Not getting 240v to 240v appliances.
#1
01-26-16, 10:02 AM
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Not getting 240v to 240v appliances.
attached is a pic of my home circuit breaker box. all the circuit breakers check out good. the one's marked i'm not getting 120 v. and 220 appliances are only getting 120 v. any idea how to fix? thanks in advance.
#4
01-26-16, 10:06 AM
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i called the electric company and i'm getting 240 v to circuit box and master switch. i meant to when i use a mulitmeter on the master switch i'm getting 240 v but to the range, ac, and central air only 120 on one side and 0 on the other like in the pic
#5
01-26-16, 10:11 AM
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#6
01-26-16, 10:15 AM
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yes, took panel off and checked every circuit breaker. those with the x are 0 v and anything not checked is 120 v. all the circuit breakers are good. i pulled each one and tested it for resistance in the "on" position.
#7
01-26-16, 10:21 AM
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If you have 240v on the wiring to the main breaker but not after..... it looks like the main breaker is defective. Have you tried turning it off and back on ?
It may be a corroded bus bar where the main breaker attaches. You need to be very careful as you cannot remove that breaker live.
It may be a corroded bus bar where the main breaker attaches. You need to be very careful as you cannot remove that breaker live.
#8
01-26-16, 10:27 AM
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yes, i've tried turning the main breaker on and off. but i'm getting 240 volts on the main breaker from both 120 volt switches. i don't know how to safely pull the main breaker because it has a screw holding it in and it will be live. and yeah it could be a corroded busbar going to the other 240 volt circuit breakers. hmmmm what to do. i'll have to look and see if i can turn it off outside the breaker box.
oh well, i got a electrician coming in a couple of hours and it should cost about $100. $30 for service call and $70 an hour. thanks for the help. i'll let you know how it goes.
oh well, i got a electrician coming in a couple of hours and it should cost about $100. $30 for service call and $70 an hour. thanks for the help. i'll let you know how it goes.
#9
01-26-16, 12:41 PM
I know you have an electrician coming but just for info I think you are a bit confused about breaker boxes. You wrote:
There are no 120 volt switches. There are in fact no switches per se in a breaker box. There is a 240 volt main breaker and mesuring between the two legs you should read ~ 240 volts.
but i'm getting 240 volts on the main breaker from both 120 volt switches.
#10
01-26-16, 02:37 PM
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well it turns out one side of the main breaker was bad. i couldn't tell because the wires coming from the meter will always read 240 v. all the electrician did was remove the meter which made it not live and replaced the main breaker switch. the problem was he left for over an hour and the call was only $30 and $70 dollars an hour for labor. i got charged $234. the place was in Shepherdsville, KY. he was barely here an hour and even if he went over an hour it would have been 170 plus $10 for the switch which would have been $180. i can't help but feel i got burned. i think they have a minimum of 2 hours which they don't tell you and there is some unknown charges. i'll have to review the invoice.
i came close to being able to fix it but at least i learned something new.
i came close to being able to fix it but at least i learned something new.
Last edited by Tolyn Ironhand; 01-27-16 at 05:51 PM. Reason: Removed name
#11
01-26-16, 03:24 PM
I doubt he had a main breaker on his truck so he had to drive to a supply house to buy one.
To repeat it was a breaker not a switch. Two very different things. Breakers are specific to the panel but even if it was a Square-D and only 100 amps some versions would have been $100 or more.
$234-$30-$70=$134 dollars for a breaker. Not an unreasonable price especially adding in his cost to go get the breaker.
Tell us the amps of the main breaker and the make and model number of the panel or the listed types of main breaker on the label inside the panel and we can help more with price. (Or wait to see if a pro can identify from the picture.)
$10 for the switch
i got charged $234
Tell us the amps of the main breaker and the make and model number of the panel or the listed types of main breaker on the label inside the panel and we can help more with price. (Or wait to see if a pro can identify from the picture.)
#12
01-26-16, 04:14 PM
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Eaton Type Ch 100 Amp Double-Pole Circuit Breaker
$68.48
i'm sure they had this at lowes. if i wasn't so ignorant i would have bought the part and had it there when he arrived.
well i was charged $54 for the main breaker but $150 for 2 hours and $30 call so 70 + 70 + 10? +54 + 30 = 234. the problem was it should have only taken 10 minutes to replace the part. i mean if i was sure that part was bad i could have went and got it and even if it wasn't the right one i could take it back and get a refund. i just feel they have a 2 hour minimum on a service call which they don't tell you.
oh well it was a lesson learned. if i have any more problems like that, they will be a lot easier to solve since i did spend some time trying to solve this problem and also help here on this forum.
this is a replacement for the brand i had "Challenger" which was bought out by Eaton. on the home depot website you can find a list that shows the replacement if your brand went out of business or bought out.
$68.48
i'm sure they had this at lowes. if i wasn't so ignorant i would have bought the part and had it there when he arrived.
well i was charged $54 for the main breaker but $150 for 2 hours and $30 call so 70 + 70 + 10? +54 + 30 = 234. the problem was it should have only taken 10 minutes to replace the part. i mean if i was sure that part was bad i could have went and got it and even if it wasn't the right one i could take it back and get a refund. i just feel they have a 2 hour minimum on a service call which they don't tell you.
oh well it was a lesson learned. if i have any more problems like that, they will be a lot easier to solve since i did spend some time trying to solve this problem and also help here on this forum.
this is a replacement for the brand i had "Challenger" which was bought out by Eaton. on the home depot website you can find a list that shows the replacement if your brand went out of business or bought out.
#14
01-26-16, 06:33 PM
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Eaton Type Ch 100 Amp Double-Pole Circuit Breaker
$68.48
i'm sure they had this at lowes. if i wasn't so ignorant i would have bought the part and had it there when he arrived.
$68.48
i'm sure they had this at lowes. if i wasn't so ignorant i would have bought the part and had it there when he arrived.
#15
01-27-16, 02:22 PM
Sounds like a very fair price on a main breaker replacement. You got lucky on Eaton BR being a relatively cheap, in-stock item. Some panels the breaker alone is $300 special order. There would have been no realistic way to know in advance if the problem was the breaker, the panel or both. The electrician had to disconnect the meter and inspect the breaker and panel to know which parts to buy.
