Quote:
Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie
So here's another question, I took the cover off the panel to look at it for wiring the new circuit. Every once in a while, the panel made a noise. It wasn't too loud, but it sounded like a bug zapper, jedi light saber, tesla coil type of noise. I turned everything off on the circuit, and eventually deduced that it was making that noise when a window unit AC was kicking on. The AC is very small, 6,000 btu, and does not use anywhere near 15 amps. The breaker has never tripped.
Is Jedi Light Saber noise bad? Should I replace the breaker?
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Usually a gentle buzzing at the panel board is normal when a motor load such as an air conditioner starts. If the buzz happens during the appliance start and goes away once the unit is running normally then I would not worry about it. This is caused by the magnetic section in the circuit breaker "rattling" due to the starting current of the compressor motor. The starting current can be 4-7 times the normal or rated running current of your unit. This may be listed on the unit nameplate. As the name suggests, a thermal magnetic circuit breaker has two parts - The Magnetic section responds quickly to very high and sometime fast rising currents such as a short circuit and the thermal section of the breaker responds to currents lower near the nameplate rating that are of longer duration. Remember the purpose of the circuit breaker is to protect the wire, not the load. Worth and dm both gave good advice. Check the terminals in the panel board for tightness - a motor load "rattles" the circuit breaker connection every time it cycles and can eventually loosen the screws which is a fire hazard.
Of course switch the load breakers to off before doing this or if not comfortable putting a screw driver in an electrical panel board - open the main circuit breaker first - that is the safest way.
My answers are to long...sorry.
Frank