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    kymanron's Avatar
    kymanron Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Dec 25, 2010, 11:15 PM
    Electric water heater... bad neutral
    Hi my name is ron, here is my problem a few weeks ago our outside main shutoff went bad,I replaced it and now have another problem, every time I turn the breaker to my water heater on I hear a buzzing noise,the lights get bright and then the breaker trips.once the breaker trips all is back to normal.everything in the house still works no light flickers all other 220v appliances( stove,dryer etc... )still work fine with no light dims upon turning them on and no other problems in the house.I was told by a friend that this a bad neutral.how do I test? Our homeonly has a 100 amp service as a trailer used to sit here and the service was never switched they just tied into the old trailer lines thanks for any help ron
    massplumber2008's Avatar
    massplumber2008 Posts: 12,832, Reputation: 1212
    Senior Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #2

    Dec 26, 2010, 08:53 AM

    Hi Ron,

    Did you change the main 100 amp breaker or did an electrician or am I misunderstanding the "outside main shutoff"? Let me know...

    Meanwhile, if all other units are working fine and you didn't do anything with the wires in the electrical panel inside the house then I would recommend that you replace the 30 amp double pole breaker (most heaters) and see if that helps.

    These breakers are super cheap and easy to replace. Let us know what you decide, OK?

    Meanwhile I'm having this moved to electrical forum for more advice... ;)

    Mark
    Missouri Bound's Avatar
    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
    Ultra Member
    		  
    #3

    Dec 26, 2010, 12:49 PM
    Just to add to the post... a 220v water heater doesn't have a neutral. I suggest you get your advice from someone with more experience on electrical matters.
    stanfortyman's Avatar
    stanfortyman Posts: 5,598, Reputation: 279
    Electrical & Lighting Expert
    		  
    #4

    Dec 26, 2010, 01:17 PM

    Completely agree with Missouri. The water heater breaker has nothing to do with this and does not have a neutral.

    This sounds like a service neutral problem an should be addressed by a professional.
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
    		  
    #5

    Dec 26, 2010, 05:56 PM

    Ron,

    We need to know what you mean by the "Main Failed".

    For example, are you speaking about the 100 amp feed by the Power Company to the home or the main breaker itself failed. Also, it could be a neutral failure on the new panelboard.

    What did you do to correct the original failure?

    Please let us know, how you wired in the water heater. Normally a water heater takes a 240 V supply. This of course means that there is no neutral supplied to the heater. Just two hot conductors and one grounding conductor.
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