paulhtelectric
New member
I am an electrical contractor in Raleigh NC. I got a call last week from one of my client reporting a problem with the electrical main panel. It was noticed that the main breaker overheated to the point where you can not touch it for more than 5 seconds. It was so hot. I did all the troubleshooting by making sure all the connection in wiring are tight, all the branch circuit were tight and not sign of loose connections, arcing or excessive current draw. I figured the problem will be with the main breaker because none of the branch circuit over current protection devices were overheating. I tried replacing a new breaker but no change. I did a thorough inspection on the panel busses and noticed that the metal peace connected to the breaker (by the way it's an ITE Siemmens about 25 years old) had a slight change in color. A little darker than the other one on 240 Volt single phase. I then tried to check it closely and noticed again that it is bolted to the buss and seemed a little loose. I am drawing a conclusion that this is the cause of the problem. Loose connection is causing some resistance in the current flow, may be starting to arc and transferring the heat to the main breaker. I still would like to hear from experts if my diagnostic is making sense.
Please advise.
Please advise.
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