Water Heater on Fire!! HELP!

[wbdvt]

I would still maintain that it was not an arcing type of fault due to the thermal degradation of the insulation. Not enough heat would be produced.

To quote from the sources you hyperlinked:

My question is this why does the National Electrical Code require these expensive devices to be installed in bedrooms of new houses, when they WILL NOT TRIP ON A SERIES ARC FAULT? The authors believe that broken wires and loose connections are a common cause of electrical failure which results in fire, and Manufacturer ‘B’ says that their AFCI will trip if these events occur (and we have proven that they will not trip).

AFCIs cannot detect a "glowing" arc. A high-resistance connection through a conductor sometimes can reach conditions that will ignite adjacent combustible material, and AFCIs will not prevent this.

FWIW - I am a degreed Electrical Engineer, licensed Professional Engineer in my state, have 30 years of experience and my specialty is performed arc flash hazard analysis and protection/coordination studies.

[JRTJH]

We are at a point with this discussion where the "facts" outshine the "problem". This discussion approaches being much too "in depth" and goes far beyond helping repair the OP's water heater problem. He has, BTW replaced his terminal connections and stated that his HWH is again operational with no problems.

The problem is solved, it broke, it's fixed, here's how....... let's not make the "why" (and the thread) so complex that future readers can't find the "fix" for their similar problem because of all the "technical discussions about why".

[Sherwood]

JRTJH, I totally agree. Only problem I have is with someone who comes in here and tries to discredit the facts I provided that back up my claim only to try to make me out to be a liar. And ultimately being someone that cant be trusted when trying to help others. When someone does not know the most basic concept in AC/DC theory that resistance goes up, current goes down. Then that's akin to saying that a claimed algebra major cant get 2 + 2 right. Everything after that just cant be trusted.

[wbdvt]

JRTJH, I totally agree. Only problem I have is with someone who comes in here and tries to discredit the facts I provided that back up my claim only to try to make me out to be a liar. And ultimately being someone that cant be trusted when trying to help others. When someone does not know the most basic concept in AC/DC theory that resistance goes up, current goes down. Then that's akin to saying that a claimed algebra major cant get 2 + 2 right. Everything after that just cant be trusted.

Sherwood,
I am sorry that you think I was trying to make you a liar. That was never my intent but I was pointing out inconsistencies in the references you cited. I feel that you have now made a personal attack on me by your comments. I only cited my credentials because you did and my example was very simplified and yes, not accurate but given to drive home a point about the overheating aspect over the arcing aspect for members that may not understand the nuances of electricity.
I am done with this conversation and not sure about continuing with being an active member on this site.
Happy Camping to everyone.

[JRTJH]

Before adults become too vocal, this thread is closed.