Fpe breakers

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nickelec

Senior Member
Location
US
Wanted to get some thoughts from the other pros here just looked at a trouble call client has two air conditioners one 220 on one side of the house another small 9000 BTU 110 unit plugged in

When they turn both of them on at the same time it trips the main bypassing the subpanel in the apartment

keep in mind the sub panel and the mains are both Federal Pacific breakers I'm chalking it up to probably bad Federal Pacific breakers in the sub panel hence tripping the main hundred amp

Maybe too much in Rush I'm not sure what are your thoughts
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curt swartz

Electrical Contractor - San Jose, CA
Location
San Jose, CA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Why should any of the breakers trip when the units are turned on?
Sounds like the issue is with the main breaker not the individual branch breakers. Could be a poor connection generating heat causing the breaker to trip.
 
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nickelec

Senior Member
Location
US
I checked all the connections seems to be fine, I suggested replacing as usual when it comes to fpe

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nickelec

Senior Member
Location
US
If your referring to a movie I may not get it I'm going to assume I hit younger them most you gentlemen.

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Malywr

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey USA
nickelec said:
Wanted to get some thoughts from the other pros here just looked at a trouble call client has two air conditioners one 220 on one side of the house another small 9000 BTU 110 unit plugged in

When they turn both of them on at the same time it trips the main bypassing the subpanel in the apartment

keep in mind the sub panel and the mains are both Federal Pacific breakers I'm chalking it up to probably bad Federal Pacific breakers in the sub panel hence tripping the main hundred amp

Maybe too much in Rush I'm not sure what are your thoughts
f9d87001f99225ea6d213e4972750c9f.jpg
ba649d87b537760a708b4f3fe8b1e221.jpg


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Click to expand...

That FP look like need st least panel upgrade
Lol
 
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nickelec

Senior Member
Location
US
I agree I gave the customer my recommendations to upgrade service and sub panel. We shall see. Just for argument sake what would you guys charge around the nation based on the pics .. ball parks of course in NYC this is 5-6k

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Fred B

Fred B

Senior Member
Location
Upstate, NY
Occupation
Electrician
Seeing what looks like old BX, be aware or investigate further potential for a lack of or inadequate ground connections as a concern when pricing an upgrade. It may be more than a simple swap out. How many years has circuits been exposed to overload that is not tripping breakers? This, as well as simple age, can result in comprised conductors (insulation so brittle that it breaks with very little movement) and can make moving and re-termination difficult and add to the time and materials for panel replacement. Considerations for pricing replacement.
Without a doubt upgrade is necessary given the dangers of the FP panels.
 
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hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I did a remodel on a judge’s house that had FPE panels, his wife was a lawyer too. She thought I was trying to upsell her a new panel. She googled FPE, called me back and asked how quick can I change it out? LOL! She wasn’t happy with the new afci breakers in the new panel, she had an old antique Electrolux vacuum she loved, and no longer could use because it kept tripping the breakers.
 
Jraef

Jraef

Moderator, OTD
Staff member
Location
San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
Occupation
Electrical Engineer
ptonsparky said:
Not necessarily a bad breaker. The trip curves could overlap which then turns into a horse race to see which trips first.

That said, it’s time for a new service
Click to expand...
LOL, with FPE, you should feel lucky that ONE of them tripped at all! They are notorious for NOT tripping when they are supposed to.
 
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