On Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:28:14 -0600, cjt wrote:
fzbuilder wrote:
Hey Guys, I have a double 20 amp breaker that is connected to each
other. I have one side running the kitchen and one side running the
washing machine in the garage. I was told this is a standard practice,
however, I have a portable hot tub that I use in my garage that I only
use when not using the washing machine. The hot tub is plugged into a
GFCI outlet located about 5 feet down the wall off the washer
receptical that was installed before I moved in.

Here is the big problem, I have just noticed a piece of conduit that
comes off the furnace that was buzzing, getting hot and it stopped
after turning off the hot tub, the other day I was running items from
the kitchen and the conduit got so hot it was burning paint off the
wall. I shut off the double 20 amp breaker and it cooled down. It now
gets hot with that breaker off and running a space heater upstairs
that is on another breaker. I have the breaker off on the furnace and
am stumped to what is going on or how this my be wired. The conduit
going to the furnace goes to a junction box on the wall that has some
sort of relay on the top of it. Any help would be great. Thanks

Perhaps you have a broken ground somewhere, and the route to ground via
the conduit (or wires inside it) is substituting.

While I can't surmise from what you've told us whether that's truly the
case, nor how the system is wired, it sounds dangerous to me. Stuff
shouldn't get hot.

Not only that, but unlrelated circuits should never be ganged.

In anycase, if the breaker is off and the conduit heats up then you
haven't shut off the correct circuit. Get an AC voltmeter and check
the lines going through the conduit. Better yet, hire somebody and do
it before your house burns to the ground.