Why is this breaker failing so quickly?

[carambola]

The main (get it) problem is you are using residential products for a commercial application.

Sorry if I am coming across harsh but you are flirting with a disaster.

[javadog]

Don't screw with making new parts. Everything in the box has been subject to the same conditions. New "blades" won't address the rest of the components. The way it's installed is also a problem, as are the site conditions around the installation.

It's not hard to find a good commercial electrical contractor. Any of the guys I've worked with could install a new service entrance for you that you'd never have to look at again.

[schwarz633]

How would the power company turn off the power? If they're only pulling the meter, the buss bars entering the center section from the left would still be energized.

If you could could get the system totally de-energized I would consider getting a circuit breaker like this:

https://www.superbreakers.net/qou3100.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsK7RBRDzARIsAM2pTZ_vx91 b5TT0RFhT0vwy7reKA0Oxj6IuSxZgH4vaj4kaYNo0wOWdwcMaA mwoEALw_wcB

And replacing the vertical buss bars with #3 wire connected to lugs bolted to the buss bars entering the center section from the right (meter) section. Of course you would need to fabricate a suitable method of mounting the circuit breaker.

[dad911]

Around here a licensed electrician can make a 'emergency repair', cut seal, pull meter and put it back in. He notifies power company, and they reseal it.

[Por_sha911]

The power company sends a bucket truck and shuts the power off at the pole.

Don't be "that guy" who comes in with a Porsche with all kinds of cobb-job repairs done. Do it right. Get a licensed electrician and have them do it the proper way. God forbid you hurt yourself or do it wrong and burn down the building. If your insurance company saw this mess they would have cause to deny a claim.

My dad would have said "don't be penny wise and pound foolish"

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

....... I am sure I can make better blades for all three than I can buy.

My problem with paying people to do things is the work is never up to my standards. ......

I know you can, as I can. But like I, self employed, the time you spend cuts into profit. You also won't get the part UL rated.

Don't you rent? Why is this your problem and not the landlords?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I do rent which hasn't gone up in 10 years. I've put about $5K into my floor over the years and contrary to popular believe on this thread, I don't mind spending the money to fix this, I just want it done right and don't trust professionals because the few times I've used them I've been disappointed or feel ripped off. I mean it took me an hour to wire in a buck boost transformer for the compressor and was getting quotes of $700 to $1000 to do the job. $200, even $300 I could see. Any licensed electrician could have done it in 30 minutes at the most.

[javadog]

If you don't own the building, then this is a completely different discussion. You need to go to your landlord to get this fixed. You don't want the liability of working on his building and equipment without a license or permission.

[Cajundaddy]

Yep, that breaker is getting HOT under load and is cooking nicely. Time to pony up and get a pro in there with the tools, meters, and talent to solve this ASAP. Whatever you do, don't show these pics to a fire marshall as he will red tag your business in a hot minute. That is one of the best ways to have this happen that I know. Don't be that guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxDc0I3723A

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The possibility of fire is zero. Unless brick catches on fire.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

The possibility of fire is zero. Unless brick catches on fire.

You still don't understand Shawn. It's not just the breaker that is getting hot, it's the entire circuit that it feeds is getting hot. That breaker is the canary in the coal mine. It is letting you know you have a serious problem on that circuit and so far the source of the problem is being ignored.

As long as there are zero combustibles anywhere in your building you will probably avoid burning down the neighborhood when you let the smoke out of this circuit. When 100A goes off it is pretty exciting and besides the damage to your business it may be enough to damage the transformer on the power pole as well. You will be on the hook for all of it and you can add several zeros to the cost of having a pro come in and sort this out right.

Choose wisely.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

No, it's not the entire circuit. It's only the junction point.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

No, it's not the entire circuit. It's only the junction point.

Sorry my friend. This is a game I play and you simply don't understand. Your corroded breaker is a symptom of a much bigger problem.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

No, unless it only gets how while I'm sleeping, the wire from the breaker to the inside breaker does not get hot. And of course there's not much e-, like 0V, running through it because of the poor connection.

[Cajundaddy]

Carry on then...

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

Your corroded breaker is a symptom of a much bigger problem.

That's all I want to know. Other than the poor connection itself with the junk materials, what wiring malady on the floor would cause this, if that is even possible.

That's my number 1 question that I am fascinated by. Everything else is simple mechanics.

[schwarz633]

It's a high resistance connection where the circuit breaker slides over the details, and where the details are bolted to the bus bar, that's it. It will generate an increasing amount of heat as it's loaded, and at some point will stop conducting at all due to carbon build up. Nothing's being shorted, so there aren't high fault currents being generated.

Now if you're screwing around in there with conductive tools and short a phase to ground or phase to phase, that's a different story. The only short circuit protection would be the fuses on the primary side of the transformer on the pole. I would expect a noticeable fireball at the point of shorting and likely personal injury before those fuses blow. It's certainly not going to burn the building down. It's contained in a steel box mounted to a masonry building. I guess the pallet you're standing on could catch fire.

[carambola]

The materials weren't junk for the last 30 years.
You have decided they are junk after you cobbled together a dryer for a part time business.
Get the job done right.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

That's all I want to know. Other than the poor connection itself with the junk materials, what wiring malady on the floor would cause this, if that is even possible.

That's my number 1 question that I am fascinated by. Everything else is simple mechanics.

Excellent question! I have not seen/tested your circuit under load but the most common cause of this: Undersized wiring on an inductive load. Add a little more resistance due to age, voltage drops, current rises, things begin to heat up in a bad way. I have seen 60A HVAC circuits burn down in similar fashion and we had to replace everything back to and including the main panel. Ugly and expensive.

Heat and corrosion are not your friends here so it is beyond time to get an experienced set of eyes on this job and get it sorted. JMHO

[enzo1]

[quote=javadog;9842473

i would get rid of the landscaping in that area. That has been part of your problem, thus far. You have a moist little micro climate where you don't want it.[/quote]

+1