Hot Breakers

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I have (3) 50 amp, 2-pole SQ-D breakers in a load center feeding A/C and cooler equipment in a C-Store. They are very hot but not so hot that you can't keep your hand on them. The load is only 30 amps, the wire size is #8 and the terminals are tight. Any idea why the breakers might be so hot.
 

bphgravity

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Breakers operating at an elevated temperature can be host of different issues or it may be nothing at all. Check with the manufacturer to get performance data such as expected temperature rise of the breakers under the conditions specific to this installation.
 

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
"Hot to the touch" is not a very accurate way to describe a situation.
The hottest portion of a breaker is always the operating handle. I would not be suprised that a fully loaded properly functioning breaker is normally "too hot to even touch".

Are all three breakers the same temperature?
Are the three breakers touching each other, or are the some lightly loaded breakers or spaces between them?
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
brian ploskunak said:
I have (3) 50 amp, 2-pole SQ-D breakers in a load center feeding A/C and cooler equipment in a C-Store. They are very hot but not so hot that you can't keep your hand on them. The load is only 30 amps, the wire size is #8 and the terminals are tight. Any idea why the breakers might be so hot.

They don't sound all that hot to me.
 
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