ANOTHER ELECTRICAL QUESTION

[PILOON]

One old electrician trick was to plug a noise maker (like a power drill) to isolate circuits back at the panel.

Current circuits should have 3 wires.
A 'hot' (black or red) neutral (white) and ground (bare wire)
All the bare should be on the same buss bar while the whites have their own separate buss bar.

"Stranded wire inside an AC Panel? More YIKES"
When U go below some wire gauge size only stranded is available.(oven circuit is one example)

Then again very small gauge, like a transformer, is generally also stranded.

 

[grsthegreat]

Stranded wire inside an AC Panel? More YIKES

?? Stranded wire is used inside panels all the time.....forever in use.

 

[grsthegreat]

One old electrician trick was to plug a noise maker (like a power drill) to isolate circuits back at the panel.

Current circuits should have 3 wires.
A 'hot' (black or red) neutral (white) and ground (bare wire)
All the bare should be on the same buss bar while the whites have their own separate buss bar.


"Stranded wire inside an AC Panel? More YIKES"
When U go below some wire gauge size only stranded is available.(oven circuit is one example)

Then again very small gauge, like a transformer, is generally also stranded.

Main panels ... in usa that is... have neutral and ground on same buss. Only are separated on subpanels.

 

[aczlan]

Stranded wire inside an AC Panel? More YIKES

Yikes? We literally have miles of that in conduit at work.
THHN or MTW type wire is rated for that use.

Aaron Z

 

[TBone]

If they are in conduit then they should not have the outer wrap of Romex cable but just single strand wire such as THHN. To put romex in conduit I believe would be a code violation.

I agree with you. When wires are run through rigid conduit they are normally single strand. The previous owner built this "shop/living quarters" building himself and wired it himself using romex wire. I really don't think it is a code violation (not sure about that) but it is unusual. The piece of rigid conduit where the wires enter the panel is only about 2' long. Not sure exactly why he did what he did.

 

[Diggin It]

^^^ We're gonna need some pictures.

 

[grsthegreat]

I agree with you. When wires are run through rigid conduit they are normally single strand. The previous owner built this "shop/living quarters" building himself and wired it himself using romex wire. I really don't think it is a code violation (not sure about that) but it is unusual. The piece of rigid conduit where the wires enter the panel is only about 2' long. Not sure exactly why he did what he did.

in shops, romex is ok, at least here in idaho, but everything from ground level to 8' level needs to be in conduit......Schedule 80 PVC conduit that is. metal conduit isnt allowed. Other states..who knows. the conduit is only used as a method to protect wire from mechanical harm. in your case, cant you just pull on each romex and see which wires pull tight in panel?

now if the walls have been sheetrocked or plywood covered that conduit requirement is not necessary.

 

[TBone]

You can buy a clamp style "AMP" meter that will clamp around the wire and do this testing safely and quickly. Follow mwayne's direction.

My clamp style amp meter quit a long time ago but I have a new one ordered. If I have for instance a 9 amp load on a particular circuit I know the clamp meter should register 9 amps on the hot (black) wire. Will the clamp meter register 9 amps on the corresponding neutral (white) wire? If so, that's the answer.

 

[LouNY]

It's only 12 circuits,
kill all the power,
disconnect the neutrals,
go to the far end of the circuit you are interested in twist or bung the hot and neutral together,
come back to the panel and use your meter for continuity only one pair will have it,
grab a neutral wire and start down the breakers and repeat.
Piece of cake

 

[Diggin It]

We still don't know why which white/neutral is matched to which black/red/hot matters. I can't think of a reason.

And we still don't have pictures to help explain the panel itself.