Testing new Control Panel

[drwoods21]

I completed my electric control panel awhile ago but haven't had the chance to do anything with it yet as I don't have a plug/breaker setup that will handle the final draw it will need.

However, my question is, is there a way I can test that I have everything wired correctly without having the 50a GFCI breaker installed? If so how do I know how much it will pull with no elements plugged in? For reference my control panel is a clone of Kal's 50a control panel. Thanks for any input, I will post some pics as soon as I know it wont blow up on me.

 

[kal]

Yes - You can test the panel without using heating elements off a regular 120V/15A circuit. You simply supply the BLACK HOT, WHITE NEUTRAL, and GREEN GROUND in to the power input receptacle from a standard 15A wall outlet using a custom cord you make. It'll only draw about 0.2 amps.

This is in fact what I did when testing, though the way I connected the wires isn't really recommended:

Better to use the 30A female connector on the power input and attach a standard cord. A lot safer.

Note that this works because the second RED HOT line is only used to power heating elements so not having it still means you can test everything. Everything still works normally:

It won't be GFI protected so be careful, don't test it standing barefoot in a puddle of water, etc.

Kal

 

[drwoods21]

Thanks Kal, I will try this out. I will report back with my results. Thanks for all the hard work you put into your guide to build this, couldn't have done it without it.

 

[Minbari]

that is exactly how I test things are well. switch off the RED 240 volt line and nothing that gets hot, works. all the electronics still work.

 

[drwoods21]

Kal, I created a wire like what is shown in your picture to test. Plugged into a normal garage outlet that is a GFCI plug. When I turned the key on the box, the power light and meters flashed I heard one of the contactors engage and then it trips the plug. I know that might be caused by tons of problems but any idea when I can start to look?

 

[BigFloppy]

if you've got a single breaker for your 120v power inside as well as multiple 240v contactors... turn off your 240V contactors and see what happens ?
ALSO, check the alarm wiring on the aubers.

You can do this "dry" with no power applied, check to make sure you don't have a HOT connected directly to NEUTRAL or GND (I had a 110v led that went short on me causing same type of problem)
If you don't already have a multi-meter... harborfreight is definitely your friend (or Frys, RadioShack, MicroCenter etc)

oooh ooh ooh... wha do your meter(s) look like... mine was an "all in one" that also caused some wiring issues

 

[drwoods21]

My contactors don't have the option of turning them off. I have a multimeter but not to electrical savvy enough to know how to test without power applied. What is the best way to do this?

 

[BigFloppy]

pm'd you.....

 

[drwoods21]

Attached are some pics of the inside of the panel. One thing to note, I am assuming I don't need the fuses in place for the heating element plugs in order to test. Please let me know if I am wrong on this and if you see anything else weird.

 

[kal]

Kal, I created a wire like what is shown in your picture to test. Plugged into a normal garage outlet that is a GFCI plug. When I turned the key on the box, the power light and meters flashed I heard one of the contactors engage and then it trips the plug. I know that might be caused by tons of problems but any idea when I can start to look?

I'm afraid not. Something, somewhere is not wired correctly. Without seeing it in person anything is possible I'm afraid. I would re-check everything.

Kal

 

[kal]

The fuses are not required to test. I'm afraid that posting pictures of the insides doesn't really help as it's impossible to follow the wiring.

I do have an extensive set of troubleshooting tips meant for the 30A panel, most of which also extends to the 50A. You may find it useful: http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25460

Kal

 

[BigFloppy]

Neutral and Hot connected together?

 

[Minbari]

I would disconnect all the power wires, carefully. Then power up and see if it still pops.

Then connect power wires one at time until it pops

 

[drwoods21]

I figured out the issue. Everything was wired correctly. It seems the adjustable DC power supply was to close the the back plate or the screws I was using was touching the back of the box through the back plate screw hole, even though I had rubber washers between it and the plate. Not sure which exactly was the issue however when I removed the 2 power supplies from the plate and rested them on some wires it worked. I just went step by step until the box tripped the plug and then just eliminated the issue piece by piece.

Now that I know everything works I just have to get some elements and temp probes and get those hooked up.

Thanks everyone for the help. I will post some complete pics soon.

Side note: Kal this pic makes my box look messy. This is some legit wire management. So clean. http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/images/50A1BblInside.jpg

 

[kal]

Yup! Spike Innovations does some clean wiring work. Glad you figured out the issue!

Kal

 

[Minbari]

That is the cleanest work i have ever seen. Kudos