short circuits on panel boards . how to prevent?

Home Electrical Engineering Forum General Discussion short circuits on panel boards . how to prevent?

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  • #10463
    admin
    Keymaster

    Im a fire/arson investigator and for so countless times ive incountered fires involving panel boards triggering short circuits and arcing. why this kind of materials always triggers shoirt circuit ? is it due to poor maintenance? or to the materials used? the installation? or how it is used? im very concerned of this specially when sometimes it happened in residential condominiums wherein plenty of lives are at risks. i want to know more about this so that i can reccomend some changes of this matters.

    thank you very much .. please help me.

    #12011
    erickench
    Participant

    A short circuit occurs because an ungrounded conductor comes in contact with ground or neutal conductor or another ungrounded conductor such as a double line-to-ground fault. NEC 408.36 has rules for the protection of panelboards. They state:

    a panelboard shall be protected by an overcurrent device having a rating not greater than that of the panelboard

     

    If there is a fire or some other accident occurs then the panelboard is not protected properly. The main circuit breaker is supposed to trip whenever a short circuit or overload occurs. Perhaps the available short circuit current exceeds that of the AIC rating?

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