Kimble Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 During an inspection today at a modular home I found what appears to be electrolysis on all of the grounding wiring in the service panel. I have inspected many service panels in the past and this is a first. Electrical is not my strongest field. Please give me some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Kimble During an inspection today at a modular home I found what appears to be electrolysis on all of the grounding wiring in the service panel. I have inspected many service panels in the past and this is a first. Electrical is not my strongest field. Please give me some ideas. Was this copper or aluminum wiring? Was the corrosion widespread or was it limited to the areas surrounding the connections? What did the corrosion look like? Black? White? Crystalline? Shiny? Dull? What was the site like? Were there signs of water issues? Was there any sign that batteries were charged nearby? - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimble Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Copper wiring, the corrosion covered the length of the exposed ground wire, it was a green color, it was a clean site, vaccant home, and no indication of water intrusion, and I did not see where batteris could have been charged. I made contact with an electrician and he said it could be a bad ground rod connection or a bad batch of wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Kimble Copper wiring, the corrosion covered the length of the exposed ground wire, it was a green color, it was a clean site, vaccant home, and no indication of water intrusion, and I did not see where batteris could have been charged. I made contact with an electrician and he said it could be a bad ground rod connection or a bad batch of wire. Neither reply makes any sense. It's something environmental. Is the panel indoors or out? - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Jim, satisfy my curiosity. How could battery charging cause electrolysis in a panel if there's no physical connection? Is there an ionic field generated or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Bain Jim, satisfy my curiosity. How could battery charging cause electrolysis in a panel if there's no physical connection? Is there an ionic field generated or something? I'm talking lead-acid batteries, not dry cell. Hydrogen sulfide gas turns the copper first green, then black. When people charge their golf carts in the garage, the gas turns the copper wiring black. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Got. The things you know . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimble Posted January 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 The panel is located inside and dry. Now I'm wondering if a disimilar metal is involved causing galvanic attack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Kimble The panel is located inside and dry. Now I'm wondering if a disimilar metal is involved causing galvanic attack? That's unlikely. If that were happening, you'd see the corrosion spreading out from the connection point. Besides, electrical panels are made to hold copper wires. They're not about to build them out of an incompatible metal. It was caused by something in the environment. Maybe the last occupants like to boil cabbage or cook meth or maybe they farted a lot. Maybe they made kimchee or maybe they burned some strange incense that included sulfur. Maybe there's a paper mill nearby or maybe the soil in that area releases some kind of sulfur gas -- was the home built over an old landfill? Is there a swamp nearby? Copper will turn green when exposed to all sorts of contaminants. Unless you're really invested in this one, you're unlikely to find the answer. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Bain Got. The things you know . . . It's a blessing . . . . . . . . . . . . and a curse. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bain Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Jim Katen Originally posted by Bain Got. The things you know . . . It's a blessing . . . . . . . . . . . . and a curse. - Jim Katen, Oregon I think Superman said something similar once. I could think of worse company to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted January 18, 2008 Report Share Posted January 18, 2008 Originally posted by Bain . . . I think Superman said something similar once. So did Adrian Monk. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Kubs Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Pool chemicals (Chlorine) as well as hair salon chemicals are also likely culprits that may have been stored there at one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hideinforest Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 A puzzled one..[:-paperba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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