disconnect melted

[menaphnx]

i have a goodmen heat pump and my unit stopped working and i checked the breaker and i noticed that it was tripped. So i turned it back on and ,it held for 30 sec and it tripped again.I ook a look at the disconnect and notice it was melted on one side that hooks up on the line side. What will cause this to happen? :eek::eek:

[Phase Loss]

HEAT.

are all legs melted? or just one? i would suspect a loose connection at least.

[cmt]

poor instalation or more likely poor maintanance. Either way call a certified service tech to have it fixed.

[beenthere]

Call a service company out. Something over loaded.

[cmajerus]

could be numerous things better get it looked at by a service tech.

[RoBoTeq]

Over amperage creates heat energy. Could be the wiring, faulty compressor, dead short somewhere etc. Just keep hitting that breaker and maybe you can tell by where the fire breaks out.

[Phase Loss]

if your a DIY, that sounds extremely dangerous. if that breaker is tripping there is an electrical problem. and although electricity is invisible, it will bite you.

[I_bend_metal]

Call a pro....sounds to me like it may have been installed wrong from the beginning.

[deaztrailnutz]

Before entering the HVAC field I was an electrician for about 5 years. The number one cause of breakers and disconnects burning up is due to poor contact and/or loose connections which can cause overheating followed by damage and possibly a fire. In the case of a "pullout" style disconnect, I see way too often the "pullout" hasn't been properly inserted or fully inserted into the disconnect causing a poor connection, which, in return, causes high amperage and over heating which possibly could have caused the melting. I myself am not a big fan of pullout style disconnects when compared to conventional "quick make-quick break" style disconnects (uses a lever to turn the unit on and off). There is also a possibility that the "lugs" (the little screws that tighten down on the wires itself) wasn't properly torqued either. If the lugs aren't tight, it can also cause overheating. It would be wise to call in an electrician to evaluate the damage that may have resulted on the air conditioner's wiring located behind the disconnect itself.

[cem-bsee]

lugs being too tight WILL cause cold flow of aluminum conductors!

repetative closing a breaker on a heavy 'fault' is hazardous!
' any breaker which has interrupted a severe fault needs to be inspected by a qualified technician'

breakers are prone to 'single phasing' which leads to one of the 'hot' phase wires to become overloaded = one contact becoming loose & the other contacts become overloaded due to the utilizing device | appliance wanting to keep operating at the same power.

one of the worst things which is done is to not activate the mechanical linkage of a breaker at least once per year! -- this may let the linkage corrode into the 'on' condition always.

[k-fridge]

You could have a shorted compressor. Combine that with a possible bad ground and somebody's liable to get killed.

Please shut off the breaker and call a pro before somebody gets hurt.

[Senior Tech]

Dude...you are a poster child for all fireman and paramedics around the world...call a professional...and soon.

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