trouble shooting question

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mistabass

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Location
Rhode Island
I have 2 pole 30 amp. lighting contactor running 2 1000 watt m.h. 208 volt burnt phase a replaced worked fine for week then phase b burnt going to megger wires tomm. need suggestions what could be wrong if wires o.k. i did disconnect 1 of the load wires and disconnected all wires at pole turnd circuit on put meter between disconnected wire and ground got 57 volts. any suggestions welcome thanks mike
 

SG-1

Senior Member
Clamp-On Ammeter to measure actual current output at the contactor.
Measure voltage output L-L to m.h. lamps at the contactor, I am assuming the light are L-L.

Measure the crest factor if current measurement are normal to see if any harmonics are present, because a regular current probe will miss them. This will require an advanced multimeter with this function built in. As I recall the correct answer is 1.4

The L-G voltage reading you made with no load on the circuit is invalad. The circuit needs to be operating.

What size and type conductor ?
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
current is 12 amps sorry thought i typed in 2 1000 and 2 400
why do i have voltage on a wire that is not connected to anything
# 8 thwn
The voltage is induction and if you put a load such as a wiggy on it you will not likely have any. If you do then get out amp probe.
No answer as to why there burning up
 

nakulak

Senior Member
what exactly do you mean when you say burnt a phase ? burnt up the wire at the contactor , burnt up the contactor phase , blew a fuse ?
 

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
You have two sets of circuits wires in same raceway? I'm going to assume conduit! If it is a conduit did you every try reading something off of the conduit, then try isolating that conduit and reading off the conduit, again.

Did you physically re-pull or just reassigned a wire?

I think you got a open short on one leg on maybe even two of the circuits, if you replaced it once that was the wrong leg, or both got ripped open with a bur at coupling or transition point of some sorts and the orginal pull released or made the wire back off of the conduit. The use of the circuit brought back the fault (or touch) with the heating of the wire. With PVC in ground, time would be required for all of the new wire to be covered with the humidity of water in the PVC pipe. Your one week!

Did U walk the length of the pulled out conductor, checking for errors?
Walk it againest and assume where that bur might be, in relationship to the wire and fix the bur.

I think I'd do that first, if not sure pull out all the wires, find da-bur, fix accordingly...

If its PVC feed the other way. Determine and feed so the bell end will recieve the wire last, IE not start at the regular pipe end...

Hope that help, Good Luck!
 
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