Fixed a panel screw-up at a warehouse in Bakersfield yesterday

I had to swap out a 200 amp main breaker at this old warehouse on Union Avenue. The owner said the breaker was tripping randomly, so I figured it was just worn out. I pulled the cover and found the bus bar had a crack running right down the middle from a previous overtorque job. I spent an extra 45 minutes filing down the burrs and installing a new breaker with a torque wrench set to 45 foot-pounds. The job went from a quick swap to a full repair, but the owner was happy I caught it before it caused a fire. Has anyone else found hidden damage like that after a supposedly simple fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

derek_perez16d ago

Man, that's rough. Finding that crack had to be a gut punch when you were expecting a quick swap. Good on you for catching it though, that's the kind of thing that keeps you up at night if you miss it. I had a similar deal last month where a supposedly simple outlet replacement turned into a whole rewire because a homeowner had chewed up the wire nuts so bad they were barely making contact.

diana_west2717d ago

That cracked bus bar is like finding out your "quick oil change" actually needs a whole new engine. Sounds like the last guy cranked those screws down like he was trying to tighten a jar lid for life. Bet the owner didn't complain about the extra time once you pointed out the fire hazard though.

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stellanelson17d ago

Yeah, people don't realize how much damage over-torquing does. It's not just bus bars either, I've seen terminal lugs cracked the same way. One guy used an impact driver on a 50 amp breaker once, stripped the screw head and cracked the plastic housing. That whole panel had to get swapped. The thing is, most homeowners wouldn't spot that crack unless it was pointed out to them. Then they'd be mad you're trying to upsell them until you show them the burn marks from the arcing. Once they see that, they usually shut up pretty quick.