HOT Main Disconnect

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gutierrjg

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:confused:
Attending to a service today, I realized that the 200amp Main disconnect in retail store was pretty hot to the touch, and the panelboard next to it has a lot of vibration and some noise. The entrace of this meter room is facing the sun in the afternoon and the place is some what hot which I consider normal here in Miami. Also I notice some corroction in the neutral log inside the meter can. Could all of the above contribute to the high temperature in the main or is this disconnect worn out?
Would like to hear some opinion and adviced to troubleshoot the main diconnect.
Thanks to all
 
It would be helpful to get some more details like is this a single 200A disconnect or a larger panel with more than one disconnect in it, is the service 1-phase or 3-phase etc. First, I'd want to know exactly how hot is hot. I use a Fluke IR for this. If it's over 60 C (or whatever the max temp is for the breaker), I'd take amp readings. Is there an overload situation? Depending on what kind of panel it is, I'd check the connections visually and maybe probe the feeders just enough to see if there's any looseness in them (be careful doing this, if they're very loose they could pop out and cause serious damage). If it's one of those 1-phase GE 200A 4 pole mains on stabs, I would look for discoloration (unlikely if it's a commercial service, but who knows...) and if any is there I'd order a new main with repair kit. If nothing is loose, I'd check FOP across the main (feeder side to load side).

Those steps should tell you if there's an issue with the MB. To check the neutral, you'll want to look at voltage to ground/neutral on each of the legs/phases and monitor for a while to see what happens as single phase loads change. If you see a drastic change (more than a few volts) between the voltages when a load kicks in, it's likely a bad neutral.
 
That was a good suggestion guys. I'll did some of those steps, but I'll go over again and troubleshoot the system like petrosA wrote.
Thanks a lot
 
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