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Subject Author Date
Unusual event H 06-20-2007
---> Re: Unusual event William Underhi...06-20-2007
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Posted by Jeff Wisnia on June 21, 2007, 1:09 pm
H wrote:

> Same at both.
>
> Full size breakers. Both are working perfectly. Each breaker is about 5
> years old (after a heavy up).
>
>
>
>>It's the same at the air as the dryer? Are these breakers new or existing?
>>are they full sized breakers or mini breakers?
>>
>>
>>
>>>L1 to L2 around 80V
>>>L1 to N - 127V
>>>L2 to N - 11V
>>>
>>>

I'm betting L2 is open somewhere along its path and you're using an
electronic voltmeter which is responding to a current being capacitively
coupled from L1 to L2 and displaying that current as "11 volts between
L2 to neutral".

Similarly, the L1 to L2 reading is low because of the open on L2 and the
voltmeter is being "measured" through the high impedance of the
capacitive coupling between L2 and neutral.

If it was me seeing that 11 volts between L2 and neutral, I'd stick the
fingers of one hand across the voltmeter probes and watch that voltage
drop to zero. But I won't advise you to do that because some nervous
Nellie on this group would scream you could get "burned" is the open on
L2 magically reconnected at just that point in time. <G>

Having recently celebrated my 50th college reunion, I remembered the
Brit Professor who taught our sophmore course in "Rotating Electrical
Machinery". We were mucking around with motors and generators and 3
phase power in the lab when he said, "You men will never become real
engineers until you learn how to "take" a shock. <G>

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.


Electric Radiant Heat 468x60
Posted by Travis Jordan on June 21, 2007, 3:11 pm
> L1 to L2 around 80V
> L1 to N - 127V
> L2 to N - 11V

Assuming the voltages were measured with an electronic VOM I'd say that L2
is open between the breaker panel and the load. Most likely your
electrician cut or drilled through it.

Note that a 220/240V load doesn't care about the neutral; it only cares
about L1-L2.




Posted by RBM on June 21, 2007, 4:58 pm
keep in mind the OP says he has two double pole 40 amp breakers and two
cables, one to the dryer and one to the A/C unit. Both cables show the same
low voltage at the load ends. He also says a continuity test shows all
conductors are continuous




>> L1 to L2 around 80V
>> L1 to N - 127V
>> L2 to N - 11V
>
> Assuming the voltages were measured with an electronic VOM I'd say that L2
> is open between the breaker panel and the load. Most likely your
> electrician cut or drilled through it.
>
> Note that a 220/240V load doesn't care about the neutral; it only cares
> about L1-L2.
>
>
>



Posted by mm on June 21, 2007, 5:36 pm
On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 16:58:30 -0400, "RBM" <rbm2(remove
this)@optonline.net> wrote:

>keep in mind the OP says he has two double pole 40 amp breakers and two
>cables, one to the dryer and one to the A/C unit. Both cables show the same
>low voltage at the load ends.

I guess it's possible that the cables were one on top the another, and
the electrician drilled through both of them at the same time.

> He also says a continuity test shows all
>conductors are continuous

Maybe he made a mistake on that somehow. Maybe some alternate path he
didn't exclude.

A lof of maybes but something has to explain this strange problem.
>
>
>
>>> L1 to L2 around 80V
>>> L1 to N - 127V
>>> L2 to N - 11V
>>
>> Assuming the voltages were measured with an electronic VOM I'd say that L2
>> is open between the breaker panel and the load. Most likely your
>> electrician cut or drilled through it.
>>
>> Note that a 220/240V load doesn't care about the neutral; it only cares
>> about L1-L2.
>>
>>
>>
>


Posted by Meat Plow on June 20, 2007, 10:39 pm
On Thu, 21 Jun 2007 01:50:37 +0000, H wrote:

> In my breaker box, I have two 40A breakers side by side. One is for the
> A/C, one is for the electric dryer.
>
> Seemingly simultaneously, both of them experienced a loss of power (around
> 11V) on one leg. Thus, neither the dryer nor a/c work.
>
> Can anyone imagine how this could happen, seemingly simultaneously?
>

Is that after the breakers? Sure isn't much else in you panel that could
be faulty.


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