Burnt wires in power distribution panel
While tracing the cause of an intermittent electrical failure in an electrical circuit in our ORV 21RBS, I discovered that all of the neutral wires in the power distribution panel were 'burnt" where t...
Forum Discussion
wolfe10 wrote:QCMan wrote:
Odds are they are all loose or were before you tightened them. Loose connections = higher resistance = high temps = burnt wires.
I agree. MUCH more likely that a random power surge causing the excessive heat that destroyed the insulation on all of them.
No, a voltage spike will not cause that damage. Properly made & tightened, those connections will not overheat at current levels below the point at which the circuit breaker will open. A voltage spike sufficient to increase current for a long enough time to overheat a connection will trip the breaker long before damage will occur.
The burning there was a result of poor connection between the wires & lugs. Most probably a result of a rushed, low paid, unskilled worker not fully tightening the screws.
The remedy is to cut back the wire & reterminate. Cleaning the wire is not required unless obviously badly corroded. Copper oxide (as in lightly tarnished) is actually a decent conductor & isn't usually an issue.
