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Posted By: sparkync Can't always trust a breaker - 12/20/07 09:20 PM
I went to change out an inside panel the other day, and the main panel outside was a "Zinsco" panel. I turned off the
100 amp main that fed the panel I was changing out. Everything went fine. The man also had a dryer that wasn't working. I went to check the voltage at the dryer receptacle, and would get 240 volts one instant, and the next instant there would be nothing. I at first thought my tester was messing up on me, maybe a weak battery etc., but then I remembered the customer's son had checked it earlier and was only getting 120 volts to ground from one phase. I decided to try and find the breaker that controlled it, since it wasn't labeled. I went to the outside Zinsco panel, and started turning off the breakers, waiting for the customer to tell me when it went off. I turned off all the breakers and it still didn't go off. I started to turn them back on, and all of a sudden he yells that is off. So with the breaker in the "on" position it went off, and with
the breaker in the "off" position it was still on. I'm glad I didn't just trust the breaker when I was checking it out. Could have got Zapped pretty good at the least. Even better, I'm glad the 100 amp Zinsco main I had off, while changing the inside panel, didn't go "haywire" the same way.
I might have been a casualty. We've got a lot to be thankful for. Don't ever completly trust the breaker. I'll be thinking a little more of it in the future, especially with Zinsco breakers. Next time I'll probably take the wire off the "main breaker" before I attempt to work it. New things always happening. Never to old to learn. Hope this might help someone else out there. Be careful. Steve...
Posted By: renosteinke Re: Can't always trust a breaker - 12/20/07 09:24 PM
In the chat, we recently had an encounter with a lad who could not understand why he was getting shocked by the white wire. He also was puzzled as to why the light switch had three screws on it .....

Now, while that particular person was told to leave the electrical ALONE ... the lesson remains: make darn sure the power is off - then act like it's on anyway.
Posted By: KJay Re: Can't always trust a breaker - 12/21/07 12:27 AM
I have seen that same thing happen on a SQD QO too.
One side of a two-pole breaker was still letting voltage through even though the breaker had clearly tripped. Pushing the handle firmly into the off position didn't help either. The breaker was water damaged.
Posted By: sparkyinak Re: Can't always trust a breaker - 12/21/07 04:29 AM
Cardinal rule #1 of the elctrical trade. Always assume it hot, even if the switch says it is off. Test before touch.
Posted By: Zapped Re: Can't always trust a breaker - 12/21/07 04:10 PM
There's that filthy word again..."Zinsco".
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