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Posted By: iwire Someones Bad Day! - 06/28/04 08:55 AM
One of the service guys found this on a service call.

Details to follow when I get back from NY.

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]



[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 06-28-2004).]
Posted By: Bjarney Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/28/04 01:49 PM
iwire — A fantastic Monday-morning shot.

"Lest we forget."
Posted By: Lostazhell Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/28/04 03:28 PM
Dang that must've been a deafening bang when that happened! [Linked Image] Was someone torquing one of the neutral lugs & slipped into the phase busbars?

-Randy
Posted By: ShOcKeR Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/28/04 08:38 PM
I found a simular damage with a water drip between A and B phase in a 100 amp service before. I wonder if this is outdoors.
Posted By: e57 Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/29/04 02:30 AM
Lostazhell - I thought the same thing. Someone is seeing spots now, maybe?

No, I take that back! In pic 1, note the clean spots where the cover of this section would go. They're clean! The cover was on when it happened!

I don't think it happened over time though, due to the sprayed metal.

A mystery......... Oooooo!
Posted By: Lostazhell Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/29/04 07:07 AM
Mark,
I see what you're talking about, but the cover would be mounted to the 2 top metal "flanges?" either side of the neutral bus.. & those aren't clean like the locations I think you're referring to... If I remember right, & if I'm looking at this right, this is a GE 3phase (400A?)panel.. Isn't the deadfront attached to the panel cover??

What was bolted up there?? [Linked Image] Looking at this again is making me think something along the lines of a forklift skid.. The blown out section looks about the same size to me...
Tim, I've some across water damaged panels before also, but this is one hella blowout!

-Randy

PS Bob, don't forget to reidentify the white on the top breakers (Ckts 1,3,5 & 2,4,6) [Linked Image]
Posted By: :andy: Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/29/04 10:09 PM
In my opinion, this could have been a lightning strike onto the phase, breaking through to the (grounded somewhere?) neutral...

With how many Amperes were the Breaker bus bars fed?

Cant wait to hear more.

Really great pics.

[This message has been edited by :andy: (edited 06-29-2004).]
Posted By: frenchelectrican Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/30/04 01:37 AM
randy .. take a look at the breaker again that is not a GE at all it is westinghouse breakers just let you know because i ran into this before and yes it is 400 amp bus bar size but possiblty 600 because i cant tell what size larger conductors come in bottom of box unless the whole thing is inverted.

merci , marc

[This message has been edited by frenchelectrican (edited 06-29-2004).]
Posted By: NORCAL Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/30/04 02:00 AM
Those are GE TEB or TED breakers.
Posted By: frenchelectrican Re: Someones Bad Day! - 06/30/04 02:56 AM
opps sorry i stand corrected it was my mistake i did grab the ge catalog book sure you are correct my blunder here sorry about that

merci , marc
Posted By: iwire Re: Someones Bad Day! - 07/01/04 06:18 PM
OK I have since talked to the person who sent me these pictures.

This is / was a 600 amp GE panel.

The person who sent me the pictures had nothing to do with the damage and the contractor responsible for this was very tight lipped.

We have a long standing maintenance contract with this customer, they put some work out to bid and the EC that got that work did this.

Once that happened we where called in to fix it.

Our guy is fairly certain a metal snake was sent into the live panel, the outer cover was off but the dead front was in place.

As far as he could find out the person in front of the panel was OK but a little dazed.

Bjarney, you are right, this is a good reminder of the invisible but potent force we deal with.

by Randy
Quote
PS Bob, don't forget to re-identify the white on the top breakers (Ckts 1,3,5 & 2,4,6) [Linked Image]

[Linked Image] Yeah, sure. [Linked Image]

You are right but that is standard installation practice in this area.

If someone is in this panel and thinks the white conductor on that breaker is grounded they probably have no business in a 480 volt 600 amp panel. [Linked Image]

In this state the NEC was also amened so that we do not have to re-identify whites in cables used as hots for switch legs.

Bob

Be Careful out there.
Posted By: Bjarney Re: Someones Bad Day! - 07/01/04 07:02 PM
I wonder if faults like this are "louder" than single ø-g(n) faults. From the cinders, there may have been flashes almost simultaneously on Cø-G(N), Bø-G(N) and Bø-Cø. The fish paper does indeed look a little worse for wear.

That'll get your panties in a bunch. ;-)
Posted By: NORCAL Re: Someones Bad Day! - 07/02/04 03:33 AM
Panties in a bunch? More like skidmarks in the shorts. [Linked Image]
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