Holy crap at all the breakers tied to keep from tripping!
Jeez, people are so stupid....it never ceases to amaze me.
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- Thread starter Smilingreen
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Holy crap at all the breakers tied to keep from tripping!
Jeez, people are so stupid....it never ceases to amaze me.
IReallyLikePizza2
Known around here
Tying the lever won't actually stop the breaker from tripping internally, just as an FYI
It can prevent tripping on some much older breakers that lost their UL-listing many years ago (EDIT 3/16 @ 0618 CT: I believe they were Federal-Pacific breakers) and should have been replaced. Cities that have an in-place inspection department that handles building and upgrade permits look for such when the permits are serviced and require the replacement of such before the permit is signed off and the work approved.
Rural areas with no such inspections or permit fees, such as where I live, get by with such equipment and practices until there's a problem, oftentimes with disatrous results.
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^^ More on this:
Excerpt:
bramlettpartners.com
...and lastly, some of these breaker handles would visibly trip upon overload and move to the "disconnected" state but would interally NOT disconnect its voltage output to the load!
www.pennaelectric.com
Excerpt:
What Was the Basis of the Federal Pacific Lawsuit?
A class-action lawsuit against Federal Pacific Electric/Reliance Electric Company was filed with the Superior Court of New Jersey in 2002. Filed in Middlesex County under Docket# L-2904-97, the lawsuit accused Federal Pacific Electric of engaging in fraudulent testing practices when testing its circuit breaker panels between the years of 1965 and 1980. More specifically, the lawsuit alleged that the company issued Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) labels to their electrical panels despite knowing they did not meet the proper testing requirements or standards.
According to National Electric Code, all products such as electrical panels must be tested and labeled by an independent testing agency. In order to pass these required tests, the lawsuit alleged that Federal Pacific Electric used a mechanical switch to turn off the breaker during the testing process. Several independent companies later went on to test the Federal Pacific Stab-Lok circuit breaker between the 1970s and early 1980s and confirmed that the breakers actually failed the tests. As such, the researchers concluded that the breakers pose a very real danger to homeowners.
What are the Potential Risks of Keeping My Federal Pacific Electrical Panel in Place?
According to some independent studies, keeping a Federal Pacific panel installed in your home may pose a number of serious threats. For instance, some researchers found that 51 percent of the breakers fail to trip when tested. By staying “stuck” on or jamming, the breakers may pose a fire risk that can lead to property loss or even death. In one peer reviewed paper written by Jesse Arontein and Richard Lowry in 2012, the researchers found that the breakers may be responsible for up to 2800 fires and 13 deaths every year, resulting in $40 million in property damage.
Replacing Your Federal Pacific Panel: Is it Really Necessary?
If your home was built before the 1990s, you may have been told that you have a hidden danger that you didn’t even realize: your electrical panel. If the electrical panel you have installed in your home is one that was made by Federal Pacific Electric Company, you may have been told that your...
bramlettpartners.com
...and lastly, some of these breaker handles would visibly trip upon overload and move to the "disconnected" state but would interally NOT disconnect its voltage output to the load!
All You Need To Know About Recalled Electrical Panels
There are several well-known recalled electrical panels, which represent safety hazards and are dangerous to the integrity of the electrical circuits.
www.pennaelectric.com
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The guy on the ladder might be dumb, but his balls must be HUGE.
