Missing Neutral ?

No neutral coming out of the raceway. Double tapped grounds in what I thought is the neutral lug. Is this a dangerous situation if grounding is interrupted. I need some serious help with this one. Thank you in advance

BTW I’m trying out google drive…let me know if I should post the pics directly.

[Missing neutral…](https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByBJzoTy2rhEMjlaelBvQUlTTVk/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByBJzoTy2rhEbVFVN2xUT2lFYkE/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByBJzoTy2rhEcmhtal9xRWZkZnM/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByBJzoTy2rhEMDVVSGdpcndiRU0/edit?usp=sharing https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByBJzoTy2rhEUmVSejNEcFFzQTg/edit?usp=sharing)

And here

The bare-stranded conductor is the service neutral.

If there is any interruption in the ground it’s should be called out and evaluated by licensed electrician. The double tap is iffy to.

Shouldn’t bare or stranded copper wire be shealthed when used as a neutral

Not necesarily.

NEC 230.41 Exception (1) : “Bare copper used in a raceway or part of a service cable assembly”.

Meaning on the line side of service equipment.

Bert

Thanx…everyone.

Treating it as a 2 wire system…called it out for further eval.

It is not a two wire system. You have 2 hots and the neutral. Two wire sysytems would only have 1 hot.

Also referred to as a 120 Volt system. This is a 3-wire, 240 Volt system.

The purpose of my last comment was to get some feed back on this, from some knowledgeable members.

As I stated there isn’t a neutral coming out of the raceway. I don’t use a meter to check for voltage. I observe and report.

My concern is the neutral and the ground being bonded so if there is a break in the path to ground, the system doesn’t become energized causing serious harm.

Having the neutral and the ground in the same lug is enough to warrant further evaluation However I would like to know if this is an immediate danger. Afterall it’s been like this for at least 10 yrs with no problems. lol

The neutral and ground are required to be bonded at the service equipment.

The connection of the stranded conductors and solid conductors at the terminal for the disconnect is more of a “listing” issue, meaning the lug must be rated for multiple conductors. However, stranded should not share a termination with solid conductors.

The service-entrance conductors from the meter-base to the disconnect should have three conductors. Are you saying there are only two - that the stranded conductor is not part of the SEC?

I appears to me after enlarging the photo that one of the two solid conductors is the neutral. The other solid conductor is the bonding jumper for the service raceway. The stranded looking conductor appears to be some of the NM cable EGC’s twisted together. My best guess.:smiley:

These copy’s of photos may help.

whew…thanx for the feedback…

yes 2 wire no third wire coming out of the raceway. Bare copper connected to raceway.

Maybe I didn’t feel that third bare copper wire when I did my check but im sure It wasn’t there. Making an appointment to go back…

Sometimes you got to talk these things out…

If the conduit is metallic you need 3 conductors in it, 2 hots and the neutral.

Is this a service panel?

Robert, you might be on to something there. That would help to explain the gray streak on the copper.

I made a suggestion over the phone to Tom regarding the possibility of the stranded looking conductor actually being egc’s bundled together. As for the solid bare conductor, it does appear to be coming from the bottom raceway. Robert, what size does the solid wire appear to be? #6? If the panel is 150A should it be #2?..

Bert