Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

About 10 years ago I bought a Square D 100 amp electrical panel and
some breakers at Home Depot and had an electrician replace my old
box. I suspect that one bus is not energized because last night, a
number of lights and outlets throughout the house stopped working.
After I flip the main breaker, remove the cover, and verify that both
incoming hot wires are tight, what else can I check for?

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

wrote in message
...
About 10 years ago I bought a Square D 100 amp electrical panel and
some breakers at Home Depot and had an electrician replace my old
box. I suspect that one bus is not energized because last night, a
number of lights and outlets throughout the house stopped working.
After I flip the main breaker, remove the cover, and verify that both
incoming hot wires are tight, what else can I check for?

Check to see that you have 240 volts between the two hot wire before the
main breaker. If you don't, the problem may be a loose connection outside,
in the meter box, or with the utility company. If you do, check to see that
you have 240 volts on the load side of the main breaker. If you don't, you
have a bad main breaker

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

On Aug 16, 6:31*am, "RBM" wrote:
wrote in message

...

About 10 years ago I bought a Square D 100 amp electrical panel and
some breakers at Home Depot and had an electrician replace my old
box. *I suspect that one bus is not energized because last night, a
number of lights and outlets throughout the house stopped working.
After I flip the main breaker, remove the cover, and verify that both
incoming hot wires are tight, what else can I check for?

Check to see that you have 240 volts between the two hot wire before the
main breaker. If you don't, the problem may be a loose connection outside,
in the meter box, or with the utility company. If you do, check to see that
you have 240 volts on the load side of the main breaker. If you don't, you
have a bad main breaker

Thank you very much! One leg feeding the meter is down so it's
Entergy's problem.

What causes this? Is there something wrong with the neighborhood
transformer?

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

wrote in message
...
On Aug 16, 6:31 am, "RBM" wrote:
wrote in message

...

About 10 years ago I bought a Square D 100 amp electrical panel and
some breakers at Home Depot and had an electrician replace my old
box. I suspect that one bus is not energized because last night, a
number of lights and outlets throughout the house stopped working.
After I flip the main breaker, remove the cover, and verify that both
incoming hot wires are tight, what else can I check for?

Check to see that you have 240 volts between the two hot wire before the
main breaker. If you don't, the problem may be a loose connection outside,
in the meter box, or with the utility company. If you do, check to see
that
you have 240 volts on the load side of the main breaker. If you don't, you
have a bad main breaker

Thank you very much! One leg feeding the meter is down so it's
Entergy's problem.

What causes this? Is there something wrong with the neighborhood
transformer?

More likely a bad connection on that leg. It can occur anywhere between your
meter socket and the transformer itself, usually at some junction or splice

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

On Aug 16, 8:13*pm, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , " wrote:

About 10 years ago I bought a Square D 100 amp electrical panel and
some breakers at Home Depot and had an electrician replace my old
box. *I suspect that one bus is not energized because last night, a
number of lights and outlets throughout the house stopped working.
After I flip the main breaker, remove the cover, and verify that both
incoming hot wires are tight, what else can I check for?

Danger Danger Will Robinson!

Even after you flip the main breaker, the incoming hot wires are STILL HOT,
and you can be fatally shocked from touching them. Some main breakers use
standard screws to hold down the wires; the plastic handle of a screwdriver
affords adequate insulation. Other main breakers use socket-head screws; if
you stick a hex key (aka Allen wrench) into one of those, you may turn
yourself into a crispy critter.

The very first thing you should do, even before flipping the main breaker, is
check the voltage between the two incoming hot wires. If it's not somewhere
between 220 and 250, then call your utility company -- it's their problem..

If it *is* between 220 and 250, then the problem is in your house somewhere.
With the main breaker *on*, measure the voltages between the two buses (should
be approximately 240) and between each bus and ground (should be approximately
120 each time). If not, the main breaker needs to be replaced -- and you
*still* need to call the utility company. As noted above, those incoming wires
are hot. You want the utility company to pull the meter before you change the
breaker, and reinstall it after you're done.

Thanks for the warning. I knew the leads were both hot and opened up
the meter to find the master switch. But since the problem was
upstream, I decided there was no need to go on.

Entergy installed a portable powered transformer to energize both
sides of the box and the guy verified that my socket head screws are
tight. He said there is a break between my meter and the underground
box at the back of my neighbor's yard. A crew will be out later this
week to find and fix it. If the break is close to the house (likely
because we have some settling), they will probably need to remove part
of a brick over sand walkway; I suppose the edge of the slab may also
be involved.

My wife wants to know what we should expect about them restoring the
yard after they restore electrical service.

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

Doug Miller wrote:
In article , " wrote:

Entergy installed a portable powered transformer to energize both
sides of the box and the guy verified that my socket head screws are
tight. He said there is a break between my meter and the underground
box at the back of my neighbor's yard. A crew will be out later this
week to find and fix it.

Later this week??? Is this in a rural area?

If the break is close to the house (likely
because we have some settling), they will probably need to remove part
of a brick over sand walkway; I suppose the edge of the slab may also
be involved.

My wife wants to know what we should expect about them restoring the
yard after they restore electrical service.

The yard should be restored, although that might consist of raking soil and
spreading seed. The walkway should be restored, too, if it's not in the
utility right-of-way. If it is, they probably have no obligation to restore it
after they're done. They might anyway, but don't count on it.

Heads-up - the way a utility restores grass is usually hydro-seeding
(the sickly green stuff, like you see on the side of the road), done by
a subcontractor. The seed loaded in the mix is often not weed-free, and
usually includes fast-grow varieties that may not come up the following
spring. With my crappy yard, I wouldn't care, but if you have a show-off
lawn, you may want to discuss it with them, and have them just rake it
as smooth as they can. You could then handle the finish raking, addition
of the clean topsoil, and hand-seed.

As to walkways and slabs- for brick walk or patio, don't count on a lot
of careful substrate prep, or fine tuning to make the area level. You
may have a lump or a valley come spring, and have to touch things up. If
they can come in from the side or re-route, they will. If house is on a
slab, they probably will not need to disturb that, as long as they can
get to where the conduit comes out underground.

--
aem sends...

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

In article , " wrote:
About 10 years ago I bought a Square D 100 amp electrical panel and
some breakers at Home Depot and had an electrician replace my old
box. I suspect that one bus is not energized because last night, a
number of lights and outlets throughout the house stopped working.
After I flip the main breaker, remove the cover, and verify that both
incoming hot wires are tight, what else can I check for?

Danger Danger Will Robinson!

Even after you flip the main breaker, the incoming hot wires are STILL HOT,
and you can be fatally shocked from touching them. Some main breakers use
standard screws to hold down the wires; the plastic handle of a screwdriver
affords adequate insulation. Other main breakers use socket-head screws; if
you stick a hex key (aka Allen wrench) into one of those, you may turn
yourself into a crispy critter.

The very first thing you should do, even before flipping the main breaker, is
check the voltage between the two incoming hot wires. If it's not somewhere
between 220 and 250, then call your utility company -- it's their problem.

If it *is* between 220 and 250, then the problem is in your house somewhere.
With the main breaker *on*, measure the voltages between the two buses (should
be approximately 240) and between each bus and ground (should be approximately
120 each time). If not, the main breaker needs to be replaced -- and you
*still* need to call the utility company. As noted above, those incoming wires
are hot. You want the utility company to pull the meter before you change the
breaker, and reinstall it after you're done.

Troubleshoot Electrical Panel
 

In article , " wrote:

Entergy installed a portable powered transformer to energize both
sides of the box and the guy verified that my socket head screws are
tight. He said there is a break between my meter and the underground
box at the back of my neighbor's yard. A crew will be out later this
week to find and fix it.

Later this week??? Is this in a rural area?

If the break is close to the house (likely
because we have some settling), they will probably need to remove part
of a brick over sand walkway; I suppose the edge of the slab may also
be involved.

My wife wants to know what we should expect about them restoring the
yard after they restore electrical service.

The yard should be restored, although that might consist of raking soil and
spreading seed. The walkway should be restored, too, if it's not in the
utility right-of-way. If it is, they probably have no obligation to restore it
after they're done. They might anyway, but don't count on it.