To the comments made by Scott, I would like to add one thing. He mentions lighting circuits, 277 volt, etc.
Could the circuit(s) been operating at or near max amperage?
Yes, I agree with the 'workmanship' statement, as I said back in this thread. No I would not expect a GFPE main to see this potential issue until it was a L-G fault, which may be after the situation evolves into a fire condition.
And, to Sparkys comments, yes, I have found some old, porcelain wire nut, twisted, & friction taped cloth wrapped RH that had issues, most of which reared their heads when oversized plug fuses were installed. Some burned clear, a few resulted in structure damage. (From my young days in Newark, NJ areas)
'Newer' work bad connections of wire nuts (Yellow & Red) with scorch marks I have also come accross, not 'lots', but more than a handful for sure.
No debate that these situations can be a cause of a fire, Hence, splice boxes require covers.
Last edited by HotLine1; 01/30/12 09:27 PM. Reason: spelling...
