ANOTHER ELECTRICAL QUESTION

[grsthegreat]

This.
Make sure each circuit’s amperage is unique enough compared to the other circuit’s current to identify.
Hot wire and neutral wire of a circuit should have the same exact measured amperage (current).
...unless someone has connected neutrals from different circuits together downstream, or somebody bonded a (white) neutral and (green) ground wire together downstream (and the ground wire becomes a parallel “neutral” current path).

Not true. Ive seen operational circuits that have lower neutral current than line current. Loss as heat, whatever, from circuit.

 

[grsthegreat]

Another (easier) way to identify:
1. Make sure each circuit has a load plugged into it and turned “on”.
2. Turn off all breakers.
3. Disconnect 1 neutral wire in the panel.
4. Systematically turn breakers on/off until you measure 120v between the disconnected neutral wire and anything grounded (e.g. the panel, neutral bus, etc). The breaker you turned to get 120V on the neutral wire corresponds with that neutral wire.

This works because there is no current flowing in the circuit with the disconnected neutral, thus no voltage drop across the load, thus the whole “circuit”, including the disconnected neutral wire is at 120V.

as long as theres no Edison circuits this method would work best.

 

[CobyRupert]

Not true. Ive seen operational circuits that have lower neutral current than line current. Loss as heat, whatever, from circuit.

Current IN has to equal current OUT.
What you’re experiencing is current leaking to and using the ground, or finding another parallel path, back to the transformer winding from where it came.
GFCI breakers were made to protect people from these circuits.

 

[grsthegreat]

Current IN has to equal current OUT.
What you’re experiencing is current leaking to and using the ground, or finding another parallel path, back to the transformer winding from where it came.
GFCI breakers were made to protect people from these circuits.

I agree totally... but none the less i experienced it all the time. I guess as long as everything was off...... i did work in alot of old industrial and commercial work for sure.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Industrial is a a messy business. Shared neutrals all over the place and then there's that three phase 208 stuff! Domestic is almost always a nice neutral along with every circuit.

 

[grsthegreat]

Industrial is a a messy business. Shared neutrals all over the place and then there's that three phase 208 stuff! Domestic is almost always a nice neutral along with every circuit.

with cheap electricians using 14/3 and 12/3 edison circuits, one neutral is shared by 2 hots. Works great until you drop a neutral.....
Than its a mess. Wrecked tv’s, wrecked refers, and super nova lightbulbs...or simply blowing every led light in the circuits.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

with cheap electricians using 14/3 and 12/3 edison circuits, one neutral is shared by 2 hots. Works great until you drop a neutral.....
Than its a mess. Wrecked tv痴, wrecked refers, and super nova lightbulbs...or simply blowing every led light in the circuits.

grsthegreat has it right. don't burn up appliances. unplug all 120 volt kitchen appliances before disconnecting neutrals and turning breakers back on in case it is a multi-wire circuit
(two 20 amp breakers sharing a neutral). you could burn up your appliances by applying 240 volts to them. Rare but I have seen it happen a couple of times.

 

[CobyRupert]

You can only get 240v with a lifted neutral if 2 breakers were turned on at once.

 

[aczlan]

You can only get 240v with a lifted neutral if 2 breakers were turned on at once.

If you are using a 12/3 or 14/3 with 2 circuits on different breakers, they should be on different poles.
Otherwise you could overload the neutral.


Aaron Z

 

[TBone]

Sorry, I have been under the weather for a few days and have not been able to appropriately respond to the suggestions. I apologize for not explaining my situation from the get go. I will try to remedy that now.

I live on the gulf coast so the threat of hurricanes and power outages is present much of the year. Outages can last from a few hours to several days. I have two Champion 3400 watt generators and would like to use them with a parallel kit to feed a 120/240 volt sub-panel. That panel will provide us with some lighting, satellite tv, run my refrigerator and freezer and a small window ac in my shop/living quarters. The only 240 volt appliances I have are a clothes dryer and central ac in the house. These I can live without for a few days if necessary. I plan to completely remove the wires feeding the sub-panel and even remove the outside breaker from the main panel so a mistake cannot be made and the power be mistakenly restored to the sub-panel. I realize that the two generators run in parallel DO NOT produce 240 volts, only two 120 volt feeds. The sub-panel I have contains 6 - 120volt breakers on each side. The MAX amp load on each side is about 14-16 amps according to my amp meter. Average load is much less than that so the 50 amp parallel feed should be more than enough. I know how to feed the sub-panel properly with the two 120 volt generator feeds but I'm not completely sure what to do with the neutral and ground wires coming from the generator. I understand that the generators have a floating neutral and my main panel has the neutral and ground bonded. So, do I hook up the ground and neutral wires coming from the generator to the sub-panel in their appropriate busses or will the ground connection cause a "ground loop" and present a problem. Sorry for the long post but I really need to know. Thanks.