"FYI the gfci doesn't really check ground fault in the sense some people on here think. A gf I actually checks current leak." Do you have a link to some sort of documentation for this voodoo theory? If that were the case, any time one GFCI in your house tripped because of a current leak, they ALL would trip. If the difference between the current leaving and returning THROUGH the current transformer of the GFCI exceeds 5 mA, the solid-state circuitry opens the switching contacts and de-energizes the circuit. http://m.ecmweb.com/content/how-gfcis-work The GFCI measures the DIFFERENCE in current between the hot and neutral that goes THROUGH the current transformer in the breaker. It can not sense a current that does not go through the current transformer. The GFCI may not reset if the main breaker is not turned back on first, or the LINE side neutral wire is not connected to the neutral bar yet, but it won't sense current leakage on a different circuit. If that were the case, how far away will it sense this "other" leakage? 100 feet? Your neighbor's house? The leakage in all the power transmission lines? Try this experiment, take the line wires off your doorbell transformer, and just wrap them around the transformer instead of hooking them up, and tell me if the doorbell still work ;) Or take your fluke and try to test for current without putting the wire INSIDE the current transformer. It is more likely that you just got unlucky with the new breaker being bad after the first one gave out.

great ideas, here. As it turns out, the appliances (coffee maker and toaster) add up to more then 20 amps when both used on the same circuit, explaining why the breaker was tripped. However, did it all the time with old service entry and never had a problem. Perhaps it used to be a 30 amps circuit, i.e., connected to a 30 amp breaker in the service entry? As far is the stove goes, my handyman friend took a look at the service entry. It seems clear that the breaker for the stove IS USED! unbelievable. (I have an office job, took the handiman to notice such things). about a quarter of the breakers are used....I am lucky the oven is the only problem (as stated, I think the appliances combined were greater then the breaker load used, so I don't think this is a problem.) I am therefore hoping it is the breaker, which would be the best case scenario. I'll check for pattern in the oven combination of burners. Really think the oven/stove is fine though. The reason I upgraded the service panel (could have gotten a subpanel) was some mumbo jumbo about it not handling enough electricity for what was being produced, but OTOH it was old and decaying, and I got a rebate for 1/3 of the price of the new one. I got the electrician for the service panel completely independent of the solar company. The specs on my oven 100 kw at 120/240 volts 7.5 kw at 120/208 volts Not sure what this means, exactly. On my service entry, it is hooked up to a 50 amp breaker, which I understand should handle the oven with every burner on.

The thermal overload protector for a motor is a very slow acting thermal circuit breaker. It does not typically have any magnetic trip like the ones in a residential box that are thermal-magnetic and use both methods at the same time. Once it heats up and trips it may take a while to cool off before it will reset, and if you manage to reset it while it is still warm it will trip sooner. Induction motors will pull more current if the voltage to them sags when the motor is loaded. As the voltage sags the motor slows and the current heads upwards. The extra current will increase the losses in the motor and result in overheating. The motors on muchof the imported stuff have no real reserve capacity. The peak horsepower they can deliver is very close to the rated horsepower. This makes them sensative to multiple on-off cycles in a short time, or trying to start under load. You might want to use a dedictated ircuit for the motor, with heavier conductors, and shorten the cord up. Anything more than about 5 feet is asking for extra voltage drop. If the motor fails you should be able to replace it with a better one from Grainger.

kaseki, thank you for the detailed reply. Yes, I too was surprised to see SER wiring but this is in the kitchen and runs through the crawlspace, so I think they had to use SER-rated cable when they did the last major remodel circa 2002 on account of the fact that the crawlspace is fully exposed. 6AWG actually is rated for 50A up to and the run is only 20ft - the breaker box is actually in the kitchen. Everything but the dyer and range lines are Cu, the latter two are Al. Not sure why they did it like that, the kitchen was stripped to the studs when they did the reno way back so they could have ran any wire they wanted with little difference in effort. Whatever, it is what it is, I am not about the change that. The current range is KitchenAid Superba that is rated for 43A draw, and in two years we have never had the breaker trip so I am pretty sure it is OK. The Samsung, Electrolux, GE, and Bosch induction ranges all require a customer provided 3-wire or 4-wire cable that plugs into a standard outlet. The Al wire connects to the outlet and that is already pre-existing wiring that was inspected at the time it was built, though 10+ years later may not be fully up to current code. I have ordered a brand new 50A-3wire appliance wire for the new range. I was also considering pulling out the existing cord and installing it in the new range, but it is kind of short and it will be a PITA to move the new range in place with it. The Al current connections are goo-capped, I know since i had to pull them to measure the strand diameter to figure out the gauge. I don't anticipate having to do any changes to the wiring, and at this point I have all info I need to hook up the new range when it shows up a month or so from now. Now I just have to figure out how to route a hood exaust to the outside. I love living in a 1930's vintage house, built like a tank, but limits some of the modern niceties you can get. The prior owners put in recessed lighting in the ceiling, so there is AT LEAST a 6" gap there that I think can be used to route the hood exhaust. The wall separating the kitchen from the dining room is only like 5" thick so I don't think I can run down into the crawl space, and the middle of my daughter's bedroom is right above the range so I can't route up to the roof either. Oh well, another day, another battle.