Two months ago, the kitchen lights were flickering. I realized the kitchen lights and outlets were connected to a single breaker. I measured the voltage and it spiked from 5v – 120v intermittently. I replaced the breaker (Murray 15A single-pole #MP115) and all was well.
Three days ago, the same kitchen lights started flickering again. The breaker read at 102v – 105v which is well below the expected 120v. I flipped the breaker multiple times and measured voltage and different times of the day, but it was always consistently 102-105v. I replaced the breaker today and all is well once again.
Both breakers that were replaced did not look or smell burnt. Any idea why this happened? Could it just be the breaker I replaced two months ago was also a bad breaker? A friend suggested a current surge through the wires, but my assumption is if there was a current surge, the breaker would have tripped or burnt out instead of having a low voltage reading of 102v-105v.
Any ideas?
Best Answer
I am going with Ed Beal. Take a reading at the main lugs and see if you are getting a true voltage there. If you are reading between 118 to 126 volts to ground. Then if your meter can give you at least 1/100 of a voltage reading. Check the voltage between the main lug and the load side of your breaker to see how much drop you are getting. It should be something like .25V. If you are dropping 5 - 15 volts then your bus is probably burnt or corroded and your breaker is not making a good connection.
If you are reading 105V at the main then you need to look further up line. Check with neighbors to see if they are having a problem. If not have the utility company check the lugs in you meter base. Look for loose connections or discoloring of the bus or conductors in the panel. Don't forget to check the entire circuit just in case there are multiple problems. Open switches, light fixtures and receptacles on the circuit and check all connections.
Good luck and stay safe.