Good Ol Square D!

Status
Not open for further replies.
davedottcom

davedottcom

Senior Member
I get a call from a friend who is a landlord. A panel in one of her Apts. is sparking!....
I get there...and yes it's sparking...and smoking! It's an old Square D with the QO style Main (Full size across the top) the main is arcing to the 2 phase bars. Bars & main both destroyed. I'm standing there thinking...Man, I really don't want to change out this panel! :)
I removed both of them, reversed them, and reinstalled them. Now the bad sections were at the bottom where they will never be needed. Nice! :D
Bought a new 100 main, snapped it in, used the old retaining clip (That was the only difficult part!) and the job was done!

Brilliant! Do any other panels do that?

Dave
 
A

allenwayne

Senior Member
Re: Good Ol Square D!

Quad 200 I.T.E.`s had something close to that in the late 80`s.The Quad breaker would arch till it melted the casing and by the time it was found the buss bars were burnt beyond repair.I like the quick thinking flipping the buss bars.
Although this will draw allot of flack do duck and run :D Bet it was an old or uninspected house since the panel was in a closet
So let`s see where you will get thrown under the bus.1 - Buss bars were contaminated ( maybe ) or #2 The buss bars were contaminated or #3 the integrity of the buss bar was comprimised.Maybe #4 as soon as you touched it there had to be permits and meet present code le le le de da. :D :D :D
 
davedottcom

davedottcom

Senior Member
Re: Good Ol Square D!

allenwayne, No bus needed, this was a clean fix.
The bars were rotated, I guess I should have said instead of flipped. The old A was now B & the old B was now A. The tops were now at the bottom, (not the fronts now towards the back)
The bad sections were far away from any breakers now. The new main is now making contact with previously Unused sections of the bars. The new main and the new sections of bars make a great connection, just like new again. There was nothing cheesy about it. That's why I was so impressed! The removable phase bars turned a nightmare job into a easy fix.
Believe me if I thought it was even the slightest bit cheesy this is the last place I'de go spouting off about what I just did!!!
These guys can be brutal!!! :D
Id'e be throwing myself under a bus!

Dave
 
C

charlie tuna

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Re: Good Ol Square D!

dave,
very good fix------- now i ask "what caused this problem?" what was the connected load -- you re-used the main breaker. do you think that the metal spring fingers that connect to the bus were effected by years of overheating enough to melt the aluminum bus? did you look at the connected load in this panel. usually(?) when you see this type of damage the equipment is operating near it's full current limitations and ratings. maybe your fix is only temporary???
 
S

sheldon_ace

Member
Location
Owego, NY
Re: Good Ol Square D!

I think what you did was just fine. Very good observation on inverting the bus bars. You saved yourself a major hassle, and the homeowner saved some bread. If I were you I would maybe push for a service upgrade, so things like this don't happen again. (peace of mind for you and the homeowner)

As far as the permit thing, some situations call for drastic measures, and exceptions to the rules. :D
 
davedottcom

davedottcom

Senior Member
Re: Good Ol Square D!

No Charlie Tuna, I didn't re-use the old main. I bought a new QO 100 Amp Breaker that perfectly replaced the old one.
As far as what caused it, it wasn't an overload problem, I used my clamp on and cranked everything up, it was 38 amps even with the AC & Water Heater going. Very small apt. It was just a very old connection (1 block from the ocean!) I'm guessing the metal tabs were just a little too loose and it built up corrosion from the salt air over the years, and one thing led to another!
It's good for another 40 years now.

Sheldon,
Inverting! Yea, that's what I did! I guess!?
If I were you I would maybe push for a service upgrade
Click to expand...
I'm glad you're not me! :)
 
T

templdl

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
Re: Good Ol Square D!

davedottcom,
Good job. That what I like, someone who can "think outside the box," a person who looks at other options to solve problems. When one has tunnel vision lots of alternatives are often overlooked.
Dave T
 
S

straps

Senior Member
Re: Good Ol Square D!

To: dave dotcom:
Awesome fix did the same with an old ge panel same problem ge TLM 1212 panel flipped the center around still in service 2 years later. South Beach is a disaster and the landlords want quick fixes not rebuilds the old places are getting ripped down as fast as the specs can buy them up welcome to the next generation condo canyon
straps :cool:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top