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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 914
E
Member
Thanks for the replies. On the second situation I described, the ground was touching a "hot" screw. It was not wrapped around it, but just touching, so I guess it could've been not touching enough. It was good enough to make the wire very hot in about 2 seconds.

All I can say is that a Cutler Hammer CH breaker or Sq D QO breaker, they would've tripped instantly.

Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 179
D
Member
Had what may be a typical situation with the Fed Pac stuff today.Regular cust. said a tennant got a shock from their microwave;first check of receptacle looked good which made me look elsewhere;thought it was feeding through the plumbing since the sink set off the tic tracer-but no, a thorough look found a tiny nick on the hot coming into metal box;grounded ok,and by rights,and correct me if I'm wrong here,should trip the &%@@**# breaker.When I'd backtracked and remetered I could get 120v from plate cover screw to sink.Makes me shudder.

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
S
Member
I just refer my customers to the 'net, and sites like this FPE one

Let them decide for themselves....

Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,498
Likes: 1
C
C-H Offline
Member
Scott35,
Quote

3. exceeded the AIC of the unit - highly unlikely in Residential or without a corresponding explosion of the frame!

What if lightning struck the electrical system and went down the branch circuit?

Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 112
P
Member
its something some one needs to develop,, an MCB tester,, we have meters for everything else but no way of testing an MCB

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,527
B
Moderator
There are gizmos for circuit-breaker testing, but they are large, heavy {and pricey.} The basic idea of forcing current through a breaker [or fuse?¿?;-)] is simple, but the technique gets a bit complicated.
http://www.phenixtech.com/products/Circuit_Breaker/index.php http://www.phenixtech.com/products/Circuit_Breaker/brochures/30105-HC1-HC2-PORTABLES.pdf

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,527
B
Moderator
The first, fourth and fifth images posted at http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/fpefire.htm do not look like the classical FPE “stab-lok” products, but may be Square-D QO-series components.
http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/Burnup.jpg looks a lot like “QOU” breakers marketed for OEM use. OEM Circuit Breaker Catalog

Looks like the faces [single-width handle and window of multipole QO-series circuit beakers] pictures in these links. http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/HeaterBrkr.jpg and http://www.inspect-ny.com/fpe/Close2.jpg

Are the first, fourth and fifth images of FPE or Square-D stuff?

(Long URL edited by Webmaster)

[This message has been edited by Webmaster (edited 06-12-2003).]

Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 681
P
Member
Faulty breakers do occur, but if I am reading this correctly, he did say a GE breaker (not that they don't fail). In my experience, I have seen more 'high impedance return fault current paths' than faulty breakers.
As already mentioned in this post, but what seems to virtually be ignored is this type of situation. I also believe that a 'high impedance return fault current path' poses one of the greatest risks for us in the field.

Why? It is basically invisible!!! I also believe there is an increase in this situation for several reasons, installations are getting older, and more people today are performing "electrical installations'who really have not got a clue.

When I am at a job and a ground fault of some kind occurs and it does not trip the overcurrent device, it makes me very nervous for my safety, and anybody else for that matter.
How many times have we seen a loose locknut, screw backed out or missing, a ground splice not made, or the conductor broken under the wirenut? Too many!!!

One last thing....If you read the electrical accident reports, you will see the ages in general are older, I believe this is because we get too comfortable and one day it is going to.....

Be Safe

Pierre


Pierre Belarge
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 48
M
Member
Is there a possibility that a shared nuetral condition existed or exists? Maybe the nuetrals got tied together in a switch location? That would explain the other breaker tripping on the same phase? Like your posts on here Eagle, I bet your business does well, Keep up the good work

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