Noisy Breaker Box: Normal or Not?

LESLIE: Now we’re going to Missouri where Tammy is having issues with her new furnace. What’s going on? Let’s talk you through this.

TAMMY: I replaced the furnace in my mobile home here before the beginning of winter. And since then, I’ve had a buzzing noise in my breaker box every time it kicks on. I would like to say that the furnace that I replaced was about up to my knees. And the newer furnace is about chest-high. Would that have something to do with the pulling of the amps?

TOM: Well, the size of the – physical size of the unit may or may not be related to this. It’s more like how much power is it pulling and how is it wired into the breaker box? But if you’re getting a vibration in the breaker box itself, that’s not a good sign. The breaker could be deteriorating internally and what you’re hearing are the early stages of that or perhaps the advanced stages of that. I don’t know.

I would tell you that if you’ve got that kind of a signal, I would definitely hire an electrician who can open that panel up, have him pull out those breakers, look behind them. Make sure it’s sized properly. Make sure nothing is over-fused, for example, where the wrong size fuse is being used on a wire and therefore not protecting it from overheating.

It’s definitely not a good sign and shouldn’t be happening and you need to get it checked out further. OK, Tammy?

TAMMY: Alright. Thank you.