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Old fuse box that I'm talking aboutI am wondering how the neutral is being fed back to the source? In new breaker box they usually have a neutral/ground bus. This does not

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  • Can you measure the voltage between the two busbars on this panel please? Sep 25, 2022 at 17:09

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Neutral is being fed through fuses here

This panel is so old that it appears to have fused neutrals -- i.e. neutral is one of the fused/switched busbars in this panel, while the only hot is the other fused/switched busbar. This is a highly obsolete and potentially hazardous configuration that has not been used in many decades, and makes this panel a prime candidate for total replacement.

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  • OK, if that's the case then I'll have to replace the whole thing. Just out of curiosity, how is the neutral going back to the transformer? Sense there's only to hotwires coming into the fuse box. Also what fuse is the neutral connected to? Are these circuits Sharing one neutral?
    – Judd Heess
    Sep 25, 2022 at 17:36
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    Couldn't you just add a neutral bar, stop fusing neutrals, and get 4 more fuse spaces as a result? OP fusing neutral is bad because if neutral blows and not hot, you wind up with an energized neutral. Code requires hot(s) be tripped when neutral trips, which is possible with breakers but not fuses. Sep 25, 2022 at 18:08
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    @JuddHeess -- one of the incoming wires is hot and the other is the neutral if my theory is correct Sep 25, 2022 at 18:33
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    @Harper-ReinstateMonica -- the OP's panel isn't even properly deadfront (see the main disconnect switch near the top), so keeping it in service is a "no go" Sep 25, 2022 at 18:33
  • I’m not sure what “OP” stands for ?
    – Judd Heess
    Sep 25, 2022 at 20:05

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