- Dec 28, 2022
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Hi All,
I have a 1950s rental house with a 100 amp main panel with a main shut off breaker. Breakers are Eaton/Cutler Hammer type, so the panel is not super old. It was also checked by the previous tenant (a professional electrician) just a few months ago, who said that the panel and system are in good condition.
Recently, the tenants plugged in several space heaters and proceeded to trip at least 4 of the breakers in the panel. When I went to reset the breakers the next morning, all were able to be reset except for two — a quad 20 amp/20 amp breaker and the 30 amp twin pole breaker for the electric dryer.
On the advice of my former tenant, I purchased replacement breakers in the exact amperage and types that were not resetting, turned off the main breaker and installed the new ones. When I flipped the main breaker back on, the quad was fine but the 30 amp twin pole immediately tripped. I tried to reset the breaker, but it stayed in the tripped position.
To my knowledge, the only wires on this circuit are to/from the dryer outlet. When I had reset the other breakers, I did walk around the house and test outlets and appliances, including the washer and dryer. It is very possible that I left the dryer switch in the “On” position (the knob gets pulled out or pushed in to start it). Would that (the voltage going through the start capacitor) contribute to tripping the breaker if the breaker was flipped on while the switch is in the on position? I did of course eventually unplug the dryer, at which point the breaker would reset without issue.
If the start capacitor is not a possible culprit, how to I determine for sure that it is the dryer or if it is the outlet?
Thanks,
David
I have a 1950s rental house with a 100 amp main panel with a main shut off breaker. Breakers are Eaton/Cutler Hammer type, so the panel is not super old. It was also checked by the previous tenant (a professional electrician) just a few months ago, who said that the panel and system are in good condition.
Recently, the tenants plugged in several space heaters and proceeded to trip at least 4 of the breakers in the panel. When I went to reset the breakers the next morning, all were able to be reset except for two — a quad 20 amp/20 amp breaker and the 30 amp twin pole breaker for the electric dryer.
On the advice of my former tenant, I purchased replacement breakers in the exact amperage and types that were not resetting, turned off the main breaker and installed the new ones. When I flipped the main breaker back on, the quad was fine but the 30 amp twin pole immediately tripped. I tried to reset the breaker, but it stayed in the tripped position.
To my knowledge, the only wires on this circuit are to/from the dryer outlet. When I had reset the other breakers, I did walk around the house and test outlets and appliances, including the washer and dryer. It is very possible that I left the dryer switch in the “On” position (the knob gets pulled out or pushed in to start it). Would that (the voltage going through the start capacitor) contribute to tripping the breaker if the breaker was flipped on while the switch is in the on position? I did of course eventually unplug the dryer, at which point the breaker would reset without issue.
If the start capacitor is not a possible culprit, how to I determine for sure that it is the dryer or if it is the outlet?
Thanks,
David
