power being drained..electric tripping

[mtrtkt]

We recently got a new_used dryer and the day we brought it home and a few days after we hooked it up..the power to our stove and water tank..began to be drained....the stove would come on..but the coils and oven wouldnt heat up...the water tank wouldnt work..and the porch lights went out..over time the breaker in home would trip..then eventually started to trip breaker at main pole...the dryer then would not heat up..but runs...
Around the same time..we went to turn on the ceiling fan..by pulling the cord and were shocked by it..
We tested the dryer and the outlet it is plugged into ..and it read the combined 240 we were told it should
Does anyone know what could be causing the power drain...could it be a faulty wire in ceiling fan? or something in the dryer doing it?
Thanks for you time
RUe.

[kactuskid]

What you are describing are symptomes of the loss of one of your hot legs comming into your panel. I know you say you tested for 240 volts, but your symptoms indicate that you do not have 240 volts. A stove or dryer will come on with 120 volts, but needs the other hot leg of 120 volts to heat up the coils in your stove or the element in your dryer. To test for 240 volts, first test from each side of the receptacle to ground. You should have 120 volts from each to ground. Then you should have 240 volts across both hot slots. My guess is that one of the hot slots to ground will show no voltage.

You could have a loose 120 volt feed wire at the meter box, at the pole or even in your own main panel. First call your power authority and tell them so they can come out to check the pole and meter box connections. They will charge you nothing for this since it is there equiptment. If they find the loose wire, then you're set, but if they don't, then you'll have to call an electrician to check the connections in your main panel for you.

One last thing, each of these appliances require their own individual double pole 240 amp breaker and cannot share the same breaker. These breakers each take up 2 slots in your breaker panel, are you sure you installed the proper breaker.

Please let us know what you find.

[Spark Chaser]

A loose neutral will cause all kinds of problems as well - Check from meter base all the way into and including the neutral lugs in your breaker box. Loose neutrals will cause big problems

quote:Originally posted by mtrtkt

We recently got a new_used dryer and the day we brought it home and a few days after we hooked it up..the power to our stove and water tank..began to be drained....the stove would come on..but the coils and oven wouldnt heat up...the water tank wouldnt work..and the porch lights went out..over time the breaker in home would trip..then eventually started to trip breaker at main pole...the dryer then would not heat up..but runs...
Around the same time..we went to turn on the ceiling fan..by pulling the cord and were shocked by it..
We tested the dryer and the outlet it is plugged into ..and it read the combined 240 we were told it should
Does anyone know what could be causing the power drain...could it be a faulty wire in ceiling fan? or something in the dryer doing it?
Thanks for you time
RUe.