks again. Use a "safe" brake cleaner to degrease it. This means "non chlorinated" solvents ONLY. CRC Braakleen Non Chlorinated brake cleaner is one example - but NEVER use it on energized equipment, and allow fumes to disburse before re-energizing or exposing to spark.
The worst I ever got was from an old television power transformer I used as a hobby power supply as a young teanager. This was from an old pre-flyback set and had a 30kv high voltage winding at one end - opposite the 1.3? 5, 6, and 12 volt filament windings I usually played with. The basement was only about 5 feet high. I touched that 30kv wre and straightened up, hitting my head on the floorboards above me (between the floor joists)- finding the sharp end of a nail holding the underlay to the subfloor, and driving the head up through the linoleum on the livingroom floor above me. Now THAT HURT!!!!!!
Almost as bad was forgetting to turn off the "tamper alarm" on my 1963 valliant before opening the hood. 115hz auto radio multivibrator feeding a bosch ignition coil connected to a strip of window break detector foil over a mylar insulation strip on the leading edge of the hood - controlled by a jam switch on the hood.
That sucker would really charge your batteries if you opened the hood without turning it off first!!!!
Also, what brand is the panel? Check the buss bars for damage where the breakers connect. If it is an FPE or other cheap-assed panel, consider replacing it particularly if there is ANY sign of heat or arcing on the buss.
I just replaced my complete (fused) panel and meter base with a new QO
32 /64 panel with whole house surge protector for $2400 canadian including taxes and inspection. Could have done it for $400 less using a homeline or Cuttler Hammer BR panel and no surge protector.I considered the upgrade to the copper buss QO worth the extra money
Our house has a circuit breaker box in the bad bedroom where the previous owners built on an addition to the older house. I was wondering if a circuit box has an odor to it because sometimes I could swear that I can smell electricity in the air, but I can't really pinpoint where it's coming from. It's been like this for the entire time we've lived here.
Arcing will produce ozone - which youn CAN smell.
What does ozone smell like?
I'm not telling you whether to do this or not, but if you decide to do it, well-insulated screwdriver means wrapping electric tape or maybe silicon tape over the whole shaft and blade, overlapping so there's more than one layer, so when the screwdriver slips, only the very tip will likely connect electrically.
Also helps to prevent the reflexive action of guiding the tip of the screwdriver to the target screw with your (foolishly) ungloved left hand.
DAMHIKT
Short status report and then back to longer replies to everyone when this is over. Gotta prep the area for the wire-ectomy and move some loads to other circuits not on the sparking side.
Left hot wire is heat damaged and that damage may extend into the 100A breaker (dual? tie-handled? - not sure of the right terms) but it's the breaker that takes the street feed on both sides. The frikkin' wire seems to be aluminum.
The left feed's bare metal is dark and discolored and could be either. The neutral wire is un-insulated and very loosely braided and silver colored, which leads me to believe I've got an aluminum feed from the meter. Crap.
The right hot* from the pole is thick, rubbery plastic obviously cut back with a pen knife or someone's teeth and there I can see silvery wire that appears to be covered with some amber colored gel (the reflection made it look copper-y until I stood on the ladder and got a closer look). Have switched off most of the breakers to that side of the panel.
Electrician should drop by later today - family friend so I can't push. He said with the cover back on, it should NOT be a fire hazard because the arking would be contained and the worst that *should* happen is that we lose power on the outlets and devices connected to that side of the panel. I asked again about the fire hazard because of the number of people that talked about it. He said what I do depends on my level of paranoia.
I think I can handle this sort of repair - there's enough of a loop in the wire in question to cut back at least an inch and maybe more. Not sure I want to do that. Would rather have copper feed wires but probably could live with a cut back/repair if it lasts 10 years. This may trigger the need to go to a new panel and a rewire of the whole house. It's got old, cloth-covered wire that's really aged.
More to follow and hopefully photos as well . . .
TKS
*Is there a better way to describe the two different hots from the pole?
Have your electrician friend remove all aluminum wire and replace with copper...also have him replaced the burned breaker.
Hopefully the connections in the box itself are OK
All the new construction I've seen here has used aluminum for service entrance for decades. It meets code, it's safe and it costa a lot less than copper.
On 10/18/2015 09:33 AM, trader_4 wrote: X
You are right, the feed wires are aluminum
I should have specified that the house wires should preferably be copper.
One or two more thing to be attentive of:
Most box and breaker terminals that are aluminum or are suitable for use with aluminum conductors are tin plated. This tin plating is easily burned or scraped away. Without the plating, corrosion protectant becomes vital to keep the connection secure. Please be aware that the torque spec on the lugs has a double purpose as aluminum wire , if too tight, will cold flow. Loose connections will continue to heat and further loosen so the final torque should be close to guard against both unequal expansion and cold flow.
A "proper" electrician's screwdriver already HAS an insulated shaft. Don't ever get caught by the OSHA guys working in an electrical box with a "common" screwdriver. You can end up with some unpaid holidays, and possibly a hrfty fine to go with it.
A couple layers of heat-shring tubing properly applied makes a good "electrician's" screwdriver out od a "common" one
What is cold flow. I can imagine that if you tighten too much, you pancake the aluminum? And you can just keep tightening and tightening?
snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca posted for all of us...
Oh boy, the joys of reading this thread. Maybe he could solder or crimp the wire too; while it's live, what the heck the fuse at the pig pole may blow, or not.
Fire diversion, actual fire between the smells and the bells...
snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca posted for all of us...
How about when he tugs on the hex wrench and braces himself using the enclosure? Or better yet those $5 gummies on a moist concrete floor.
Texas Kingsnake posted for all of us...
Finally a break through! Stop the nonsense and just ask him. He will probably be over in 5 minutes and repair the problem. (As long as he has parts or source to get them during normal hours)
snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca posted for all of us...
+1 HA HA HA, that's good one!HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.