ECN Electrical Forum - Discussion Forums for Electricians, Inspectors and Related Professionals
ECN Shout Chat
ShoutChat
Recent Posts
UL 508A SPACING
by ale348 - 03/29/24 01:09 AM
Increasing demand factors in residential
by tortuga - 03/28/24 05:57 PM
Portable generator question
by Steve Miller - 03/19/24 08:50 PM
Do we need grounding?
by NORCAL - 03/19/24 05:11 PM
240V only in a home and NEC?
by dsk - 03/19/24 06:33 AM
New in the Gallery:
This is a new one
This is a new one
by timmp, September 24
Few pics I found
Few pics I found
by timmp, August 15
Who's Online Now
1 members (ale348), 302 guests, and 14 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
#147512 11/19/02 01:17 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,236
Likes: 1
Member
Remember this thread ?

<paul harvey>
And now the rest of the story...
</paul harvey>

A week or so after the service in the above thread was energized (after I fixed it) the owner called to complain of flickering lights.

I get there, and the lights won't flicker. Can't find anything obviously wrong...

I tell her that I'll come back in a few days to look some more, and tell her to turn that circuit off and call me if there are any more problems.

She later calls back to say that they've worked fine ever since, no problem...

Time passes...

Last night I get a call from her, says she has a big problem. She was walking in the rain (with wet hands), slipped in the mud and caught herself on the trailer tongue and got shocked.

[Linked Image]

"$#!+, when will you be home?" I asked...

So we agree on 5 PM...

I get there, with voltprobe in hand, and it starts singing at four feet away from the trailer!!!!

I shout to her to NOT open the door, don't touch anything! I go back to the truck for rubber boots and gloves, open the door, step in, and the voltprobe stops...

Hmmm... thinks I, I must now be at the same voltage as the trailer... "Ma'am, please don't touch me or anything else!" I say...

I meter 114V from panel cover screw to threshold of doorway.

I get the panel door open and locate the circuit that's faulting, shut it off, confirm that there's little to no voltage (2V on T5-1000 Fluke... Not TRMS) and declare it safe for now.

Looks like I'll have to tear out walls to find the fault...

Anyway, my mistake was to not check the tailer bond on the frame side of things for corrosion or open terminal. The darn things as green as the Statue of Liberty and as loose as Madonna.

I could have killed her!!!!!!!!

[Linked Image]

I'm so mad at myself, I could just beat myself over the head with the NEC!

GRRRRRRRR!!!!

So much for being the best sparky in Greenbrier County...

I feel like a loser!

[Linked Image]

[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 11-19-2002).]


-Virgil
Residential/Commercial Inspector
5 Star Inspections
Member IAEI
Arc Flash PPE Clothing, LOTO & Insulated Tools
#147513 11/19/02 07:32 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
how is corrosion your fault Virgil?

this ain't no mansion right?

#147514 11/19/02 10:13 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,236
Likes: 1
Member
I shoulda checked both ends of the bond wire when I did the service change... No, I should have installed a new one!!!

And with a new lug with a freshly drilled hole and cleaned up the frame to match the lug to ensure low impedance.

Which I'll do today!


-Virgil
Residential/Commercial Inspector
5 Star Inspections
Member IAEI
#147515 11/19/02 05:18 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
this is a honest oversight Virgil.....

Consider the 38v to ground gas pump a few years back up my way.

The oil co. 'henchmen' swapped out the pump, never made up the ericksons or that funky green conductor......

people were getting bit and dropping the hose....

THAT is the difference dude!

#147516 11/20/02 05:05 PM
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 7,520
P
Member
Easy to look back on it afterward Virgil, 20/20 hindsight and all that.

I'm pretty sure that none of us could claim that there has never been an occasion when we haven't overlooked testing something that we could have checked.

I bet you'll now double-check the bonding on any mobile home when you change out a main panel.

#147517 11/20/02 08:27 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,236
Likes: 1
Member
Yup!

I can say it'll never happen again!

BTW, I picked up 4 AFCIs, 2 1-15s and 2 1-20s. I feel that this is the one circumstance that would warrent them!

I'm using them for the parallel fault, 30ma Ground fault, and obvioulsy the OCP, coupled with the new bond wire and lug, it should never happen again.

This lady already lost one house to fire recently, and almost got killed a few days ago. And they both could have been prevented.

Stradling the AFCI fence again...

-Virgil


-Virgil
Residential/Commercial Inspector
5 Star Inspections
Member IAEI
#147518 11/20/02 09:52 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
Virgil,
a mentor once imparted to me......


"What works works"

[Linked Image]


Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5