Do you know what an "arc fault" is, and have you ever seen one?I DOUBT it, or you would have replaced that whole breaker panel by now! (An "arc fault" starts as a small arc from a poor connection, that won't trip the main breaker, then flares up into a massive arc when air gets ionized from the arc, plus the insulation chars in the area near the arc, and suddenly, the breaker box and service entrance wiring virtually blows up.) A friend of my B-I-L's had that happen earlier this year, in a pretty new house. He had smelled something warm a time or two, and happened to be at home when the main panel "blew". He was able to cut the power using a disconnect at the yard pole, and then put the fire out. The fire dept. was called, but the way I heard the story, he had it out when they got there. If he had not been home, and acted quickly, likely the house would have been a total loss. Think about that, before continuing to fiddle with the "bad" breaker box. A 100 Amp box is pretty cheap, compared to what can happen!
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