Replacing outside breaker

[86 ssinit]

Yes that is a problem the middle phase is arcing. It's time to call building maintenance or if you own the building an electrician. Also I think you had the meter set up wrong not sure as I don't own either of those units. But the meter was on dc mv and was reading a -10 amps or dc mv on the third phase in the first set of pictures. Again I think it's time to get an electrician

[70SATMan]

Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa

The entire box is for upstairs (me) and downstairs, the auto parts runner. We of course have separate breakers and meters.

The way it seems to work is the line from the telephone pole goes to this box outside and then this goes to my inside breakers.

Given this set up then to code your inside panel should have the same 100A main breaker to apply power to your individual breakers. Your bad box is just acting like a disconnect which needs to be fused but, not necessarily a breaker. That would be up to your local code.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Tough call here.

I've been here since 2005 and never had a rent increase, even paying well under market. I take care of my floor, patched holes in the roof, installed a hot water heater from scratch (my plumbing is significantly better than the guys who built the building), and the property manager and I are very friendly. When he needed the "forest" cut down out back so the pest control guys could get into the building next to us, I did for him. Was actually a lot of fun. Sawzalls aren't just for cutting cars apart. He never gets a call saying something is broken. I want to keep it this way.

So if I can do this myself, I will. My biggest concern is NSTAR's 2 week timeframe for shutting the e- off.

[RWebb]

what if you give the landlord a call out of concern that his bldg might burn down?

you could float the idea of you "taking a look at it" and then either let him pay for an electrician or offer to pay part of it and not that you appreciate him not raising your rent all these years

[rick-l]

So if I read the meter right you have 63 milli Amps DC through 2 phases and -10 through the other.

why not set it to the 30 amp range and the meter to AC volts? That way 30A = 300mV. Think it is higher than 30 amps?

[GWN7]

Two week wait? What is there only one guy who works for them? It's a 5 minute job to pull a meter.

Line up a electrician. Then call the non emergency number for the fire dept. Tell them the power went out in your building and you traced it to the shutoff. When you reset it there was sparks and ask if they can send someone to check it out as your worried the building will burn down. They will send a truck (no lights or sirens) and they will go "yep it's been arcing" and they will call the E company to pull the meter. Your electrician fixes the problem and meter is replaced.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I had some fun today. I wasn't able to fix this when I needed to and ended up just running a HD extension cord from the guys downstairs the few times I needed to. Last few days, one of the three branches was shorting out intermittently, and of course my office & internet are on that circuit. Power would go off and then come back on sometimes instantly, sometimes in a few minutes. So today was the day to tackle the job of replacing the main breaker outside, ol' sparky.

I couldn't the meter off to break the circuit so I just pulled the breaker off the panel. So far so good. Labeled the lines and then did a 1:1 conversion to the new breaker. The blades that insert into breaker were very corroded so I cleaned then as best I could with a little wire brush. Pressed the new breaker in and all is fine.

Thank you everyone for all the help, made a big difference.

Here's what the old breaker looks like. Tons of corrosion.

[DanielDudley]

Yes, corrosion is resistance, and you also have resistance where the screw is making the connection to the breaker. The heat is not from draw, it is from resistance. Carbon is resistance as well.

Don't screw with it unless the meter is pulled.

[cabmandone]

That's one ugly main.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Yes, corrosion is resistance, and you also have resistance where the screw is making the connection to the breaker. The heat is not from draw, it is from resistance. Carbon is resistance as well.

Don't screw with it unless the meter is pulled.

I ended up replacing the breaker with the meter in place, I couldn't get it off. Did you know you can wire brush the box blades and not die!

I love having uninterrupted electricity again. First World living is pretty good!

[dyount]

You do realize the blades were hot while you were brushing them... and hot as in absolutely no breaker between you and the nearest transformer, kill you voltage/amperage. If you couldn't get the meter out at least were you wearing heavy duty electrical rubberized gloves?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by dyount

You do realize the blades were hot while you were brushing them... and hot as in absolutely no breaker between you and the nearest transformer, kill you voltage/amperage. If you couldn't get the meter out at least were you wearing heavy duty electrical rubberized gloves?

yes, that was the fun part! I was standing on a palette, had heavy rubber gloves on, wrapped the plastic handle-metal bristle brush with EPDM and had at it. You could see stuff burning away in the bristles. pretty cool.

Definitely an adventure.

[dyount]

Thanks for the coffee nose shot on that one.... Sounds like something I'd do. Although a headline of "electrical inspector found dead because of not following code" wouldn't do my family any good collecting my insurance policy.

Glad it all worked out well.

[1990C4S]

'Darwin Strikes Again' was my first thought.

I've done the same with 600 volts. Twice. But not on purpose.

[scottmandue]

Go buy some lotto tickets because you are one lucky son of a gun.

I have worked around electricity pretty much my whole adult life and done some pretty sketchy things but nothing remotely as crazy as that.

That was some "kill you dead" current & voltage you were playing with right there... as in Bzzz... "we are gathered here today to pay our respects to..."

[cabmandone]

Mind over matter, right Shaun?
If you don't mind, it don't matter. Try not to kill yourself would ya?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I have learned long ago that I am way too amusing for God to let me off this planet any time soon. Driving to OH now to pick up a tub and back on Sunday. Greater chance of something in a Jersey hotel on the way back killing me than this breaker.

Blue colony diner in CT rocks!