Electrical Panel Arcing

Electrical Panel Arcing | You're looking at an infrared photo of an electrical panel. You can see the heat from the arcing happening where a circuit breaker is making poor contact with the bus bar.

Electrical Panel Arcing - Very Dangerous and Fire Happens!

An electrical panel arcing situation like you see in the photo above can kill you. The arcing can get so hot the actual plastic breaker housing starts to melt. It doesn't take long before it's burning and the fire spreads to other breakers.

Is Electrical Arcing Dangerous?

Yes, electrical arcing is dangerous and very serious. Electrical arcing is the same process used by welders to melt solid steel to create strong welds. The arcing in your home is not as big, but it creates enough heat to start a fire.

Circuit breaker crackling noise is arcing. The circuit breaker busbar is not making good contact with the prongs on the circuit breaker. Breaker box humming and sparking are symptoms of dangerous arcing.

What Causes Electrical Arcing?

The invisible electricity in your house wires has power similar to that stored in the muscles of your body. The electric power wants to move towards the ground. Just as you can jump over a water puddle, the electricity can jump across an air gap between an energized wire and a screw, an energized wire and another wire, or an energized wire and some other piece of metal. When the electricity jumps across the gap, it creates sparks. This is electrical arcing.

How Fast Can Arcing Cause a Fire?

Watch this video to see how fast arcing starts a fire in a normal electrical box in your home:

Are There Special Breakers That Can Sense Arcing?

Yes, you can install arc fault circuit interrupter breakers in your panel to help keep you safe.

Is There Advanced Technology to Monitor My Home for Arcing?

Yes, there's a sophisticated device called Ting that plugs into an outlet in your home. Look below at the photo caption for a SPECIAL promo code. It connects to the Internet via WiFi. The device sends data about your electrical system to a company that monitors your entire home.

This is the Ting Arcing monitor. It plugs into any outlet, connects to the Wifi in your home, and then starts to protect you, your family, and all your possessions. CLICK or TAP HERE for a Special Discount exclusive to Ask the Builder newsletter subscribers and website visitors. IMPORTANT: Use the promo code TIM10 (note UPPER CASE) at checkout for exclusive savings. Note that Tim Carter gets a very small commission from TingFire should you purchase using the above link. Tim only promotes products he trusts and uses in his own home.

An app on your smartphone allows you to check the condition of your home's wiring at any time. Here's a screenshot of the app on my phone showing all is well:

This is the home screen of the Ting App. The green bar at the top shows all is well. If Ting senses an issue in your home's wiring, you get an instant push notification on your smartphone app as you see above, the red #1 above Notifications. In addition, the Ting service center CALLS you on your phone should it detect hazardous arcing! In my case above, that notification told me that I had a minor power outage at my home. CLICK or TAP HERE to purchase one priced with a special AsktheBuilder discount. Don't forget to use the promo code: TIM10 for a big savings!

CLICK or TAP HERE to get FREE BIDS from local electricians to check your house for electrical arcs.

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