Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
     
    #1

    Jun 7, 2014, 09:20 AM
    Melted Neutral post on GFCI receptacle
    Ran into a strange one this morning. A 120v 20 amp Multiwire branch circuit in my Niece's garage. Line one went to GFCI receptacle. Line 2 went to receptacles on the other side of the garage.

    Nothing was connected to the GFCI receptacle. Both breakers had tripped. The Neutral going to the GFCI receptacle had melted and charred insulation and the area where the Neutral post on the receptacle was also severely melted. In fact the heat was so bad, that the mounting screw was fused in the melted plastic on the recap.

    I could not find any obvious shorts with either leg of the circuits nor could I find any obvious damage to the wiring.


    I replaced the GFCI recep, and reset the breaker and there were no problems.

    The GFCI recap is the only outlet for the branch circuit. There is no down stream load.

    Any ideas on what the cause was?
    lilpoppa's Avatar
    lilpoppa Posts: 118, Reputation: 13
    Junior Member
     
    #2

    Jun 7, 2014, 11:10 AM
    Damage was likely caused by a loose connection between the neutral wire and the receptacle. Is the house wired with aluminum wire? I ask because that is a know hazard of aluminum wire. There are specialized connectors designed to prevent aluminum wire from causing a loose connection.
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
     
    #3

    Jun 7, 2014, 02:52 PM
    Nope, the wiring is copper clad aluminum. The receptacle is less that 18" away from the panel. I checked the connections at the main neutral and they were tight with no discoloration.
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
     
    #4

    Jun 9, 2014, 04:50 AM
    I found the compromised Neutral.

    The second leg of the Multiwire circuit also fed an outside pool pump, gas water heater and lights. The cable to the pool heater is a 14 AWG NMB inside FNT. The Neutral of that cable grounded against the frame of the heater and fried.
    Missouri Bound's Avatar
    Missouri Bound Posts: 1,532, Reputation: 94
    Ultra Member
     
    #5

    Jun 10, 2014, 05:06 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by donf View Post
    I found the compromised Neutral.

    The second leg of the Multiwire circuit also fed an outside pool pump, gas water heater and lights. The cable to the pool heater is a 14 AWG NMB inside FNT. The Neutral of that cable grounded against the frame of the heater and fried.
    Doesn't sound right. The frame and the neutral share the same path. It's far more likely an overload was / is your problem.
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
     
    #6

    Jun 10, 2014, 09:13 AM
    True, but that is the only issue I found. so far. I guess it is back to the circuit. I have to change out the 14 AWG cable anyway.

    I asked them if they had anything plugged in when the recep went dead but "No one knew anything about it"

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

12-3 wiring for GFCI receptacle [ 13 Answers ]

Hi my name is satoecho and I am trying to upgrade my kitchen counter plugin to GFCI outlet. Here is the problem. I saw the wire was 12-3 so that 3 hot wire such as black, white and red and ground. How do I wire red wire? I put black and white to LINE and also put ground to proper spot. But now...

Receptacle GFCI [ 3 Answers ]

I have a GFCI Receptacle is my main bathroom that is not working at all it has 1 black wire 1 white wire and a ground, I have the same outlet in my other bathroom and it works fine it has 2 black wires 1 white wire and a ground, I was wondering if the lack of a black wire is my problem or can it be...

Gfci receptacle [ 3 Answers ]

I Would Like To Know If You Can Install A Gfci Recep. On A Shared Neutral Circuit.

GFCI Receptacle [ 1 Answers ]

Do they make a slimline GFCI Receptacle? I have some very narrow metal eletrical boxes in my kitchen and the regular size GFI will not fit.

Installing a gfci receptacle [ 3 Answers ]

I am trying to install a gfci receptacle in my offfice( replacing the existing regular receptacle) I have two black wires that were wrapped together , two gray wrapped together, one single blue and one green. I followed the directions and think I got all the wires to the right place. The test light...


View more questions Search