On Nov 25, 3:17�am, wrote:
On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:45:24 GMT, aemeijers wrote:
tysteel wrote:
Hi everyone,

The other night the electricity suddenly blacked out on one side of
the house, after turning on a 1500 watt space heater. � I then checked
out the main breaker box to see what had tripped. �But after checking
the breakers, �none of them looked like they had tripped.

�So I then went outside to where the electric meter is at, and
underneath the meter is �another box, which contains only one big
circuit breaker rated for 100 amps or so. � � As I lifted off the lid
of the box to check out the breaker, �I noticed some kind of arcing,
or sparks, going on behind the panel. � � However, this breaker hadn't
tripped either, but when I placed my fingers on it, it did have a
somewhat warm or hot feel.

So while it hadn't visually tripped, �I decided to switch the breaker
off, and then switch it back on. � I then looked over at the �house,
and noticed that all lights were back on in the side that had blacked
out. �Switching this breaker on and off had a reset effect.

As I was walking back to the house, �the electricity flickered out
again. �I turned around and walked back to the electric meter and then
switched the breaker on and off again. �When I switched it on, I could
hear a sort of sizzling noise. � �The electricity was back on.. �But
the electricity only stayed on for about an hour or so and then the
ENTIRE house blacked out. � � It was like that for the rest of the
cold night.

The next morning, I went back outside to the main meter, and switched
the breaker off, and then on. �It had a reset effect and the
electricity was back on throughout the entire house and thankfully it
has stayed that way the rest of the day. � I made sure to avoid
plugging in the space heater that triggered all of this mess.

I was just wondering....does anyone have any idea as to what could be
going wrong? �None of the circuit breakers look like they have tripped
after visually inspecting them. � � I know this isn't a problem on the
electric company's end because they sent a crew to check it out with
their gauges.

Could this most likely a problem with the main breakers, in particular
the one under the electric meter, �and they'll need replacement? � I
think that if I do need to replace the breaker under the meter, I'll
have to hire an electrician to do that work. �But before calling
anyone, �I'm trying to see if there is a way I could trouble-shoot on
my own and maybe solve the problem before spending any money.

In the breaker box inside of the house, there is also a main switch
breaker (about 100 amps rated) �as well.....should I replace this with
a new one and see if that hopefully helps things before calling out
the electrician, or that most likely isn't the culprit?

I'm no expert, but it sure sounds like a loose or corroded connection in
the outside cutoff box, like where the feed from the meter base ties
into the lugs that outside breaker is plugged into, or maybe water got
in the box and the lugs themselves are corroded. Cold night and thermal
cycling from a heavy load sounds like the right circumstances, and a
overnight cooldown making the problem 'go away' is consistent.

Seeing as how repair will likely take pulling the meter, I'd say a
licensed electrician is called for. Shouldn't be more than a few
hundred, even if he has to replace that outside shutoff completely. If
you can give him the brand and model of the box, and the size of the
breakers, he can have the parts on the truck just in case, to do it all
in one trip.

Given the symptoms you described, the inside stuff is probably fine.
Depending on how the outside box is constructed, you MAY be able to open
the inner cover to eyeball the innards, but be careful- the feed side
will be hot on both legs even with breakers in off position. IOW, look,
but don't touch. Corrosion or arcing may or may not have left visible
traces.

aem sends...

If you heard a sizzling and felt heat on that outdoor breaker, either
the breaker is bad, or loose connections in that box. �You could pop
off the cover and look for sparks (best after dark). �Look at the
connections, etc. �If you are not comfortable with electricity call a
pro., but at least look. �You dont need to pull the meter to replace a
breaker. �Actually it's a simple 10 minute job, assuming it's a snap
in breaker, but if you are afraid of it, dont do it. �Yet, taking off
the panel and looking (with your hands behind your back), is pretty
basic and harmless.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I suppose I could fix it, but I'm not sure how safe it would be to do
so. The breaker is snap in type (it's a bryant circuit breaker) but
there are two big lines that you are to insert into the bottom of it,
and then tighten down with a screw driver.

I suppose that it may be pretty dangerous to mess with; it would so
much easier if all the power were cut to the meter. I'm sure that
both lines that fit into the breaker are live.