Due Dilligence: OK, I've checked Article 100, Googled it and checked here on Electrician Talk as well, and it's still not absolutely clear to me (and apparently others) whether the neutral is considered Current Carrying. Some key points I've found are:
What say you all?
Edit: I just found it in the 2020 NEC Handbook. Section 310.15(E) reminds us that neutral conductors in some cases, is NOT considered current carrying. From where I'm standing, it looks like in all cases but one, is the neutral considered current carrying.
310.15(E) Neutral Conductor. Neutral conductors shall be considered current carrying in accordance with any of the following:
- It does carry current, but is not current carrying conductor (or something like that),
- and, Yes it is a Current Carrying Conductor, but doesn't always carry current,
- there are many references to NEC 310.15(B)(4)...which doesn't exist anymore...Whatever.
What say you all?
Edit: I just found it in the 2020 NEC Handbook. Section 310.15(E) reminds us that neutral conductors in some cases, is NOT considered current carrying. From where I'm standing, it looks like in all cases but one, is the neutral considered current carrying.
310.15(E) Neutral Conductor. Neutral conductors shall be considered current carrying in accordance with any of the following:
- A neutral conductor that carries only the unbalanced current from other conductors of the same circuit shall not be required to be counted when applying the provisions of 310.15(C)(1).
- In a 3-wire circuit consisting of tho phase conductors and the neutral conductor of a 4-wire, 3-phase, wye-connected system, a common conductor carries approximately the same current as the line-to-neutral load currents of the other conductors and shall be counted when applying the provisions of 310.15(C)(1).
- On a 4-wire, 3-phase wye circuit where the major portion of load consists of nonlinear loads, harmonic currents are present in the neutral conductor; the neutral conductor shall therefore be considered a current-carrying conductor.