K8MHZ
Senior Member
- Occupation
- Electrician
A friend has been complaining about high electric bills so yesterday while I was there visiting I decided to take a peek in the panel.
First yuk was to see GE breakers in the Bryant/Westinghouse panel. Yes, they fit and work, but I doubt they are approved.
The voltages where high (still are AFAIK), up to 130 / 252 but balanced. My first current check showed little to be concerned with but as I was snooping I started to see not only the voltage fluxuate, but the current as well. I was seeing 3 - 4 amps fairly balanced, one or two on the neutral...cool. Then I started to see nearly 20 amps on the neutral. Sure enough, one leg also had 20 amps on it. But nothing had been turned on or had come on.
I started flicking breakers until the current went away. Once I found the offending circuit I now had to figure out what it supplied.
Everything in the house was still working. Long story short, the breaker supplied power to the wash machine which is in the same room as the panel. It appears to be a dedicated circuit. The wash machine was off and had never been turned on. The dryer does not operate from that circuit. I unplugged the washer and did a visual to find nothing of concern. I flipped the breaker back on and now the high current draw was gone. I couldn't make it re-appear.
I hate when that happens.
Well, at least I know which circuit I am dealing with. At the very least we are going to replace the receptacle. I doubt a dirty receptacle would draw 15 amps (the other 5 was from other loads) without showing some form of external evidence but I want to at least look at it and why not just replace it at the same time?
The washer is also still a suspect.
If this sounds familiar to anyone, please share! Otherwise I will keep you posted.
First yuk was to see GE breakers in the Bryant/Westinghouse panel. Yes, they fit and work, but I doubt they are approved.
The voltages where high (still are AFAIK), up to 130 / 252 but balanced. My first current check showed little to be concerned with but as I was snooping I started to see not only the voltage fluxuate, but the current as well. I was seeing 3 - 4 amps fairly balanced, one or two on the neutral...cool. Then I started to see nearly 20 amps on the neutral. Sure enough, one leg also had 20 amps on it. But nothing had been turned on or had come on.
I started flicking breakers until the current went away. Once I found the offending circuit I now had to figure out what it supplied.
Everything in the house was still working. Long story short, the breaker supplied power to the wash machine which is in the same room as the panel. It appears to be a dedicated circuit. The wash machine was off and had never been turned on. The dryer does not operate from that circuit. I unplugged the washer and did a visual to find nothing of concern. I flipped the breaker back on and now the high current draw was gone. I couldn't make it re-appear.
I hate when that happens.
Well, at least I know which circuit I am dealing with. At the very least we are going to replace the receptacle. I doubt a dirty receptacle would draw 15 amps (the other 5 was from other loads) without showing some form of external evidence but I want to at least look at it and why not just replace it at the same time?
The washer is also still a suspect.
If this sounds familiar to anyone, please share! Otherwise I will keep you posted.