Hi everyone,
I need some help with an electrical issue I'm experiencing. I recently created a new circuit for an electric oven at my friend's place, and when I returned home, my friend called to say that the two water pipes connected to the boiler were smoking.
When I arrived, I first measured that there was no voltage in the supply line feeding the boiler (it's on a separate circuit controlled remotely from the rest of the house). However, I measured a voltage of 110V between the neutral wire of the boiler and the water pipes (we use 230V single phase in Hungary, and the pipes are made of iron). I also measured a slight difference in voltage between the two water pipes, which could have caused an arc between them.
Here's what's happening: when the oven is turned on and operated at its maximum load, I measure 110-115V between the water and the neutral wire. However, if only a part of the oven is turned on at a lower load, I only measure 30-35V between them. It's worth noting that the wiring in the house is old and the connections in the distribution box are just twisted together. All of the neutral wires (I counted five) are also twisted, and I didn't undo them. Instead, I cut one of the neutral wires and connected it to a terminal block with the neutral wire of the oven cable.
Tomorrow, after work, I plan to replace the twisted connections of the neutral wires. However, if the problem persists, I'm not sure what to do next. The house has three-phase wiring (one phase is used for the whole house, one for the oven, and one is unused), as well as a neutral wire. The neutral wire is not separated onto a separate protective ground in the meter box, unfortunately, and I can't touch the meter box since only the utility's authorized technician can do that.
I'm afraid I may have done something wrong, so any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I need some help with an electrical issue I'm experiencing. I recently created a new circuit for an electric oven at my friend's place, and when I returned home, my friend called to say that the two water pipes connected to the boiler were smoking.
When I arrived, I first measured that there was no voltage in the supply line feeding the boiler (it's on a separate circuit controlled remotely from the rest of the house). However, I measured a voltage of 110V between the neutral wire of the boiler and the water pipes (we use 230V single phase in Hungary, and the pipes are made of iron). I also measured a slight difference in voltage between the two water pipes, which could have caused an arc between them.
Here's what's happening: when the oven is turned on and operated at its maximum load, I measure 110-115V between the water and the neutral wire. However, if only a part of the oven is turned on at a lower load, I only measure 30-35V between them. It's worth noting that the wiring in the house is old and the connections in the distribution box are just twisted together. All of the neutral wires (I counted five) are also twisted, and I didn't undo them. Instead, I cut one of the neutral wires and connected it to a terminal block with the neutral wire of the oven cable.
Tomorrow, after work, I plan to replace the twisted connections of the neutral wires. However, if the problem persists, I'm not sure what to do next. The house has three-phase wiring (one phase is used for the whole house, one for the oven, and one is unused), as well as a neutral wire. The neutral wire is not separated onto a separate protective ground in the meter box, unfortunately, and I can't touch the meter box since only the utility's authorized technician can do that.
I'm afraid I may have done something wrong, so any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
