[scrubby]

hello, im new to this world of forums and this site, yep, another newbe, ive got a ? about electrical, but first, if any one needs info on welding, (anything but tig) please feel free to ask, i have been doing it for most of my life. ok back to my ?. does any one know why the bus bar gets pitted, and which circuit panel is best for my app. my murray 100A is arching, it is in my barn, now a welding shop, the panel was in when i purchased the property, the previous owner was a hack, the outside air blows right through it, i will fix this when i pull out the old panel, why does this arching happen. when i set up the shop, i wired the 20A plugs and lites to the breaker direct with no switchs, i use the breakers for on and off, could that also cause this arching, the shop is heated as needed with wood, it is not a controled enviroment, which product is best suited for this? any info is much appreciated, i need to go back to work, thanks kevin

 

[AllanJ]

If the breakers when installed don't clip onto the bus bar firmly, you will get arcing. This may be the case if the breakers are not quite the right brand or kind for the panel.

There will be corrosion and pitting of metal parts when the panel is exposed to outside air with the ever changing humidity. Dew can form in the morning and that does not help.

 

[scrubby]

moisture

thanks for the answer, breakers are correct, i though it was an insulation problem, that makes sence since the problem is progresively getting worse, moisture in-bus bar out, thanks for your time. kevin

 

[hayewe farm]

You should install switches for you lighting, breakers have a much more limited life when used as a switch. On the panel there should be a sticker listing the proper breakers to use in the panel. If the wrong breakers are used they may not fit properly and arching occurs which causes pitting this would be even more pronounced when moving the breakers turning them off and on.

 

[scrubby]

smarter than i

you guys gave me good info, i just pulled the panel/box off of the wall, its junk, the main breaker and a few breakers below it were cooked, the main being the worst, every thing else looks brand new, strange. i just called the elec supply of milford nh to see if they had a replacement that was the same size, nope, i have to research this, size is important. opps, 5.36 pm and the bear just showed up, he is early, i love may, theres a bear every day, i built this see saw rig with buckets on both sides, full of food, he just caught on as to how to use it. enough excitement, the circuit box in a perfect world should be the same size as i framed and covered the whole shop with 24 ga galvy sheet, keeps the sparks out. do any of you guys know if these older types are available, 100 amp, 12 poles each side. thanks for your time. kevin