Smoking 30A Electric BIAB Controller - Help!

[Chris7687]

Hey guys,
So hooked up my electric system for the first time in a year. Between now and the last brew time I moved 200 miles across the state. Today was a frightening brew day to say the least.

I started heating my strike water and walked into the house to get prepping, only to come out to smoke in the air with the smell of an electrical fire.

I am hoping this came from the unit being knocked around and the connections loosening up, but I was hoping I could post a photo or two of my wiring and schematics to double check my work. The wiring diagram is in the next post.

Here are some of the inside burn marks.

Going from the 25a breaker to the Contactor a hot connection was fried. Then going from the same Contactor to the SSR was fried. The back of the PID melted from the wires smoking.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449102254.352205.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449102273.376793.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449102288.500865.jpg

 

[Chris7687]

Wiring Diagram

 

[BrunDog]

Eek!

Would be total conjecture, but a loose or corroded connection would not create a long line of burned wire. My guess is you have a short downstream (element, plug, wiring).

 

[itsnotrequired]

9 times out of 10 these are from loose connections. tug on the wires, see how they feel. definitely replace those damaged sections of wire and clean up the terminations to remove any residue.

i doubt it is a downstream short, even a high resistance one. such a short would have burned up conductors all over the place.

 

[BrunDog]

I dunno, that's a whole lot of wire, in two different places, to be a localized connector. I wonder why the breaker didn't trip. Because it would take a lot of current to heat them like that.

 

[itsnotrequired]

photo is deceptive, i think the conductor 'discoloration' beyond a 1/2" away from the connection is from flex on the outer jacket cover. it would be very bizarre to get heating issues on only that one side of the contactor and not the other or at the breaker.

 

[Chris7687]

All the wires were extremely hot to the touch. Can I use a multi meter to track down the short, if there is one?

 

[GreenMonti]

All the wires were extremely hot to the touch. Can I use a multi meter to track down the short, if there is one?

If there is one, I'd think a meter would show you one. IF there isn't any light bulbs hooked up.

Since you moved.....
What did you plug this into?
Dryer plug?
Is this new place newer construction then your last place?
Is your neutral and ground bonded in your brew panel?

Where I'm going is, neutral and ground were bonded in older construction homes. 3 wire 220 volt was common. Now, they are required to be separate. So, new homes have a separate or isolated neutral and ground. Making 220 volt a 4 wire application. Big difference.

Now, having said that. I'm not an electrician. Just throwing out ideas.

Edit;
Looking at your diagram I see a GFCI. A guy at work back fed his house panel not realizing he messed up his power cord plugs when he wired them. He got the ground and neutral mixed up. He smoked all the GFCI's in the house and almost caused a fire.

 

[Chris7687]

There are LED lights hooked up for indicator lights if power is running to something.

This is plugged into a 50a spa panel, the same panel used at my old house.

The homes are about the same age, late 60's and early 60's.

Not sure what you mean by bonding my panel. There is obviously a ground and neutral bus on the panel, working off the same DIN rail though. Bonding to me usually means neutralizing water and gas pipes with a ground wire from the main terminals ground bus.