Incredibly strange experience with GE panel. Need help.

[MrSlayer]

I just installed a new GE panel in a commercial setting and I'm running into a problem I have never encountered in my twenty-five year career. I'm getting proper 277/480 to the main and to the buss. However, and this is really weird, when I turn on breakers to energize the new lights I just put in, I get nothing on "a" phase while the breaker on "b" phase does get hot but only sends me 240 volts instead of 277. And, even stranger, if I take the wire off of the non-working "a" phase breaker and put it on the working "b" phase breaker, it doesn't work.


What the hell is going on here?

Why would a breaker work with one (orange) wire and not with another (brown) wire? And further, why would I only be getting 240 on the one that does work? It's not far enough away for voltage drop to be a factor and there's currently no load on it at all.

This is all brand new equipment. Anyone ever hear of anything like this? I'm completely at a loss.

 

[K8MHZ]

I just installed a new GE panel in a commercial setting and I'm running into a problem I have never encountered in my twenty-five year career. I'm getting proper 277/480 to the main and to the buss. However, and this is really weird, when I turn on breakers to energize the new lights I just put in, I get nothing on "a" phase while the breaker on "b" phase does get hot but only sends me 240 volts instead of 277. And, even stranger, if I take the wire off of the non-working "a" phase breaker and put it on the working "b" phase breaker, it doesn't work.


What the hell is going on here?

Why would a breaker work with one (orange) wire and not with another (brown) wire? And further, why would I only be getting 240 on the one that does work? It's not far enough away for voltage drop to be a factor and there's currently no load on it at all.

This is all brand new equipment. Anyone ever hear of anything like this? I'm completely at a loss.

I have seen brand new GE breakers that read open. That was until the GE engineer operated the breaker handle open and closed a few times rapidly. He told us to check again. We did, everything was fine. The engineer said something to the effect of 'you have to do that to them once in a while'.

Maybe you should try slamming your breakers on and off a few times, including the main and then re-check.

:rant:

I am not a big fan of GE panels and breakers.

 

[growler]

I think you need to isolate the problem more. Don't worry about turning on lights because that could be a different problem.

If you measure 480/277 at the line and at the buss then you should measure 480/277 at the breakers with nothing connected. If you don't then remove the breaker and check continuity and see if it's making contact.

If the are not working properly ( makeing contact ) then call whoever sold them to you and complain.

 

[growler]

I have seen brand new GE breakers that read open.

I am not a big fan of GE panels and breakers.

GE used to be good stuff a long time ago but they really went down hill. I think they lost interest in their electrical division maybe 25 years ago.

 

[JFletcher]

gonna take a wag here, but is it possible you're getting induced voltage reading that drops to zero when a load is on it? what does the c phase read? not enough info here, would need all three l to l readings as well as phase to ground on all three.

amp reading on the breaker giving 240? you assume there is no load when there could be a substantial one (fault)

 

[RichB]

I have seen brand new GE breakers that read open. That was until the GE engineer operated the breaker handle open and closed a few times rapidly. He told us to check again. We did, everything was fine. The engineer said something to the effect of 'you have to do that to them once in a while'.

Maybe you should try slamming your breakers on and off a few times, including the main and then re-check.

:rant:

I am not a big fan of GE panels and breakers.

In 1890 when GE was first formed--they said" Let's build a good light bulb." They did--Then they said " Let's really mess everything else up"--and they have.

Not a big fan of GE stuff having worked on everything from resi to locomotives

 

[MrSlayer]

Figured it out.

Figured it out.

As it happens, one of our "genius" foremen, who is I between jobs to run, wired the damn transformer backwards. Which is why I was getting weird voltages and dropped phases.

This must be why they keep the tools out of his hands.


Thanks for the input guys!

 

[Ragin Cajun]

GE used to be good stuff a long time ago but they really went down hill. I think they lost interest in their electrical division maybe 25 years ago.

I share the same view. I installed GE MCC's in the mid 90's and they were utter *rap. Forced by another client to buy GE MCC's in ~2007 and they were even worse! Convinced the cllient to buy another brand for the next MCC.

GE is NOT on my approved list.

RC