Thanks for the correction.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Tom Horne"
wrote in message
...

Please don't get your electrical advice from any sales staff
no matter
who they work for! The suggestion that the "mains have to
be cranked
down extremely tight" is classic bad information. There is
a reason
that the labeling in panels includes torque specifications.
"Extremely tight" could do as much harm as loose. The
terminals are
designed for a specific torque so use the correct tool or
leave them
alone.

As for tightening while energized that is a simple minded
thing to
attempt. Lugs can fail completely during tightening,
especially if
they are radically over torqued. That could lead to arc
flash burns
unless you are wearing an arc flash protective ensemble that
is too
expensive for a homeowner to own for just their own work and
requires
extensive training to use effectively.

The bottom line here is that electrical work is not just
color to
color! Ten percent of all structure fires are electrical in
origin.
That is one in every ten structure fires people! Although
many tasks
are within the reach of a talented amateur who is willing to
invest
the time to learn good technique some are not. The most
important
thing that a homeowner needs to develop to do electrical
work safely
is good judgment as to when to call in an electrician. Good
judgment
may come with experience but experience needn't come from
bad
judgment. Until you develop a feel for how tight the
connections
should be by having done hundreds of them you should use a
torque
wrench or torque screwdriver to do all of your panel
terminations.
--
Tom Horne