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- Apr 4, 2006
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We live in our new home just over 2 1/2 years now. Ever since I've lived here I have had a double 220V 40A breaker in the panel that for the life of me I could not figure out where it goes and what it is connected to. I have precisely labeled all rest of the breakers and every time I took a whack at figuring out the mystery of this one, I have failed. When turned off I can not find a single item that does not work. I have even removed the panel cover and seen the two #6 black and red wires attached to it. Those wires go up into a piece of conduit and after that - who knows! 
The only reason I did not disconnect it earlier is that I though it might possibly be for the heat. The heat we have here is not made by a heat pump, but a separate electric heater inside the ac unit. When I studied the schematic on the unit's label yesterday, both the ac and the heat section are both protected by a single 220V 60A breaker - so now I know what I thought the 40A breaker was for is wrong. Since we use the heat only one or two times a year for a few hours I have not payed much attention to it.
Yesterday I borrowed my neighbors Amp probe (about the only electrical test item I don't actually own) and weather the breaker was on or off there was absolutely no change in the zero load being drawn regardless if turned on or off. I concluded that it must have been wired into a junction box in the attic destined to control the pool equipment such as the pump, heater, lights and spa air bubbler. From what I now understand, those original plans were abandon when our County changed the reg's and now requires a separate secondary (not a sub panel) and exclusive breaker panel just for the pool equipment alone. That must be located outside on the wall of the house within so many feet of the pool pump.
Finally after 2 1/2 years I believe I've figured it out! So tomorrow I will take the front of the panel off and remove the two wires connected to that breaker. I do not feel very comfortable having 2 potentially hot wires (if the breaker gets turned on) terminating to who knows where and if they are even in a metal box and properly insulated. Even if I went up in to the attic to investigate, we have so much blown in insulation up there I'd have to move it and search for where it terminates. I really do not like breathing that stuff in and truly see no point so it will be disconnected, the breaker removed and the double space filled in with a blank.
I do believe this finally explains what my conundrum was all about and after looking at a neighbor's panel I saw he had no such breaker. I have to conclude that after the electricians were instructed to meet the new electrical codes they either forgot or just neglected to remove the non used breaker. Issue over and done! I feel much happier now.
The only reason I did not disconnect it earlier is that I though it might possibly be for the heat. The heat we have here is not made by a heat pump, but a separate electric heater inside the ac unit. When I studied the schematic on the unit's label yesterday, both the ac and the heat section are both protected by a single 220V 60A breaker - so now I know what I thought the 40A breaker was for is wrong. Since we use the heat only one or two times a year for a few hours I have not payed much attention to it. Yesterday I borrowed my neighbors Amp probe (about the only electrical test item I don't actually own) and weather the breaker was on or off there was absolutely no change in the zero load being drawn regardless if turned on or off. I concluded that it must have been wired into a junction box in the attic destined to control the pool equipment such as the pump, heater, lights and spa air bubbler. From what I now understand, those original plans were abandon when our County changed the reg's and now requires a separate secondary (not a sub panel) and exclusive breaker panel just for the pool equipment alone. That must be located outside on the wall of the house within so many feet of the pool pump.
Finally after 2 1/2 years I believe I've figured it out! So tomorrow I will take the front of the panel off and remove the two wires connected to that breaker. I do not feel very comfortable having 2 potentially hot wires (if the breaker gets turned on) terminating to who knows where and if they are even in a metal box and properly insulated. Even if I went up in to the attic to investigate, we have so much blown in insulation up there I'd have to move it and search for where it terminates. I really do not like breathing that stuff in and truly see no point so it will be disconnected, the breaker removed and the double space filled in with a blank.
I do believe this finally explains what my conundrum was all about and after looking at a neighbor's panel I saw he had no such breaker. I have to conclude that after the electricians were instructed to meet the new electrical codes they either forgot or just neglected to remove the non used breaker. Issue over and done! I feel much happier now.
