Should I be concerned?

[Philatc]

Hello everyone, I recently added an EV charger to my electrical panel. Upon closer examination I noticed the common/ground bus bar wires are corroded?? As far as I know there have been no chemicals in or around the garage or breaker panel. The house is only two years old. I also have lights that will flicker from time to time. I installed a Surge Protection device which hasn't seemed to make a difference. The common main service bar screw is tight. All the screws on the bus bars are tight as well. I'm not sure if this is just normal corrosion for my area or if this is something I should be concerned with. I've attached some pictures. Thank you all in advance.

 

[Megawatt]

Hello everyone, I recently added an EV charger to my electrical panel. Upon closer examination I noticed the common/ground bus bar wires are corroded?? As far as I know there have been no chemicals in or around the garage or breaker panel. The house is only two years old. I also have lights that will flicker from time to time. I installed a Surge Protection device which hasn't seemed to make a difference. The common main service bar screw is tight. All the screws on the bus bars are tight as well. I'm not sure if this is just normal corrosion for my area or if this is something I should be concerned with. I've attached some pictures. Thank you all in advance.

Philatc you probably have a indoor panel which is not intended for wet or damp locations. With it being in the basement it should be a NEMA 3 enclosure or water tight. Since the corrosion is causing problems my advice is to hire an electrician and change the panel

 

[Philatc]

Philatc you probably have a indoor panel which is not intended for wet or damp locations. With it being in the basement it should be a NEMA 3 enclosure or water tight. Since the corrosion is causing problems my advice is to hire an electrician and change the panel

Hello Megawatt. My panel is located outside on the side of my house. I live in Cali and I haven't seen a basement in years. Not sure why I'm not able to post my pictures. The relative humidity is around 20% year round as well.

 

[telectrix]

Hello Megawatt. My panel is located outside on the side of my house. I live in Cali and I haven't seen a basement in years. Not sure why I'm not able to post my pictures. The relative humidity is around 20% year round as well.

posting pics. is a forum problem for all. admin are trying to fix.

 

[Philatc]

posting pics. is a forum problem for all. admin are trying to fix.

Alright copy that, thank you.

 

[Megawatt]

Alright copy that, thank you.

Could the moisture be coming in from the SE cable on top could be the connector leaking if you have over head service from the power company I just went and looked at a house that has the same problem. I’m going to switch it over to 2 inch PVC pipe with a weather head

 

[Philatc]

Could the moisture be coming in from the SE cable on top could be the connector leaking if you have over head service from the power company I just went and looked at a house that has the same problem. I’m going to switch it over to 2 inch PVC pipe with a weather head

My utility comes from the ground. Its a Spanish style stucco home. The panel box is recessed into the frame work of the house. Both line 1 and 2 connect at the bottom of the panel.

 

[Megawatt]

My utility comes from the ground. Its a Spanish style stucco home. The panel box is recessed into the frame work of the house. Both line 1 and 2 connect at the bottom of the panel.

That’s the way mine is underground I’m sure the face plate is installed on the panel so I can tell you the corrosion on your neutral bar is not good and could have problems in the house. Turn off the main breaker and take a small steel brush and wipe away and if possible use nolox on your screws and you can buy that at Lowe’s or Home Depot

 

[Philatc]

That’s the way mine is underground I’m sure the face plate is installed on the panel so I can tell you the corrosion on your neutral bar is not good and could have problems in the house. Turn off the main breaker and take a small steel brush and wipe away and if possible use nolox on your screws and you can buy that at Lowe’s or Home Depot

Alright I'll give that a go. Whats weird about it all os that the load side lines are not black. The copper color has faded a bit.

 

[freddo]

Signs of an overheating connection?

 

[Philatc]

Signs of an overheating connection?

Thats what I'm worried about. The load size looks fine. I'm thinking about using vinegar and salt to clean the common and ground wires. Then use some baking soda to naturalize the reaction. Maybe at some point the previous owner had chemicals near by. He owned the house for maybe 4 months at that. I'm probably going to get a electrician to come out.

 

[pc1966]

I'm thinking about using vinegar and salt to clean the common and ground wires. Then use some baking soda to naturalize the reaction.

No. Just NO!

The last thing you want if you are concerned about corrosion is to try and out-corrode the situation in the hope of cleaning it up. As already said, if it needs cleaning then power off, make damn sure the power really is off, use a gentle abrasive to remove any corrosion and finally apply a contact grease (the nolox stuff) that excludes damp/oxygen to suppress galvanic corrosion.
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Depending on what you find it is either salvageable or it needs replacing. Cables with just ends damaged by corrosion and/or overheating can often be cut back if they are long enough, but terminal strips that have screws no longer holding tight due to corrosion, or sheared off on an attempt to unscrew, etc, simply have to be replaced.

 

[norcal]

Could the moisture be coming in from the SE cable on top could be the connector leaking if you have over head service from the power company I just went and looked at a house that has the same problem. I’m going to switch it over to 2 inch PVC pipe with a weather head

SE cable is not used in CA, it is NEC compliant but not allowed by any of the PoCo's in CA, any that is in service is 60-70 years old.