c2500
Senior Member
- Location
- South Carolina
I received a call late this afternoon from my uncle. One of the fire systems at the warehhouse complex had been reset by the sprinkler guy. The system was tripped by the compressor not operating. Everytime it came on the breaker tripped. The sprinkler guy plugged it into an available exstension cord that was a 16 gauge and was concerned (correctly so) that the cord was to small. I went over, and it is an old GE 3 phase panel. I decided to simply run a new citcuit with MC and replace the breaker. No problem. So while I was fixing things, I replaced the antique dead baseboard heater that keeps the pumphouse from freezing. An unknown hack had used 2 poles of a 3 pole breaker for the heater. I replaced it with a 2 pole that was the correct amperage. Then when I turned it on, nothing happened. Opened the heater up and tested things. One side to ground 120 volts. Other isde to ground, nothing. Hot to hot, 120 volts. Then I opened the panel up and discovered that one phase had become a nuetral So now there is a panel with a nuetral bus, 2 hot busses, and a nuetral buss where a phase should be. Thankfully, this service now is for the pump house only. I am ready to strangle the idiot who rewired it. (a cabinet shop occupies the surrounding space and has taken all the load off that panel/service)
It still amazes me the stupidity of people. Thanks for letting me rant...
c2500
It still amazes me the stupidity of people. Thanks for letting me rant...
c2500
