I was in the shop Monday and I heard a pretty good bang in the shop. A 30 amp breaker tripped and won't reset. Is this a common issue?
Circuit breaker issue
- Thread starter 930dreamer
- Start date
Something shorted to ground, that was the bang.
Cooked the internals of the breaker in the process, or is still in a state that the breaker won't reset. Investigate what the breaker feeds, rule out all issues and then try the breaker. Replace if still bad.
Wait until you're around when it happens to a 480v 600A feed, that'll make you jump!
Cooked the internals of the breaker in the process, or is still in a state that the breaker won't reset. Investigate what the breaker feeds, rule out all issues and then try the breaker. Replace if still bad.
Wait until you're around when it happens to a 480v 600A feed, that'll make you jump!
OP
I know the circuit feeds three receptacles on the west wall, i.e. a small water heater on one recept and the ceiling fan, stereo etc on the other two?
Charles (in GA)
Well-known member
OP
Yes the water heater should be hard wired, not my work.
Cmreschke
Well-known member
The whole circuit is a violation. Lol
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
3 receptacles? Whats the receptacle rating?
And 5-15 or 5-20 receptacles shouldnt be on a 30a breaker.
Agree with charles. Major code violation!
Do u have pics of this?
Sounds like something shorted to ground and the fault hasnt cleared itself so the short is still there.
Fix the short then try resetting breaker...
Hawk
Well-known member
Check the elements in the water heater. Then the rest of the circuit. Before turning it back on run a dedicated circuit for the water heater.
More then "a" code violation.
480s got nothing on 138kV. Was standing in a station when a tent blew into a 138kV bus. Not fun.
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Yeah that would be a show. Had an issue one night that took the building down, started powering backup and when we kicked on one piece of equipment heard a "whumuumpfff" and watched the control cabinet bulging out towards me. Turns out the 3 month old 125hp motor threw a bearing and dropped 3", causing a dead short to ground.
Scary part was the equipment just had a recall to reinforce the door a week before.
That's a good way to soil the rear of your arc flash suit
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
I wouldve too! 
OP
A quick lunch and then I'll look at the water heater.
OP
Hawk
Well-known member
Sounds like the need for a dedicated circuit is evident.
Good news. If you unplugged or disconnected all 'devices' from the circuit in question and the breaker resets fine (no light show or sound effects
), then the circuit breaker itself and the circuit wiring -seem- to be OK.Which means that one (or more!) of your 'devices' is NG.
Or, in plugging in and unplugging your 'devices', you jostled something in the receptacles or their wiring or the wiring in the boxes and now the short circuit is not currently (no pun intended) present.
Standard troubleshooting procedure is to check/change one thing at a time. But check them all, one by one, with circuit/operational checks after each 'thing' is checked/changed. So you know if/when the behavior changes.
I'd lean towards the high amp water heater is the prime suspect.
But would still go through the entire circuit, section by section, to really verify that other things are OK. Turn circuit off at breaker (lock out - tag out !!) and maybe pull the actual breaker off the bus to make sure that the circuit isn't and can't become live. And then pull all the cover plates and check the receptacles/outlets and the wiring in the boxes for anything loose or melted or 'smoky'.
If all that checks out OK, then move onto checking the previously connected devices (on a bench and/or on another circuit). And maybe use a simple 'test device' (drop light
) on all the outlets in the misbehaving circuit.Check/change one thing at a time, but check everything that you can. Don't stop if you find one 'bad' thing, check everything (as you could have multiple 'faults' going on at the same time).
Oh, and that 'wiring' of the water heater plug is horrible. Fix it.
G_P
Well-known member
Water heater likely drew too many amps and blew the breaker. Plug everything but the water heater back in and it will probably be fine. You really should run a dedicated circuit for the heater, and swap the 30a breaker for a 20a breaker (as long as you have at least 12ga wire) to protect the outlets.
zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
Aceman
Well-known member
OP
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
Drain the water and pull the lower element out and look it over.
Exactly!
What the heck?
Did u smash the cord?
Please fix all this mess!!
zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
rburke65
Well-known member
What is that?
OP
This is the extension cord the water heater was plugged into.
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
*facepalm*
Why do u have a water heater plugged into an extension cord?
What is under the orange tape? A splice?
Why do u have a water heater plugged into an extension cord?
What is under the orange tape? A splice?
Elginz
Well-known member
This is a good one. I thought the post was about a circuit breaker. When it is the circuit breaker that is the only thing working like it is meant to. When I did inspections it would be called undersized branch wiring if the breaker was sized to large. I don't know what size the wires are, but, ya there are a lot of other things wrong.I know lots of things that I should do/change too, and some day I will get to them.
Good Luck
zmaxmotorsports
Well-known member
I know lots of things that I should do/change too, and some day I will get to them.
Good Luck
dave*99
Well-known member
Replace the breaker with a 100A breaker. That way next time the extension cord shorts you will have enough current to burn the short clear!Yes I'm kidding.
rburke65
Well-known member
Shouldn't the water heater be on a seperate circuit?
OP
Yes, when I return home the water heater will get hard wired to its own circuit.