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Do you think this is how fires start?
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:44 am
by flcruising
The lights flickered slightly yesterday morning as we were getting ready, and when I came home and inspected why our furnace wasn't working, here is what I found. Upon seeing this, I decided to check the connection of the lugs and all of them were under-tightened. Each required 1/2 to 1 full turn to snug them up. The lower leg of the top service breaker wire could be pulled from the terminal without much effort. This would have been a very simple prevention, but who really thinks of this being a maintenance item? Thank GOD that it didn't start a fire. There is some permanently welded slag to the surrounding sheet metal.
Re: Do you think this is how fires start?
Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 1:01 pm
by HouseMedic
Man, That was lucky for sure. Glad you spotted it when you did. Is that to a heat pump? I haven't seen two 60 amp breakers is a regular heater. Also are all of those wires to both breakers 6 gauge (AWG)?
Ron
Re: Do you think this is how fires start?
Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 11:42 am
by flcruising
Not a heat pump, straight electric - Nordyne E3EB-017H
Not sure about the wire gauge, but the upper service breaker feeds the blower and two 5 kW heat strips. The bottom breaker feeds one 5 kW strip independently. I've been running with LO fan speed and the bottom breaker OFF because the furnace blasts out some crazy dry uncomfortable heat otherwise. If the bottom breaker had been turned ON, then something worse may have happened as its feeders were loose too! Couple that with a fan that couldn't run and this could have spelled disaster. I think this was an installation error/oversight. 6 years we've lived here (purchased new) and I now think it's time to torque down all the circuit panel breakers...