i have a question regarding a 240v space heater we are using in a shop setting. it’s a bit of a mess, but there is no other alternative we have so it’s getting this fucker working or nothing.
wires were blackened, do any anons have an understanding of why they would be?
we also need to get a new breaker for it and i am unsure as to what rating i should go for. this picture is the patch cable that hooks the heater into the fuse box.
it was previously working. i want everything to be up to snuff when we hook it back up.
coupler. there are three of them. also i am no electrician so if i say something ignorant please forgive my impudence.
outside of fuse box. the old breaker we had it hooked to.
>>2859665>wires were blackened, do any anons have an understanding of why they would be?High resistance in the connection. Clean everything up real well where it clamps the wires to, scrape and wire brush down to clean metal. Clip wires off and re-strip a new area to ensure clean copper. Re-attach and ensure a good proper tight connection with no stray ends. Maybe put a dab of dielectric grease on them when going back together.
cover off of fuse box overlook
breaker in question. up close.>>2859670will do upon reassembly. should i clean the fuse box itself as well? it’s been around a long time and it’s accumulated some filth.
i am going back to work. i will keep an eye on this thread. luv u guys.
>>2859666it says it pulls 23A. I would go 40a on the breaker to be safe.
>>2859666For the breaker replacement, you can use Eaton BR, they own Westinghouse, it's the same thing with a different name.
>>2859670I'm apprenticing to be an electrician, is this stuff I should have in a tool kit for troubleshoots? I run into blackened wires like this occasionally and my journeyman doesn't really seem to care, but I always wonder if I should have dielectric grease and a wire brush for those instances.
>>2859690I'm not an electrician, just a farmer, but sometimes the wires get dark from "normal" oxidation (tarnishing) and its not too bad. But when they get hot they will get real dark and burned and ugly and you know there was a high resistance connection at that point. Yeah cleaning up connections and putting a bit of dielectric grease at connections is always a good practice IMHO. >Cue some electrician telling me I'm a fucking moron and don't have a clue what I'm talking about because code such and such in the NEC handbook specifically states no dielectric grease and to only use the finest cooked black copper connections in this one very specific scenario...
>>2859665heat>>2859666what is the cross sectional area and length of the cable>>2859673probably don't clean live mains electrics unless you know exactly what you are doing>>2859670>with no stray ends. ideally you crimp a stranded wire like that with a bootlace ferrule to get a good connection in a screw terminal.
What's the issue?
is an electric heater more economical than natural gas for you? its the opposite for me
>>2859671You have phase, neutral and ground. FIgiure out which is which and wire it the same way you would wire any other circuit. The ground can be tied directly to the board with a screw - that is presuming it is installed properly and is grounded. At the top of the box you have two cable going into your master fuse - one is phase(live) the other is neutral. Not familiar with american el boxes, but i'm guessing the neutral is on a shared bus-bar, so your phase goes to the fuse, and your neutral is connected to said bar.
If this is going to be a permanent install I would ditch the strand wire and get something more robust like 10g awg solid wire on a 30amp or 8 on a 40, then run that through conduit.
>>2859665shitty connection to those wires creates high resistance. high resistance creates heat on those shitty wires. you get a positive feedback loop of more heat ==> more resistance ==> more heat ==> more resistance... until it catches on fire.cut the ends of the wires off and strip a new section. if it looks burnt and shitty you need new wires.
