Scorched bus - 1990s Sylvania Panel

[Matt Fellman]

This is an interesting one - 1992 Sylvania panel and a few of the lower attachment points on the bus bar are scorched and deformed. From looking at the overall installation and the house it seems unlikely that these ever had anything attached to them. It was a pretty big panel only a 1300sf house so there were a lot of empty spots.

I'm guessing the installer or someone working inside shorted something out across those scorched attachment points but who knows? Any ideas?

[Jerry Peck]

Any ideas?

Idea #1 - Time to replace the panel. :)

Idea #2 - Way past time to replace the panel. :D

[Mark Reinmiller]

Could very well have been shorted while working on the panel, but something would have had to made good contact with all three slots since they are quite melted. Also, the bottom breaker was present at the time because you can see the soot marks on it.

[John Kogel]

The scorch seems to radiate from the uppermost position, and then maybe molten plastic took out the breakers below?

Maybe Billy Bob tried to backfeed the panel with jumper cables and a generator? Yeah, that could be it. :biggrin:

[Matt Fellman]

Yeah, the deformation of the attachment points is what really got me. I've seen scorching in panels before and it's usually just surface soot or discoloration on the metal. This looks like someone went after it with an arc-welder.

[Ian Page]

'Scorched' just doesn't do that bad boy justice. The panel's 'toast'...

[Jerry Peck]

'Scorched' just doesn't do that bad boy justice. The panel's 'toast'...

That 'toast' has been burnt, someone left it in the 'toaster' a bit too long.

If it was an FPE it may have been someone arc welding with a 20 amp breaker circuit ... :)

[jack davenport]

I can think many issues that could have ,may have, or did that to those buss bars, BUT there is no need to do a forensic analysis. Call for a complete panel replacement cut and dry.

[Matt Fellman]

I can think many issues that could have ,may have, or did that to those buss bars, BUT there is no need to do a forensic analysis. Call for a complete panel replacement cut and dry.

Yep.... done. Just trying to learn for next time.

[Dwight Doane]

The scorch seems to radiate from the uppermost position, and then maybe molten plastic took out the breakers below?

Maybe Billy Bob tried to backfeed the panel with jumper cables and a generator? Yeah, that could be it. :biggrin:


I think you might be right about the jumper cables (even I could not come up with that one) :p

- - - Updated - - -


The scorch seems to radiate from the uppermost position, and then maybe molten plastic took out the breakers below?

Maybe Billy Bob tried to backfeed the panel with jumper cables and a generator? Yeah, that could be it. :biggrin:


I think you might be right about the jumper cables (even I could not come up with that one) :p

[Don Hester]

I have a panel and the breaker that was the culprit that has that same type of damage. I use it in classes.

I am guessing there were breakers there at some point and obviously they are toast also and now gone.