Mike Dolt Enterprises
Mike Dolt Enterprises
User: gwg, Location: Lockport, IL
Asked on: Monday, January 9, 2006 at 1:26 pm EST
Answered on: Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 12:48 pm EDT
Question: a friend of mine recently bought a house.the home inspecter showed him that some of the lights would come on when the range was turned on and also the panel would get hot every now and then. apparintly he saw nothing wrong and passed the house anyway. i got there and found that one of the phase legs on the main braker was almost to hot to touch. the wire was not making a good connection on the breaker. i replaced the breaker and everthing was fine. i would like to know if power was going to the range on the good phase and when the range was turned on that power would travel through the range back on the affected phase powering the affected phase in the panel. i would like to know how exactly this would work if that is the case. and if the affected phase leg on the breaker somehow made a connection while this was happening would the main trip?
How Power Could Flow through the Range
If the loose connection on the breaker caused a poor contact on one phase leg, it's possible that power was still flowing to the range through the other two phases. When the range was turned on, it could have created a path for current to flow back through the affected phase wire via the range's internal circuitry.This could occur as follows:1. Power flows from the circuit breaker to the range on phases A and B.
2. The range uses power from both phases.3. Current flows back to the panel through the neutral wire.
4. However, due to the poor connection on the breaker, phase C is not providing a proper path for current to return.5. The current from phase C flows through the range and back to the panel through the neutral wire.This effectively "powers" the affected phase (C) in the panel through the range's circuitry.
Would the Main Trip if the Breaker Phase Leg Made a Connection?
If the loose connection on the breaker momentarily made a good connection while this current was flowing back through phase C, it's possible that the main breaker would trip.When the poor connection is re-established, it would allow current to flow through all three phases again. However, if the current draw is excessive or if the circuit is overloaded, the main breaker could trip to protect the circuit.
Additional Factors The size of the range and the amount of power it draws would affect whether the main breaker would trip or not. The presence of other loads on the affected phase would also influence the likelihood of tripping.* The distance between the breaker panel and the range could also play a role, as longer wires have higher resistance, which can affect current flow.In summary, it's possible that power was flowing to the range on the other phases and returning via the affected phase through the range's circuitry. If the circuit was overloaded or if the connection on the breaker was briefly restored, it could have resulted in the main breaker tripping. Flag for review