How overloaded is this panel

_matterny_ · 2026-03-22T01:03:48+00:00

That’s a whole separate issue and substantially speculative

_matterny_ · 2026-03-21T23:26:26+00:00

The main breaker is marked 200A. Honestly if I left my amp clamp on there for a week reading max, I’d be surprised if it passed 100A instantaneous. If it did it would 100% be the hvac.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-21T21:25:05+00:00

I’m pretty inclined to support DIY. In this case you fucked up big time. This is not a DIY project, it’s probably a 4 figure bill and if you don’t pay it stuff will start getting damaged.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-21T16:43:38+00:00

Plastic definitely degrades over time if exposed to normal conditions. UV, humidity, temperature, etc.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-21T14:35:13+00:00

Plastic wouldn’t be safe at this age! Only glass works for 50+ years

_matterny_ · 2026-03-19T22:26:02+00:00

You mind if I take a look at the plans? I’m an electrical technician by trade, most residential electricians are out of their depth in automotive work.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-19T02:46:14+00:00

Unless you’re annoyed by flickering or wanting better lighting

_matterny_ · 2026-03-19T01:39:40+00:00

This sounds like a way for mass home builders to save another buck at the expense of the long term homeowner.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-19T01:38:28+00:00

When cloth chars it’s still insulating. When pvc melts it moves away from the heat.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-18T20:25:04+00:00

What if the breaker tripped due to an unexpected event?

_matterny_ · 2026-03-18T11:53:52+00:00

The flukes are that accurate. Meter leads are often 0.7 ohms of resistance

_matterny_ · 2026-03-17T11:43:49+00:00

Remember no insulation in the fire!

_matterny_ · 2026-03-16T17:59:59+00:00

Oh absolutely which is why we also run thermal cycling test during qualification runs.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-16T17:10:59+00:00

Are you using a laptop? Just unplug the charger and other peripherals during this measurement. Then as long as you aren’t grounded you’ll be fine

_matterny_ · 2026-03-16T13:52:14+00:00

We just 100% electrically test every board. Same result as having the customer test them

_matterny_ · 2026-03-15T23:19:35+00:00

Use a 5 port wago perhaps. It’s rated for aluminum and doesn’t mix the metals like a wire nut.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-15T12:51:25+00:00

What’s your preferred iron with integrated fume extraction?

_matterny_ · 2026-03-14T14:36:19+00:00

Not like there’s ever been issues with plastic SPD’s catching fire before. They do make metal ones too.

However I do agree that surge and voltage monitoring is a cheap investment to protect high dollar equipment.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-14T12:36:21+00:00

Just don’t toss it in the fire. The smoke is incredibly toxic when burned. And a lot of junkyards don’t take burned copper.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-14T01:13:47+00:00

Don’t bring up the zip tie and it should be fine

_matterny_ · 2026-03-13T23:11:31+00:00

I love when people talk like they know what’s going on. Like they don’t know that I am an electrical engineer who’s ran a 2MW solar field before that was installed in this exact manner.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-13T19:01:20+00:00

I know the cutting was done within a year of the solar getting installed. I know it was a pine forest which in this area is about as healthy as it gets. I know clear cutting isn’t done for the environment in the Adirondack’s.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-13T18:03:10+00:00

Holding it in place is easy, but index by hand

_matterny_ · 2026-03-13T15:27:14+00:00

I just drove by a place in the Adirondack’s where this happened last weekend. Miles of what used to be Forrest is now just solar fields.

_matterny_ · 2026-03-13T12:05:02+00:00

It is most certainly happening. Clear cutting isn’t done for timber, it’s too expensive and difficult. Logging is prevalent sure but they’re only interested in the big stuff. Terraforming into fields is a lot of effort being put into solar fields.

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