All breakers on one side of a three phase panel tripping at once!!

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vmibeef95

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Raleigh, NC, US
I had a client call me about a kitchen panel that he is having problems with. First he had to change out all the GFCI Receptacles in the kitchen out because they were tripping. Second, he said all the breakers on the right side of the kitchen panel were tripping all at once. The panel is a 225 MCB 3 phase panel. Any ideas on what would cause this?? I think it may two things wrong together that are causing this. Any help would much appreciated!!
 
First thing that pops into my mind:

Not enough info, client is clueless, and an electrician really needs to check it before I could hazard a guess on what is truly going on and what is needed to address any problem.
 
vmibeef95 said:
I had a client call me about a kitchen panel that he is having problems with. First he had to change out all the GFCI Receptacles in the kitchen out because they were tripping. Second, he said all the breakers on the right side of the kitchen panel were tripping all at once. The panel is a 225 MCB 3 phase panel. Any ideas on what would cause this?? I think it may two things wrong together that are causing this. Any help would much appreciated!!
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i'm gonna guess here. every breaker that tripped was on the same side.
not every breaker on that side tripped.

and "six" breakers can become "every breaker". alternative facts again.
i'm guessing again, but breaker ties could take six breakers out when two circuits trip.
 
petersonra said:
ASK HIM TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE BREAKERS FOR YOU BEFORE HE RESETS THEM THE NEXT TIME IT HAPPENS.
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Bob is likely thinking what I'm thinking... that the end user doesn't know the difference between a TRIPPED breaker and one in the OFF position. The point being, all breakers on one side of a panel would more likely mean some malicious person walked by and flipped them all to the off position. Remember, in a three phase panel "all of the breakers on one side" is going to be a mixture of all three phases, so the only thing common about them is just their mounting position; there is no electrical condition that would result in random breakers of all three phases tripping like that.

Also, replacing ALL of the GFCIs in a kitchen because they are ALL tripping is like buying a new car because the Oil light came on... it's far more likely that they were doing their job!
 
I would offer three follow up questions, intended to help clarify the situation:
  1. Was this a one-time occurrence, or does this symptom continue to repeat itself?
  2. Did this take place while the kitchen was open for operation, or was it discovered when the first workers arrived in the morning?
  3. Was the person who closed the breakers able to simply move them to the closed position, or did they have to first take them to the open position?
 
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