Follow-up to Breakers arcing

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guschash

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
Well as I said before HO said breaker were arcing. Well this home was built 30 plus years. Nice home all brick home mulit-levels. The Panel is QO ITE breakers. The bus bar looks good, no moisture. One thing I found was panel is for 42 circuits and there were 51. Minis were at the bottom of panel. One breaker had two wires in it and these breakers are not made to have two wires. All the tell-tell signs of arcing were around this breaker both sides of buss. The breakers above and below and across showed arcing signs. Now I pull this beaker with two wires and they fell right out, not tight at all. On examining the buss behind these breakers, the buss looked good. All the other breakers, minis included looked good. No pitting from arcing anyplace. The breakers in question just show film or residue from arcing. This is a big panel 400 amp main. I was thinking maybe putting in a small sub-panel next to it to handle some of the load. Any suggestions or thoughts.
 
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guschash

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
On the panel door was ITE but there also was a QO. Maybe it was Q something. Breakers were ITE. This panel was something that looked like in belong in my old glass plant. Never seem one in a redential home.
 
quogueelectric

quogueelectric

Senior Member
Location
new york
I would suggest

I would suggest

guschash said:
Well as I said before HO said breaker were arcing. Well this home was built 30 plus years. Nice home all brick home mulit-levels. The Panel is QO ITE breakers. The bus bar looks good, no moisture. One thing I found was panel is for 42 circuits and there were 51. Minis were at the bottom of panel. One breaker had two wires in it and these breakers are not made to have two wires. All the tell-tell signs of arcing were around this breaker both sides of buss. The breakers above and below and across showed arcing signs. Now I pull this beaker with two wires and they fell right out, not tight at all. On examining the buss behind these breakers, the buss looked good. All the other breakers, minis included looked good. No pitting from arcing anyplace. The breakers in question just show film or residue from arcing. This is a big panel 400 amp main. I was thinking maybe putting in a small sub-panel next to it to handle some of the load. Any suggestions or thoughts.
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A brand new 200 subpanel right next to it why cut yourelf short with a small subpanel. I think the homeowner should be sufficiently scared to talk him into it. it sounds like money shouldnt be an issue with him or at least a 30 ckt 100 amp panel for future expansion. You will already use about a dozen spaces in the new panel just to make it right.
 
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jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
guschash said:
On the panel door was ITE but there also was a QO. Maybe it was Q something. Breakers were ITE. This panel was something that looked like in belong in my old glass plant. Never seem one in a redential home.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you have an ITE EQ panelboard (as opposed to a loadcenter)
 
G

guschash

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
They were two #12 solid and like I said earlier they just fell right out, not tight at all. There really is no room right next to this panel, so might have to put the 100 amp panel in another room. Which I don't think will be a problem.
 
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