We have a 240v sub panel that was ran without a neutral. It is a 4-2 w/g. Ground is #12. Are we able to run a separate 4g neutral to the box to allow 120v out of the panel or are we going to have to run a new 4-3 w/ g? The current wire is not in a conduit as it runs through the house. No access to wire.
Sub panel without neutral wire?
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In olden days Netural and ground were the same, by code now ground is Earth ,neutral floats above that not tied to it. Not uncommon to find older wiring wherethe netural buss and the ground bus are tied together in the main fuse box. Had a problem with a customers machine 220v /1P. 2 hot leads in the conduit - conduit was the netural line , some of conduit joints were loose and every time a heavy truck or similar vehicle would pass by the machine would jam up and stop, due intermitant conductivity of the conduit sections. Took a bit before I realized the connection between the traffic vibrations and machine problem. The wierd stuff that happens in a tech's life.
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You can still bond the neutral and ground in the main box. Must keep separate in sub panels. You can also use metal conduit as your ground but using it as a neutral sounds like an electrocution waiting to happen. Glad nobody grounded it out when a truck passed by. I’m an HVAC tech so I see all kinds of crap.
Just today came upon a air handler that was supported by firewood rounds. When they installed the new replacement air handler in the 90’s they were short in wire. They connected the wires (downsized I might add) together to make a longer run and just used electrical tape. Left the mess just laying right on top of the unit. Didn’t even use a romex connector to feed the 6 wires into the metal air handler. Was using 80amps of power and the 200 amp main tripped... Told the homeowner to get an electrician to inspect wiring of the house.
Just today came upon a air handler that was supported by firewood rounds. When they installed the new replacement air handler in the 90’s they were short in wire. They connected the wires (downsized I might add) together to make a longer run and just used electrical tape. Left the mess just laying right on top of the unit. Didn’t even use a romex connector to feed the 6 wires into the metal air handler. Was using 80amps of power and the 200 amp main tripped... Told the homeowner to get an electrician to inspect wiring of the house.
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