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Mud Puppy

Mud Puppy

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Not sure if this is the place for this but here is my problem. My electric went out, all of a sudden nothing. Checked power at the post, have 120 AC coming into the TT. The GFCI was not popped, no red light on. I pushed the test and it popped. Now won't reset and no red light. Fridge and microwave won't work. I checked the breakers, all are on. I have 120 V at the main breaker and from all the white, hot wires to the main black wire but not from any other black wires on the other breakers, I turned them off to check voltage. I think I know the power goes out on the white and back on the black. So what am I not understanding? Could the main breaker be bad?  I have 3 double breakers. From left to right first is main 30 amp the other side is air conditioner 20 amp. Second set is marked com. 15 amp and microwave 20 amp. third is Fridge 15 amp and GFCI 15 amp. Any help is appreciated Cathy
 
Mud - Start at the power pole and measure the voltage. Then move downstream and measure the voltage coming off the power cord. Keep moving downstream in an orderly fashion until you find the problem.
 
The black wires are the HOT wires and the WHITE wires are the returns.  It sounds like your main breaker is the culprit.

Try turning it OFF and back ON a few times to see if the trouble clears.
 
Thanks Lou I did turn it off and on many times. Tomorrow I will get a new breaker and see if that works. Cathy
 
White is not normally hot, Whites are all connected to a bus bar and are usually NEUTRAL.. likewise Green is conected to a bus bar and is normally ground,, may also be bare.

BLACK is normally hot, as is RED where it's found, though Red can also be switched, in another configuration.

Now.. You say you have 120vac black to white (Let's forget neutral/hot for just now) at the MAIN breaker terminal but NOT at any of the others.

Main breaker tripped or failed or disconnected from the bus bar (tipped foreward).

Those are the ONLY options by the way, you have narrowed it down to a single device.
 
Finally got the chance to take the breaker to the electricion up the road. He banged it on the counter the 30 A side tripped and he said the breaker was bad. Checked all around to find a T&B breaker not a real popular item. Finally went to a RV place 50 miles from me and got one. I will put it in as soon as I get off work and see if I have power. Thanks all for the help. Cathy
 
OK put the new breaker in, had a hard time pushing it on to the power bar. It didn't work. Took it out and looked at the back where it is to slide onto the power bar and it is different than the original. There is metal close to the back of the breaker that the power bar piece slips into. On the original the metal is further inside the breaker. Is it possible they are making them different? And should it matter as long as the power bar is making contact? I will take the breaker back to where I got it and look at another one. The new one is the same part # but is there something else that might make it different? Thanks Cathy
 
The breaker has to snap onto the hot bus or it won't work.  Circuit breakers have to match the box they're installed in.  Take the original with you when you go shopping to be sure you get the right part.  Don't go to an RV store, go to a large hardware store or some place like Home Depot or Lowes.
 
I did bring the original with me, they looked the same and the part # was the same. The new one did snap into the hot buss but it was not easy. This is a T&B breaker, the electrician up the road did not have one and when calling around I could only find them at RV places and not all had them. Even called T&B and they did not have them. They suggested Amazon who had them but if it is just plane wrong that won't help. Thanks Cathy
 
While the breaker is out, check for power at the buss bar. If you have power, reinstall that new breaker and then with it in the on position, check the output screw for power. If you don't, then either the breaker is bad or it's not making good contact. You can also check the old breaker by clicking it to the on position, then check for continuity between the output screw and the back contact of the breaker. That will tell you if it's good or bad.
 
I understood you to say the breaker wouldn't snap onto the bus.  If it did, and it can be hard to press in, then do as Rene suggested and check for power on the output terminal.
 
The breaker does snap into the bus but it is very hard to do. This is the Main 30 A breaker the hot wire attaches to this breaker. I do have power where the wire attaches and to the neutral. The way this looks and I may be all wrong, but the 120 comes to the 30 A side of this breaker and when it snaps into the bus it passes the Voltage to the other breakers. But I will will check it as Rene suggests and see what I have. Cathy
 
As I read the original post, this is the MAIN breaker, not a branch circuit breaker.

OOOPS! The above post wasn't in view when I typed mine.  It should be clear now.
 
OK the original breaker is bad. The new breaker is good. Now going back to my earlier post to the difference in the breakers where it snaps to the bus could be why it does not work? thanks Cathy
 
Cathy, I would compare the two very closely and possibly take some real accurate dimension in a attempt to find the difference. There has to be a slight difference someplace. Then take it back to the supplier and show him/her the difference. It could also be a manufacture's defect.
 
There are many different breakers,  One company makes them one way to fit ti's boxes, another makes it another way to fit their boxes.. All sorts of different breakers.. Some companies make two different "Models" that fit 2 different boxes.

Get the picture.

In computer language

Commodore
Atari
Atari ST
Amiga
Mac
PC
Linux

 
It seems that T&B (Thomas & Bets) no longer makes these breakers. The one I bought is made by Connecticut Electric it is different where it connects to the bus. With the help of an electrician I found and original T&B at Amazon I should have it Friday. Hope it works. Cathy
 
Try a Murray 20-20 tandem breaker from home depot. If it fits you can order a 30-20 from any electrical supply
Did you test the old one with a owns metter
 
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