Quote:
Originally Posted by gmc
Well... not sure any surge suppressor would catch that...
I expect you didn't have a VOLTAGE surge... Or even an over/under voltage event - either of which your surge suppressor would have caught.
If amps had been exceeded at the pedestal, the pedestal breaker would have tripped... Assuming it was functional.... A bad breaker could have allowed too much current - still not an event a surge protector would trigger on.
As Laco said, sounds like the connector developed high resistance... Too much current then flowing thru small contact area generating excessive heat.
Which failed first? Could be either...
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I agree with GMC. When I was a young man I was a member of a volunteer fire department. We had a house fire started by a lose connection in the dedicated reciptical for a window air conditioner. It turned out that the hot leg became lose and arced to the connection for the load ie. air conditioner. The fuse didn’t blow because the amperage draw was controlled by the amps being drawn by the air conditioner. If the hot leg had made contact with either the ground or neutral the amperage would have spiked and popped the breaker. But as long as the path to ground is limiting the amperage, a breaker or I suspect a surge protector will not engage to cut the power and heat will continue to be generated at the connection.
As long as we continue to rattle over rough roads I guess I need to add checking electrical connection to my propane connection check list. And I thought I would have nothing to do when I retired.
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