Noise coming from breaker box?

Question

i have an 100amp breaker box in my house. a few weeks ago i added a new breaker to install an outside plug recepticle. a few days after installing it i started to hear a hum from the breaker box. everything is working fine and nothing has tripped but i do notice a hum which i havent heard before. what can be causing this or how can i get it to stop?

Answer 1

1)  If you're asking this question, you're not a qualified electrician.

2) Since you're not a qualified electrician, get one to come and check the installation of the breaker for you.  As an added bonus, if you're not certified, it's not legal in the US to wire your house yourself.

3)  Adding to point 2) -- a faulty wiring job in the distribution box can easily lead to a house fire.  Saving the couple hundred bucks on a home wiring job doesn't quite add up to the amount of memories and monetary value of the items in the house you'd loose when it burns down.

4) A hum coming from anything electric is a BAD deal.  A hum coming from the distribution box is a VERY BAD deal. Hum = electricity not wanting to travel through the path its given, unless in an extremely high voltage system.

So, in closing, get a certified electrician to come over and inspect what's going on.  It would really be the best idea.

Answer 2

try changing the breaker.

If the problem presists - check for a ground loop.

Answer 3

Be sure the jack is fully plugged in. If you hear a humming noise, go to the jack and just push it in to the slot until the hum stops. You might have accidentally stepped or slightly pulled it out of place while walking or stepping over it. If not, try playing sound into the breaker box. If the hum stops while playing, you don't have a problem. If the noise gets annoying then just unplug the jack. Then when you need to play sound just plug it back in. Easy!