burned panel what to do

[Ponchik]

I had to change out a Federal pacific panel that had caught on fire. So after replacing it i left it at the site for the insurance person to see.


But do i need to report it to anyone that is related to the electrical industry? So they can keep track of these panels are really catching on fire?

this maybe a dumb question. :?

 

[spark master]

buss bars melt all the time. I'd leave it to the owner to contact the fire marshal.

 

[kwired]

I had to change out a Federal pacific panel that had caught on fire. So after replacing it i left it at the site for the insurance person to see.


But do i need to report it to anyone that is related to the electrical industry? So they can keep track of these panels are really catching on fire?

this maybe a dumb question. :?

Was fire department dispatched to this fire? If so they probably did some kind of investigation and reported statistics to somebody.

Insurance possibly does this also. Question is whether they note that FPE was involved, or if they just reported it as "electrical panel fire" or something more generic like that.

 

[Ponchik]

Fire department was not called. The tenant noticed and put the fire out with extinguisher.
I am not sure if the insurance agent reported the Federal Pacific brand.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Fire department was not called. The tenant noticed and put the fire out with extinguisher.
I am not sure if the insurance agent reported the Federal Pacific brand.

Thanks for the replies.

Would you care as much if it had been a GE panel?

 

[hillbilly1]

I don't think it would make much difference, the failure rate of those are pretty well known. I have a 600 amp three phase DP that I'm replacing with a Square D I-Line next week. A 200 amp breaker failed, melting the buss, so the previous electrician installed a re-man in the next slot down, now it is melting down. For a fee Square D will replace the interior and breakers and manufacture a new cover to fit the old can.

 

[kwired]

Even if it was reported that a FPE was involved, that stat alone does not help determine whether it was a defect that caused the failure or if it was improper installation, deterioration, or other causes that just happened to go on in an FPE panel. An investigation as to what actually happened is the only thing that will give statistics of any value.

 

[Ponchik]

Even if it was reported that a FPE was involved, that stat alone does not help determine whether it was a defect that caused the failure or if it was improper installation, deterioration, or other causes that just happened to go on in an FPE panel. An investigation as to what actually happened is the only thing that will give statistics of any value.

I agree.

But if you have two busses that are melting because of a short and are making a contact with each other and with the panel, wouldn't make make the OCPD open up? If it doesn't then clearly the OCPD did not do its job.


I don't know why the insurance companies are not mandating these panel to be changed before renewing the policy?

 

[kwired]

I agree.

But if you have two busses that are melting because of a short and are making a contact with each other and with the panel, wouldn't make make the OCPD open up? If it doesn't then clearly the OCPD did not do its job.


I don't know why the insurance companies are not mandating these panel to be changed before renewing the policy?

The breaker that is going to trip is the main or the feeder breaker - wherever it may be if the problem is at the bus. Now if there is a short this breaker or whatever feeder device is should be opening long before the bus melts to the point the buses are contacting each other. If there is foreign material bridging the buses you could have a short circuit start flowing through that foreign material and and up with a sustained arc with high enough resistance it does not open the OCP on the supply side, at least not immediately. This is more likely to happen with 277/480 volt than with 120/240 volt.