Trouble with Compressor blowing Breaker

[CTyler]

I seem to remember my electrician talking about three wire dryer circuits and problems. The ground is being used as the neutral in this case. Not sure if its a ground fault that blows the timer/electronics circuit? Don't mean to take this of topic, just thinking out loud.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 220v dryer circuit )</font>

The manual that came with our current clothes dryer says, in part, "If local codes require a 4 wire or if dryer is to be installed in a mobile home . . ." When we first bought the little farm, there was an old, ragged mobile home on the property, but it had a 3 wire plug for the dryer. Then we later bought a new double wide mobile home; came with a 4 wire plug, so I went and bought a new power cord and changed it out (later used the old 3 wire cord on an air compressor). Then we had to move back to town in an apartment temporarily, went and bought a new 3 wire power cord and threw away the 4 wire one. Then the first of August we moved into the current mobile home, had to go buy another 4 wire power cord, changed it again, and threw away the 3 wire cord. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[johnbilt]

Hi

I suspect the starting current is what is causing your problem.

I ran a dedicated outlet for my 120V compressor from a 30A breaker and #10 wire. This eliminated the starting current nuisance tripping of the breaker.

If you can change the motor to 220V, this would be an even better option, if you have enough space in your panel for a 2 pole breaker.

John

 

[Junkman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Don't know Just guessing here but Junkman may have been thinking of a 220v dryer circuit. This has two hots, neutral and ground. The neutral is used to supply 110v to the timer etc... A straight 220v on needs the two hots as stated previously. )</font>

This is exactly what I had in mind. Around here, the local code enforcement wants every outlet to have a separate neutral and ground. When I changed the service, I had to install a bunch of ground rods and then finally ground it to the well casing. The ground wire goes from the main panel, which is considered a sub panel because of the first disconnect at the meter socket, in the cellar to a ground rod and the other end is on the well... and there are two more in between because of a service disconnect where it goes underground and then comes out of the ground. The most shocking thing about the whole set up is the expense involved....... Even the whole house generator had to have a ground rod and a very expensive ON / OFF / ON disconnect switch. I had to install a 200 amp disconnect where it went through the wall from the meter socket to the gen-set disconnect, and one where it came out of the ground. I have a 40 breaker panel and there isn't any room left for anther breaker, so another sub panel is going in alongside of the main in the cellar which by code is now considered a sub panel.... so the sub panel will have a sub panel.... It gets confusing after a while. I gave up reading the NEC... too many pages and too confusing for the lay person!!!!

 

[BIGUN]

See what I mean? Got to save those old parts. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Inspector507]

Sounds like your local Code Enforcement person doesn't understand the NEC® either /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Junkman]

with which part of my post don't you agree with as being in compliance with the NEC???? Inquiring minds want to know??

 

[Inspector507]

Your "ground wire" should not come out of the sub-panel if you have a disconnect at the meter.

 

[Junkman]

Please explain further.... the sub panel has the whites wires isolated and tied to the wire that goes to the ground rods. The neutral bar has the bare copper wires from the romex attached to it and they go back to the pole. Possibly it is my terminology that is incorrect????? What I did find interesting is that the meter socket is not grounded to the ground rod and the wire that passes through the meter socket, but there is no attachment to it. It comes out the bottom of the meter socket and it is attached to a ground rod under the meter socket and then goes off to the well casing. This wire had to be one piece and have no breaks in it but be connected to each disconnect on its way from the panel in the cellar to the well. If I remember correctly, it is 4 gauge and I know that it is copper with a black vinyl covering.

 

[CTyler]

That sounds odd to me.

The way I understand it is that your main panel is grounded. The sub panels are bonded to the main panel not grounded. This helps prevent ground loops.

Depending on how it was wired your main panel, or what you consider the main panel, is a sub panel that is bonded. This is where I get a little fuzzy(CRS) since I'm not sure if that is bonded to the meter or transformer.

I've had this conversation a couple times on res vs business with regard to connecting the neutral and ground wires in the panel vs seperating them. Goes back to the bonding and grounding panels and sub panels.