Cutler hammer panels

[StarTechVoyager]

I accidentally posted this in the AOP area please delete if possible. I’ve had a rash of smoked Cutler Hammer breaker boxes in the past 6 months. 4 calls total. All but one has been in crawlspaces. Anyone else experiencing this.... these have all been ones with the tan colored switches on the breakers. 1990s models, I guess?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zamoramax]

I accidentally posted this in the AOP area please delete if possible. I’ve had a rash of smoked Cutler Hammer breaker boxes in the past 6 months. 4 calls total. All but one has been in crawlspaces. Anyone else experiencing this.... these have all been ones with the tan colored switches on the breakers. 1990s models, I guess?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not here. Just federal Pacific, bulldog(push button) and zinsco that are trouble makers. Several Bryants where installer error occurred...

The 2nd is there to protect the 1st. DTOM

[DavidDeBord]

Star, what "boxes" are you running into in crawlspaces?

Are you talking about a Disconnect for an Air-handler?

But no, ... I've not had any problems with C.H. of late.

When the C.H., in the crawlspace "smoked", did it kick the Breaker in the Main Panel?

[StarTechVoyager]

Star, what "boxes" are you running into in crawlspaces?

Are you talking about a Disconnect for an Air-handler?

But no, ... I've not had any problems with C.H. of late.

When the C.H., in the crawlspace "smoked", did it kick the Breaker in the Main Panel?

On this most recent call, yes the main tripped. The main panel in the house had a 100amp breaker feeding a 100 amp breaker panel in the crawl in which a 30A breaker fed the OD disconnect and a 60A that fed the air handler. With most electrical arc situations it’s it’s easy to tell what happened, but these older CH panels look to have been in decent condition and then boom. Every heat pump component amped within specs. All wire to the crawl panel was correctly sized, however the wire from panel to panel was aluminum wire....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DavidDeBord]

Star,

I've never seen a Panel like that in a crawlspace supplying power to the AH, & HP. Is that Sub-panel rated Nema 3, or Nema 4? I'm asking this because corrosion could be the cause of the breaker failures.

Here in Ohio, .. Feeding the AH would have been one circuit going to the crawlspace, & one circuit going to the OD for the HP.

By the way, didn't the AH already have breakers built in to it?

[StarTechVoyager]

Star,

I've never seen a Panel like that in a crawlspace supplying power to the AH, & HP. Is that Sub-panel rated Nema 3, or Nema 4? I'm asking this because corrosion could be the cause of the breaker failures.

Here in Ohio, .. Feeding the AH would have been one circuit going to the crawlspace, & one circuit going to the OD for the HP.

By the way, didn't the AH already have breakers built in to it?

Sub panel was type 3... pretty common crap install from the 80s-90s here in NC. This was a 1991 Lennox. I’ve never seen those AHs have internal breakers. Next time I see one of those CH panels on a service or pm I’ll pull breakers off and look for corrosion. You may be on to something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[timebuilder]

A sub panel in a crawlspace should be a 3R.

[DavidDeBord]

Sub panel was type 3... pretty common crap install from the 80s-90s here in NC. This was a 1991 Lennox. I’ve never seen those AHs have internal breakers. Next time I see one of those CH panels on a service or pm I’ll pull breakers off and look for corrosion. You may be on to something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"I’ve never seen those AHs have internal breakers"

That's weird, up here in Ohio I can not recall seeing any Residential AH. with KW heat, without a Breaker Assembly, or a "Pull-out Disconnect" which was Internally fused.

Also, I forgot to ask, what kind of wire was feeding the Sub-panel, ... SEU? Or SER?

[Galt]

Eaton makes type BR panels and type CH panels the tan breakers are the CH type. CH panels have a very good reputation here as their buss bars were cadmium coated for years. Now they have silver coating. there were a few in the 80s that used aluminum. post pics.

[joemach]

"I’ve never seen those AHs have internal breakers"

That's weird, up here in Ohio I can not recall seeing any Residential AH. with KW heat, without a Breaker Assembly, or a "Pull-out Disconnect" which was Internally fused.

Also, I forgot to ask, what kind of wire was feeding the Sub-panel, ... SEU? Or SER?

You may want to double check what you think is a breaker is really a disconnect. I know that there is a number on the handle, but some are just a disconnect for the air handler/electric heat strips. But it is still hot going into the air handler. So you still need a breaker in the panel.

Normally Carrier and Trane products.