Blowing the main breaker of the house???

[cdbouncer]

Any electricians in the house??

About two weeks ago we started blowing the main breaker of the house. I don't exactly know all the words to describe this but it's the breaker out by the meter NOT the one in the panel.

So far it seems that:

AC + dryer + stove (or oven) = blown breaker

AC + dyer + dishwasher = blown breaker

BUT we have done one of these combinations with no blown breaker as well...

Any ideas? What questions should I be asking that I am not? Is there anyway to test what the cause might be before paying for an electrician to come out?

thanks!!!! kc & void

[rforsythe]

If it's the breaker in the meter and those other individual breakers are not blowing, I wouldn't mess with this one -- call a pro. That breaker is probably 150-200A, and it's unlikely that those three items together are even pulling that much amperage. Might be a wiring fault, bad breaker, or something else but it could be a fire hazard.

[longrider]

You most likely have a failing breaker, I saw this happen to a friend of mine. To confirm you need to measure the current draw coming out of the breaker and you will most likely find you are drawing 40/50 amps per leg and I doubt the breaker is rated any less than 100 amp.

[Bueller]

What size is the main breaker?
Is this a recent problem that hasn't been an issue previously?
There is a test meter that allows you to measure amperage on an individual wire without having to disconnect anything, often referred to as an amp probe. But not a good idea to get into the panel(s) if you don't know what you are doing.

[longrider]

T emphasize what Ralph said, this is NOT something you want to do yourself. The only way to kill power to that breaker is to disconnect service from the utility.

[Bueller]

BTW you "trip" a breaker and "blow" a fuse :)

[cdbouncer]

It happened the first time on Monday and has happened a three times since....

thanks for the lesson ;)

[Bueller]

if you trip the main again check the individual breakers by touching the exposed face (do not remove deadfront) and see if one is noticeably warm. If it is a double breaker see if one half is hot and the other side is not.

[TinkerinWstuff]

You most likely have a failing breaker, I saw this happen to a friend of mine. To confirm you need to measure the current draw coming out of the breaker and you will most likely find you are drawing 40/50 amps per leg and I doubt the breaker is rated any less than 100 amp.

^^ This. Breakers do fail.

unfortunately, they are not exactly cheap either

[cdbouncer]

Define...not exactly cheap?

[Filo]

$100 or so.

[TinkerinWstuff]

Hope it's a name brand that's still available or you 'll be trolling eBay

[Filo]

Hope it's a name brand that's still available or you 'll be trolling eBay

Or just drop in a whole new box - $225 for parts alone.

[salsashark]

The main breaker in my house popped several times earlier this year... Had my dad (yes a true sparky) take a look and he found a couple of loose connections. These created the heat necessary to pop the main. He tightened them all up and I haven't had a problem since. I was ready to put a new service in, but it only took about 10 minutes to diagnose and repair.

Not everything is always worst case scenario...

[CaptGoodvibes]

BTW you "trip" a breaker and "blow" a fuse :)

How much do you get paid for that? :hibye:

[Bueller]

How much do you get paid for that? :hibye:
You blow the fuse, I just replace it, with gloves on of course.

[Bueller]

The main breaker in my house popped several times earlier this year... Had my dad (yes a true sparky) take a look and he found a couple of loose connections. These created the heat necessary to pop the main. He tightened them all up and I haven't had a problem since. I was ready to put a new service in, but it only took about 10 minutes to diagnose and repair.

Not everything is always worst case scenario...
Precisely, there are several reasons this could be happening, most are more common than a bad breaker. I have talked with them and they are going to have someone qualified look at it.