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3 Phase Neutral

2134 Views 31 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Chrisibew440
I have seen different types of work done by different electricians. I've seen shared neutral in a panel where the neutral is identified with numbers on the neutral bar. I also see neutral being tape to the hot conductor an inch of coming into the panel with electrical tape to identify the neutral belonging to those circuits. My question is, if none of method is available on the neutral, how do I ID the neutral? I know the code said that on a share neutral the circuits have to simultaneously trip all the circuit that is sharing the neutral. Like a 3 pole breaker, but in reality that is not the case. There's people pulling circuit 1, 3 and then 1,3,11 with the same neutral.
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I have seen different types of work done by different electricians. I've seen shared neutral in a panel where the neutral is identified with numbers on the neutral bar. I also see neutral being tape to the hot conductor an inch of coming into the panel with electrical tape to identify the neutral belonging to those circuits. My question is, if none of method is available on the neutral, how do I ID the neutral? I know the code said that on a share neutral the circuits have to simultaneously trip all the circuit that is sharing the neutral. Like a 3 pole breaker, but in reality that is not the case. There's people pulling circuit 1, 3 and then 1,3,11 with the same neutral.
Get an amp clamp, plug in a load of known and consistent current draw on it (or something that regularly pulsates; I think a few guys here mentioned a pulsing light bulb recently) and then measure the neutral current until you find the appropriate conductor.
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I have seen different types of work done by different electricians. I've seen shared neutral in a panel where the neutral is identified with numbers on the neutral bar. I also see neutral being tape to the hot conductor an inch of coming into the panel with electrical tape to identify the neutral belonging to those circuits. My question is, if none of method is available on the neutral, how do I ID the neutral? I know the code said that on a share neutral the circuits have to simultaneously trip all the circuit that is sharing the neutral. Like a 3 pole breaker, but in reality that is not the case. There's people pulling circuit 1, 3 and then 1,3,11 with the same neutral.
They're doing that because they're hacks. Electrically it works but ethically not.
Chrisibew440 said:
They're doing that because they're hacks. Electrically it works but ethically not.
There's nothing hack about it. Read 210.4(D) and it's exception. It doesn't say anywhere that the circuits in a raceway need to be landed in numerical order. Any halfway decent electrician should know how to determine how a mwbc is fed
There's nothing hack about it. Read 210.4(D) and it's exception. It doesn't say anywhere that the circuits in a raceway need to be landed in numerical order. Any halfway decent electrician should know how to determine how a mwbc is fed
It looks like you did not read his post.
BBQ said:
It looks like you did not read his post.
Maybe I didn't. I thought someone was bitching about sharing a neutral between 1-3-11 instead of 1-3-5.
Maybe I didn't. I thought someone was bitching about sharing a neutral between 1-3-11
I used to do that all the time, but that is now an NEC violtion which IMO sucks but to ignore it is the rules is hack work.
There's nothing hack about it. Read 210.4(D) and it's exception. It doesn't say anywhere that the circuits in a raceway need to be landed in numerical order. Any halfway decent electrician should know how to determine how a mwbc is fed[/



If you got your hands in something that you think is dead and that neutral still has potential on it. That sucks. You might as well not land the wires on the breakers in the correct order.
Maybe I didn't. I thought someone was bitching about sharing a neutral between 1-3-11 instead of 1-3-5.
I was. That's ridiculous.
I was. That's ridiculous.
Nothing ridiculous about it at all. We did that for years until the NEC decided to dumb things down for the unskilled by requiring handle ties on multiwire branch circuits.
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Nothing ridiculous about it at all. We did that for years until the NEC decided to dumb things down for the unskilled by requiring handle ties on multiwire branch circuits.
Why's it a skill thing. Lmao. How stupid. To me it's a safety thing. That's most likely why the nec made its changes.
Chrisibew440 said:
Why's it a skill thing. Lmao. How stupid. To me it's a safety thing. That's most likely why the nec made its changes.
Safetys why they manufacture afcis . On the phone cant roll eyes
I wired single pole breakers for three phase circuits for years to but never would I share 1,3,11. Because people do things like this is why the nec is requiring mwbc's to be simultaneously disconnected.
Safetys why they manufacture afcis . On the phone cant roll eyes
You do know that arcs cause fires as well right? Afcis monitor the sine wave differently.
Chrisibew440 said:
You do know that arcs cause fires as well right? Afcis monitor the sine wave differently.
No i had no idea
Chrisibew440 said:
Why's it a skill thing. Lmao. How stupid. To me it's a safety thing. That's most likely why the nec made its changes.
You're both right. It's a safety issue for the unskilled
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You're both right. It's a safety issue for the unskilled
That's funny. Good one.
Why's it a skill thing. Lmao.
:laughing:

Only an idiot opens a neutral without making sure there is no current on it.

A skilled person can do that safely

How stupid. To me it's a safety thing.
I am sorry MWBCs are above your skill level. :whistling2:
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