Re: RFDesign Magazine article--Tayloe

keith wrote:
>
> On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 15:36:40 +0000, Michael A. Terrell wrote:
>
> > keith wrote:
> >>
> >> On Thu, 21 Jul 2005 12:30:53 +0000, Michael A. Terrell wrote:
> >> >
> >> > I prefer: "We all have our bears to cross!" ;-)
> >>
> >> I *am* going to remember that one! Thanks.
> >>
> >> BTW, you never answered me about the PC-for-vets thing. Your responder
> >> said that you would get back, but needed time. Well! ;-)
> >>
> >> --
> >> Keith
> >
> > I apologize.
>
> No need. I figured you were busy.
>
> > There have been too many thing going on, and I missed a
> > few things. I started this week of with an electrical fire in my home,
> > and spent the week before dealing with the problem caused for my
> > church. I now understand why I have never seen a breaker box signed off
> > by an electrical contractor who is still in business around here. The
> > breaker box was mounted 20 inches from the floor in an outside wall of a
> > bedroom with no insulation around or behind it. That let moisture
> > condensed on the buss bars. Then, there was no "No-Ox" on the breaker
> > tabs so they corroded. I was expecting company in a couple weeks so I
> > turned on the air conditioner for the family room because it is rarely
> > used. 20 seconds later I heard a loud buzzing noise and limped to the
> > master bedroom to see flames coming out of the breaker box. I beat the
> > flames out with my hand so I could shut the main breaker off. The 20
> > Amp 240 AC breaker for the AC burnt, and one of the tabs to the buss bar
> > burnt off at the main breaker. I have power in one side of the house for
> > now, till they replace the box and some damaged wire. If I hadn't walked
> > to the other side of the house I wouldn't have heard the arcing, and
> > would have likely lost the whole house. Its a good thing that the
> > *** who wired the house is already dead, because he would wish he
> > was before I was was finished dragging him through the court system. I
> > still haven't got the odor of burnt bakelite out of the house. Its a
> > good thing I spend most of my time in the cottage behind the house.
>
> Oh, my! Your luck could use some improvement! Al wire, without "No-Ox",
> in FL? Yikes! I have a little Al wiring in my house (entrance and range)
> and there is no No-Ox on the terminals, at least on the range. They look
> clean, should I worry? I'll be pulling it all apart again in a couple of
> weeks to replace the floor, so that would be a good time to inspect the
> whole thing again.
>
> > E-mail me at computersforvets@xxxxxxxxxxxxx for information on the
> > project, or take a look at http://home.earthlink.net/~computersforvets/
> > for some basic information. The site needs some work but every time I
> > sit down to work on it, something comes up to interfere with it.
>
> Thanks, I'll take a look when I get some time. I'll ask around to see if
> there is any interest in such things here. I have friends in a local
> VFW, where I've been invited to suck down a few brews in an hour or so. ;-)
>
> --
> Keith

It was all copper wire that burnt in the breaker box. Now there
isn't enough left to hook some things back up until new wire is pulled.
I refused to allow them to put a hidden junction box under the crawl
space where I can't physically inspect it, and I don't like splices
right at a "Romex" clamp.. The house had two boxes, a breaker box and a
fuse box. The main fuse box was replaced five years ago, and the box
that replaced it has enough spare spaces for the other circuits. The new
box is fed from the one that burnt, so the main breaker was replaced
with a 50 amp lower in the box. Till the repairs are finished I won't
have central air conditioning, or lights in three rooms. It may be fall
before I have the money to pay for the rest of the work.

As far as the "No-Ox", it doesn't hurt. Any aluminum wire needs to
be re-tightened from time to time, and the "No-Ox" helps prevent the
aluminum from forming an insulating layer that will heat up as the
aluminum cold flows in the clamp or lug.

The fuse box in the detached four car garage was mounted eight inches
from the floor in the center of a side wall. It was replaced when the
fuse box in the house was replaced. It is three feet inside the door
now, and at eye level with most of the "Romex" wiring replaced with
EMT. Its obvious there was never a spark there, because the previous
owner was a "Florida snow bird" who let her friends store their cars for
the summer.

--
Link to my "Computers for disabled Veterans" project website deleted
after threats were telephoned to my church.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
.

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