Electricity issue

[SAWYER]

I have been having issues awhile where a fan will power down for a few seconds then power back up, or my av receiver will shut off. I was looking at my breaker box and I can hear a little sparking sounds, I also notice that this one breaker has a gap where it should be sitting flush with the one across from it like all the others

My breaker box has a breaker labeled main power that if I turn off all power in the house goes out. Would that be all I need to turn off in order to take this other fuse out and replace?

 

[jaha2000]

This breaker the one that is has the items in question hooked up to it?
I would doubt it, since you say one is a fan and one is hooked up to a wall outlet, those should be on different breakers.

The answer to your question though is yes, flip the main and you can do whatever you want in there, outside of touching the lines from outside that feed the main.

As a side bar.. 30 amp branches? Seams strange.

 

[SAWYER]

Old house and half ass electrical work was done, I have no clue to what some of these go to

 

[CPA]

Yeah, turn off the main, pop out the breaker and check the busbar. If they are burned or singed you will most likely need the plate replaced. If not, then try pushing the breaker back into place flush with like the rest and see if that solves the problem.

 

[edro]

As a side bar.. 30 amp branches? Seams strange.

Good point.

If you can actually hear noises, there's a good chance the buss bar is charred or melted where that breaker connects.
You might have to replace the breaker and put it in a different spot on the buss bar.

 

[echo4747]

I have been having issues awhile where a fan will power down for a few seconds then power back up, or my av receiver will shut off. I was looking at my breaker box and I can hear a little sparking sounds, I also notice that this one breaker has a gap where it should be sitting flush with the one across from it like all the others

My breaker box has a breaker labeled main power that if I turn off all power in the house goes out. Would that be all I need to turn off in order to take this other fuse out and replace?

Just to add for your and your familys safety: Contact a qualified electrican. I've never seen a panel in a home with so many 120v 30a circuits. ( in fact 120v30a circuits are somewhat rare ... camper/rv feed only ones I've seen ) With a 30a circuit you should really make sure all the wiring on those lines are 10ga or heavier. I can almost guarantee that the receptacles on those lines arent 30a rated

 

[jaha2000]

Second side bar..
Whats the rating on the main breaker? I would bey its a 100 amp..

If it were me, I would possibly look into getting a new panel. Noises inside of the panel can be really bad and turn into fires.

 

[SAWYER]

Im supposed to be having it all replaced

 

[cabri]

Im supposed to be having it all replaced

:thumbsup:

Better safe than sorry

 

[Greenman]

Just to add for your and your familys safety: Contact a qualified electrican. I've never seen a panel in a home with so many 120v 30a circuits. ( in fact 120v30a circuits are somewhat rare ... camper/rv feed only ones I've seen ) With a 30a circuit you should really make sure all the wiring on those lines are 10ga or heavier. I can almost guarantee that the receptacles on those lines arent 30a rated

I've never seen a 30 amp single pole circuit in residential use. What the heck would that power?

 

[jaha2000]

I've never seen a 30 amp single pole circuit in residential use. What the heck would that power?

A circuit that has had to much stuff added into it and kept tripping..

 

[echo4747]

I've never seen a 30 amp single pole circuit in residential use. What the heck would that power?

I've only seen it used for RV's & Campers ... Nothing inherently wrong with a 120v 30a circuit ... as long as the wire and receptacles are rated for it

 

[IronWing]

The answer to your question though is yes, flip the main and you can do whatever you want in there, outside of touching the lines from outside that feed the main.

I wouldn't trust it. If the panel looks wonky, who knows what past owners have done in there?

 

[darrontrask]

Looks to me like the wire that is attached to that top 30a breaker on the right is partially bare and could be arcing to the cover. Also looks like it may be getting hot and melting, as the insulator looks swollen. Could be just the lighting.

 

[edro]

Looks to me like the wire that is attached to that top 30a breaker on the right is partially bare and could be arcing to the cover. Also looks like it may be getting hot and melting, as the insulator looks swollen. Could be just the lighting.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Those wires are old cloth jacket. They always look like that.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Those wires are old cloth jacket. They always look like that.

Yeah, they look normal for the types of wires.

The 30A breakers have me both puzzled and concerned as well.

 

[DrPizza]

I've never seen a 30 amp single pole circuit in residential use. What the heck would that power?

I was going to answer, but then I realized, single pole. And, I don't think they really used 10 gauge wire back when it was cloth covered; at least not for residences. Thus, OP, I'll go out on a limb and say that your house is a fire hazard. You should really, really get someone who knows what they're looking at to take a close look at it. It may simply mean that you replace a bunch of 30 amp breakers with 15 or 20 amp breakers. You may even be able to do that yourself; it's very easy to swap them out; and they only cost a few dollars. (If you get an electrician to do it, you may have to upgrade to arc fault breakers, etc., adding considerable expense until you're ready to replace the main panel. Overloading a circuit would then lead to a tripped breaker. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have a tripped breaker than a fire. I kind of wish I had taken pictures of my house from wiring issues I found - it's a huge wake-up call; burnt sill plate where wires were stapled and had been apparently overloaded. A ceiling light fixture that wasn't rated for insulation contact - there was no plastic left on the wires inside - miracle that they weren't in contact, shorting it out. But, instead, it got so hot that the joist the light was hung on was completely scorched. I can't believe the previous owners weren't freaking out from the burning smell; it certainly had to make that smell at some point.

 

[SAWYER]

I am supposed to be having all my electrical replaced this year but I went ahead and bought a new breaker and it solved my issue.