# Slight "sizzling" sound coming from the box



## jailbird371 (May 23, 2009)

Great...just great....

I have the guy mudding my basement right now and he just told me my lights flickered a couple times and then went dead. I reset the breaker in the subpanel and they came back on. Then went off a minute later. When I flipped the breaker, I noticed a slight "sizzling" sound coming from the box. I only have the one circuit up and running right now and the sound stopped when I flipped it off. I shut off the whole panel just to be safe for now. 

I'm really hoping it is a bad connection in there or a bad breaker. REALLY HOPING.

Has anyone run into something like this before?


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

The sizzling sound makes it sound like arcing from a loose connection. You need to find it before the connectio deteriorates, especially if it is in the panel and you are burning the buss.


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## tmorriss (Feb 14, 2011)

I had a problem like this in December. I thought it was a bad breaker, but wasn't.(Although I think it could possibly be that as well). 
My problem was that the lug in the box where that breaker connected had been badly burned and pitted from a problem that happened
two years prior with an overloaded circuit that repeatedly tripped that breaker(comb. of too many xmas lights and crummy wiring). 

Anyway, long story short, I too thought it was a bad breaker and changed it. No good. Still had the problem.
I had to call an electrician, who was too busy to come, but was nice enough to tell me what was wrong.
My solution was to not use that slot in my panel and move the circuit to another open slot. That fixed it for me.

I'm not an electrician and I'd wait to get another opinion from one of the pros, but I'd leave that breaker off until you can get it resolved


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## jailbird371 (May 23, 2009)

This is in my subpanel. I cut power to the whole thing from the main box. I think I'm just going to leave it off and call my electrician in a couple days when the mudder is done. I'm waiting because my utility room is just loaded with all the stuff from the rest of my basement while the guy tapes and muds.


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## jailbird371 (May 23, 2009)

Phew...just got off the phone with my electrician. He said if I felt comfortable to open up the panel and check for loose connections....obviously with the power off. Sure enough the power running to the breaker in question was very loose. I could pull it out by hand. Tightened everything back up and all is well. He said he'd stop by tomorrow to double check everything. I'm so glad it was a simple and cheap fix. :thumbsup:


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## Saturday Cowboy (Nov 29, 2009)

sounds like a screw got a wire somewhere and the drywallers mud completed the circuit


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