The #4 chicken house ate a main breaker this evening. As usual, I had to waste an entire evening doing nothing to solve the problem. Well… I tried, anyway. The in-laws really need to standardize on equipment — like using the same type of breaker panel in all four chicken houses, so they only have to have one kind of main breaker in the spares kit.
This was the first time I was stuck trying to replace a 200-amp main breaker. It wasn’t pretty. Now if they’d actually had the right kind of replacement, I might have been able to swing it. But the closest thing they had was a breaker that ASSumed the “service” cables came in from the top, and the broken breaker was a side-entry type. After wasting about two hours of my life, a real electrician came by and jury-rigged the top-feeding breaker to work. Maybe, just maybe, the whole barking thing won’t burn down tonight or tomorrow (“they” carry the chickens off come Wednesday).
So I’ve crawled into a bottle of rum for the evening, and it’s getting hard to type. Consider this a placeholder until I get the next FAR Future episode done… which, if there isn’t Yet Another Major Problem, should happen tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. (Dang, it’s already 1 a.m. Make that this evening.)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
8 comments:
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Damn Bro, what the hell are you doing screwing around with a 200amp load center? You have a lot more courage than I do, I don't come near electrical, except a outlet of light switch.
ReplyDeleteThere's One More Switch between that breaker and the juice — the transfer switch at the backup generator. Mrs. Fetched cut that off, I verified with a voltmeter (I'm not THAT brave), then made the attempt.
ReplyDeleteI don't muck with live circuits, at least knowingly. If the power's out, no problem.
Ok, if the powers out I understand, but once the repair is made make sure you're far away when the power is turned back on. LOL
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the electrical problem. Enjoy that well-deserved rum, Far.
ReplyDeleteWould you be interested in coming out to Kansas to switch out our service from fuses to breakers?
ReplyDelete(ducking) I'm kidding.
Not kidding though about how impressed I am. It sounds like you can work on just about anything!
Yeah, we made a show of ducking for the door when Mrs. F went down to throw the transfer switch. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBoran, at least the patch job is holding. One more day, then they're going to replace the box. And I won't be there for that.
KB, "blowing a fuse" has always been a more emotive phrase than "tripping a breaker" — you sure you want to give that up? ;-)
Yo FAR!
ReplyDeleteYikes that sounded sinister to say the least! I'm glad you were able to get an electrician to jerry rig that for you.
That stuff scares us... lol
Yeah, main breakers scare me too. I wouldn't have touched it if the "service" was live. Like I told Solar, if it's dead — and I can verify it's dead, I'll take a crack at it.
ReplyDeleteIronically, I had to get into the motorcycle tools — because the only 8mm Allen wrench in the immediate vicinity is in there & it was needed to loosen the bolts holding the "service" cables to the breaker.