I'm in Sacramento, Calif. We've had so many fires in the past due to aluminum wiring in trailers and modular homes, they now require copper. But commercial still allows aluminum, I do comm'l maint-elec/mech/welding and it's just not worth the savings for the aluminum (in my opinion, anyway). My last job was in a 44,000 sq. foot building with 1,000 amps of 480, a big mess, even worse than your videos of the restaurant and the car-wash.
Good for you, working to correct this type of repeat failure is unquestionably wise. Not only do you get to the bottom of a repeat failure issue, but you spare the building occupants from the danger of a potential pre-main breaker short! For those who haven't thought about it, a pre-main breaker short, God forbid, puts the building and it's occupants at the mercy of the outdoor transformer's fuse and all hell often breaks loose before that outdoor pole fuse blows!!!
Is it normal for when a breaker gets old and the contact to the hot bus bar gets loose and ends up charring the bar it's on? I've seen this a couple of times and I never hook a new breaker onto the charred bus, I've always been lucky and have been able to either relocate the circuit to another spot on the panel or use a tandem breaker (which i don't care for either, but its better than hacks that double tap breakers). That's about all you can do, right?
Been seeing more and more shoddy work up here in the Boston area. From what I can tell, its mainly from the many un-employed union guys that do not know enough about residential wiring.
I've been working on installation of new electrical wires and Ethernet wires (24-48 of them planned, so far) here in Japan. Just wanted to see on youtube if anyone from Japan would show HOW TOs but as you see, so far with no luck. Good finding though, that many of our systems (=almost all) seem to have been based on yours, which makes it easy to find info and HOW TOs. Hoping to show you some of my work in coming days.
Could you please tell me if there's an informal word in English to refer to an illegal electrical hookup ?
In Brazil, we informally use the word " GATO" for an illegal electrical hookup when poor people steal energy from the main power line in order to have electricity for free.
i cant beleive that someone just wanted to replace the feeders im by no means an electrician but know enough that the wire isnt a problem in this case and as bad as it was wow. Heres your sign lol
Why is the damage originating from the connection? Heat at the connection. The insulation of the wire would be damaged its entire length if the wire was too small.
Connections on aluminum wire is very critical. A bad connection would look exactly like the picture. any repair would have to have dealt with that first. without a perfect and corrosion free repair it isn't fixed. The ground fault can kill the fuses regardless of the wire damage.
Sparky, you're doing some good things with these videos—I've watched several. However, I am especially curious about the video equipment and applications you are using. I notice that you're able to zoom-in, highlight, and use a cursor to point out specific items. What equipment and applications are you using?
@ColoradoME3768 Thanks for your comments! As far as equipment I use a Canon HV 30,Kodak ZI8 for video,a Canon Rebel Xt and Sony Cyber Shot for the still photos. I use Camtasia v7 for creating the videos with the mouse pointer,zooms,highlights and Sony Vegas Pro 9 for editing the actual videos I produce. w/the HV 30,ZI8
If the phase is melting, then it's getting hotter than it should... so more current is going through it than what that gauge is rated for.
If a load can be configured on the existing breakers that is greater than this current (and the occupant typically runs those circuits...), then that should be the cause of the melting.
Once the insulation is compromised, shorts can develop that increase this current even further. Yes? No?
@sparkyUonline No. It's single-phase. The line feeding the distribution transformer is one phase, thus the output of the transformer can not be anything more than one phase. Input is typically 13kV, single phase. Output is 120V/120V H-N-H, one phase.
Single phase systems are comprised of two phases. In order to get 240V, you need two 120V phases. The disaster here has two phases (ungrounded conductors) and one neutral (grounded conductor).
@crookcirca80 Not true. It is one phase. The 13kv from the power company to the primary of the distribution transformer is one phase - it's just two wires, hot and ground. You can't get two phases from one phase, through the distribution transformer. That is not physically possible. Single phase systems are comprised of ONE phase, not two phases. Sorry, not to be critical, but you're wrong.
Id like to see you do an electrical system inspection with an infrared camera. I use one for structural building but dont feel qualified to yet to make accurate opinion of the electrical. However, what the camera does and the amount of time saving is truly amazing; it will pick up a possible overload before the wire melts. The camera and certification can be a little pricey (it cost me about 6 g) but the camera does the work of two people, more than pays for itself.
Now that's a very important point you made in this video. "I want to know why the feeders are over heating" Shows that your not just out to make money but are a consummate professional.
I'm in Sacramento, Calif. We've had so many fires in the past due to aluminum wiring in trailers and modular homes, they now require copper. But commercial still allows aluminum, I do comm'l maint-elec/mech/welding and it's just not worth the savings for the aluminum (in my opinion, anyway). My last job was in a 44,000 sq. foot building with 1,000 amps of 480, a big mess, even worse than your videos of the restaurant and the car-wash.
dougspair 1 week ago
@dougspair Yeah it's out there no matter what part of the world your in.
sparkyUonline 1 week ago
i wanna see a boooom!!
mrmarwan16 2 months ago
@mrmarwan16 Ok,I'll find one for you!
sparkyUonline 2 months ago
@mrmarwan16 You Tube user Photonicinduction blows stuff up.
imfree707 2 months ago
@imfree707 Yea,cool stuff!!! I subscribe to his antics on You Tube.
sparkyUonline 2 months ago
@imfree707 Yea,cool stuff!!! I subscribe to his antics on You Tube.
sparkyUonline 2 months ago
Good for you, working to correct this type of repeat failure is unquestionably wise. Not only do you get to the bottom of a repeat failure issue, but you spare the building occupants from the danger of a potential pre-main breaker short! For those who haven't thought about it, a pre-main breaker short, God forbid, puts the building and it's occupants at the mercy of the outdoor transformer's fuse and all hell often breaks loose before that outdoor pole fuse blows!!!
imfree707 3 months ago
@imfree707 I do what I can to make things right!
sparkyUonline 2 months ago
Hi Sparky,do you do work in NYC?
redfeettube 3 months ago
@redfeettube No, I am way west of NYC,why,do you need some work done?
sparkyUonline 3 months ago
Is it normal for when a breaker gets old and the contact to the hot bus bar gets loose and ends up charring the bar it's on? I've seen this a couple of times and I never hook a new breaker onto the charred bus, I've always been lucky and have been able to either relocate the circuit to another spot on the panel or use a tandem breaker (which i don't care for either, but its better than hacks that double tap breakers). That's about all you can do, right?
needmorediesel 3 months ago
Been seeing more and more shoddy work up here in the Boston area. From what I can tell, its mainly from the many un-employed union guys that do not know enough about residential wiring.
shawnbrennan1 5 months ago
Great videos Sparky.
finlandiabeach 7 months ago
I'd like to see the after videos, too. I think it would be even more educational.
trailbusterbrute 8 months ago
ddd, and this sounds interesting.. can't wait to see the rest!
jjlwis 9 months ago
I've been working on installation of new electrical wires and Ethernet wires (24-48 of them planned, so far) here in Japan. Just wanted to see on youtube if anyone from Japan would show HOW TOs but as you see, so far with no luck. Good finding though, that many of our systems (=almost all) seem to have been based on yours, which makes it easy to find info and HOW TOs. Hoping to show you some of my work in coming days.
tahiro1121 10 months ago
Good evening Sr.
Could you please tell me if there's an informal word in English to refer to an illegal electrical hookup ?
In Brazil, we informally use the word " GATO" for an illegal electrical hookup when poor people steal energy from the main power line in order to have electricity for free.
Sincerely Yours.
Maurício Barnabe from Brazil
mauricio471 6 months ago
i cant beleive that someone just wanted to replace the feeders im by no means an electrician but know enough that the wire isnt a problem in this case and as bad as it was wow. Heres your sign lol
zachthemanism 10 months ago
@MyKamiloo Thanks for your comment! I see and repair this type of work all the time.
sparkyUonline 10 months ago
Why is the damage originating from the connection? Heat at the connection. The insulation of the wire would be damaged its entire length if the wire was too small.
Connections on aluminum wire is very critical. A bad connection would look exactly like the picture. any repair would have to have dealt with that first. without a perfect and corrosion free repair it isn't fixed. The ground fault can kill the fuses regardless of the wire damage.
bcbike50 11 months ago
Sparky, you're doing some good things with these videos—I've watched several. However, I am especially curious about the video equipment and applications you are using. I notice that you're able to zoom-in, highlight, and use a cursor to point out specific items. What equipment and applications are you using?
Thanks in advance.
ColoradoME3768 11 months ago
@ColoradoME3768 Thanks for your comments! As far as equipment I use a Canon HV 30,Kodak ZI8 for video,a Canon Rebel Xt and Sony Cyber Shot for the still photos. I use Camtasia v7 for creating the videos with the mouse pointer,zooms,highlights and Sony Vegas Pro 9 for editing the actual videos I produce. w/the HV 30,ZI8
sparkyUonline 11 months ago
Can you do before and after videos, like where other electricians fuck something up, and you come in and do it the correct way?
Tabor69Plaistow 11 months ago
@Tabor69Plaistow Sure,I can do a few videos like that.
sparkyUonline 11 months ago 2
If the phase is melting, then it's getting hotter than it should... so more current is going through it than what that gauge is rated for.
If a load can be configured on the existing breakers that is greater than this current (and the occupant typically runs those circuits...), then that should be the cause of the melting.
Once the insulation is compromised, shorts can develop that increase this current even further. Yes? No?
nathanwilefrazier 1 year ago
Two taps or two legs, but you cannot call it two phases.
rosscoroni 1 year ago
The plumber did it...
zcg3 1 year ago
@zcg3 Too funny!!
sparkyUonline 1 year ago
You say "one of the phases"....this is a single phase panel, there are not multiple phases.
meccaturbo 1 year ago
@meccaturbo A phase and B phase ?
sparkyUonline 1 year ago
@sparkyUonline No. It's single-phase. The line feeding the distribution transformer is one phase, thus the output of the transformer can not be anything more than one phase. Input is typically 13kV, single phase. Output is 120V/120V H-N-H, one phase.
meccaturbo 1 year ago
@meccaturbo
Single phase systems are comprised of two phases. In order to get 240V, you need two 120V phases. The disaster here has two phases (ungrounded conductors) and one neutral (grounded conductor).
crookcirca80 11 months ago
@crookcirca80 Not true. It is one phase. The 13kv from the power company to the primary of the distribution transformer is one phase - it's just two wires, hot and ground. You can't get two phases from one phase, through the distribution transformer. That is not physically possible. Single phase systems are comprised of ONE phase, not two phases. Sorry, not to be critical, but you're wrong.
meccaturbo 11 months ago
sparky u: can a sub panel be feed by a three phase installing 100amp three pole as the main for a 70 for the sub panel?
blasvida68 1 year ago
is it normal to have aluminium cables for main feeds in the US?
londontrada 1 year ago
@londontrada Yep,at least in the south west region of the states.
sparkyUonline 1 year ago
@sparkyUonline For any other reason than it is cheap?
Serostern 1 year ago
its prob overloaded due to excessive current draw! , are the feeders to small?
pipergerbo2008 2 years ago
Id like to see you do an electrical system inspection with an infrared camera. I use one for structural building but dont feel qualified to yet to make accurate opinion of the electrical. However, what the camera does and the amount of time saving is truly amazing; it will pick up a possible overload before the wire melts. The camera and certification can be a little pricey (it cost me about 6 g) but the camera does the work of two people, more than pays for itself.
BillAllenInspections 2 years ago
If I could afford a IRC I would be doing videos including them.However you can view the possibilities on the Fluke website!
sparkyUonline 2 years ago
Now that's a very important point you made in this video. "I want to know why the feeders are over heating" Shows that your not just out to make money but are a consummate professional.
Crpetersena 2 years ago
Good idea of a series. You do this very well. Yes, balancing should help a lot but the whole panel seems to be be already overloaded.
mdcorreia 2 years ago
whod want the hassle of being a sparky, if i had a known when i first started what i was getting into , i would have ran a mile to get away
mufc1970ok 2 years ago
i think u need to do a re calucations of load connected to each phase and try to maintain a blance of the connected loads to each phase
basupoudel 2 years ago
As always much too intersting...
dontheman17 2 years ago 2
you try to balance amps draw to prevent overheating ,service lines will benifit from not having one line pull majority of current
feeldhand 2 years ago 2
wow, thats interesting how one of the phases overloded
windoes98se 2 years ago