Electrical Help!!

[techman1]

While in the garage, heard a loud pop.
Exterior breaker box soot around it.
No breakers thrown anywhere.
All gfci functional.
What is this attached to the bottom of the exterior service box, as the soot and pop appears to have come from it.

[oldE]

Without pics, I will go out on a limb and guess one side of your 220 entrance has shorted causing a fuse to blow in the entrance box. Time to call a guy.

Best
Les

(Edit: just saw the pic. I got nothing. Never saw one of those before. )

[Rusty Heap]

Glad to help 'splain.

[techman1]

Tomorrow morning I will carefully remove the cover panel and check.

[carambola]

that appears to be a photocell

[techman1]

Not photocell. Spoke to neighbor. Also has one, don’t know what it is.

[rfuerst911sc]

Surge protector ?

[techman1]

Thought something with gfci, or surge, but all service operating normally. 🤯

[dad911]

Originally Posted by carambola

that appears to be a photocell

To me also, eye turned towards the wall to reduce sensitivity. Pretty common back in the day.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by dad911

To me also, eye turned towards the wall to reduce sensitivity. Pretty common back in the day.

What is it's purpose?

[techman1]

Geez guys. Thought not a photocell, but looks exactly like that!!

[70SATMan]

Do you have outdoor landscape lights? What’s the conduit exiting the bottom of the box. If you had automatic nighttime lights, I’m also guessing a photo cell for dusk to dawn turn on.

[techman1]

No landscape lights.
Just took a look in the dark. Will check in light tomorrow but…
Sure seemed like I saw a circular window painted over but facing the inside. WTH is the need ?
Will widen the sample but looks like all the neighbors may have it installed by the builder.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

What is it's purpose?

Basically it is wired like a switch. On at dusk off at dawn.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by dad911

To me also, eye turned towards the wall to reduce sensitivity. Pretty common back in the day.

That was my first thought as well. We’ve used them for years to turn on exterior lighting.

[techman1]

Appears to be connected to supply, and nothing else. Still a mystery why it is there.

[billybek]

Whole home surge arrestor?
If that is what it was, they are supposed to be wired through a breaker, not unfused and unprotected!

[stevej37]

You'd think it would have gone 'POP' a long time earlier if it was a photo cell wired that way!

[billybek]

I don't think it is a photo cell as there are no switched legs coming off of the the device only line voltage (unfused) leads going in.
That is why I thought that it could be a misapplied whole home surge arrestor or protector.

[Radioactive]

I was thinking some kind of signal bridge like used with the old x10 devices.

idk?