Short circuit in CB

[hais]

The avionics shop was doing continuity test and noticed a problem. They traced the problem to a spacer that was shorting bus bars inside the CB box.

Appears the spacer was forgotten there sometimes in the past. It was freely moving about causing arcing. It was shorting one bus such that the bus would be hot when the avionics switch was off. 

We never noticed an issue with the airplane. However, we did have an issue with the battery sometimes depleting overnight even though everything was off.

Not sure what lessons can be drawn from this. But if you do see strange battery depletion issues, you should run continuity tests. 

 

[LANCECASPER]

3 hours ago, hais said:

The avionics shop was doing continuity test and noticed a problem. They traced the problem to a spacer that was shorting bus bars inside the CB box.

Appears the spacer was forgotten there sometimes in the past. It was freely moving about causing arcing. It was shorting one bus such that the bus would be hot when the avionics switch was off. 

We never noticed an issue with the airplane. However, we did have an issue with the battery sometimes depleting overnight even though everything was off.

Not sure what lessons can be drawn from this. But if you do see strange battery depletion issues, you should run continuity tests. 

 

Yet one more reason not to keep pushing in the circuit breaker when it pops.

[hais]

The airplane has been flying like that for at least 3 years. Is it an incredible luck that no fire ensued, or is that a testament for the robustness of the electrical system? 

I want to believe it's the latter.