Questions tagged [neutral]
For questions relating to the neutral wire, or "grounded conductor" as it's sometimes called. The neutral, or "grounded conductor" in NEC, is the normal return path for electricity in a household AC circuit.
238
questions
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2answers
87 views
Do I have neutral wires here?
I'm trying to install a Brilliant smart switch and it requires a neutral. This particular circuit has two boxes on it, the switch in the picture, as well as a powder room light switch on the other ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
older wiring, neutral wire voltage spike (and lamp flickering) when turning on/off white-noise machine
I'm debugging an issue with flickering lights in a house with older wiring (1950s, braided sheath, two wire, no grounding).
I have a lamp with a solid state switch (touch lamp) and LED bulb inserted. ...
0
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0answers
60 views
Two Neutral Wires on Light Switch
I want to install an in-wall lighting timer for my front outdoor lights, replacing an existing light switch. I turned off the breaker to the switch I wish to replace and I've determined which black ...
1
vote
2answers
70 views
Help diagnose potential open neutral (80v and 150v!)
My house has 2 main connections (240v). It has 2 meters for each connection. It's a multi-wire (shared neutral) setup, I think. The house used to be two houses joined into one, with 4 circuit breakers ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
Can neutrals be tied together on different circuits? [duplicate]
I have a 2-gang switch panel, controlling 2 sets of lights. One switch is a normal switch, the other is a 3-way switch. Each switch is controlled by a different breaker.
I found that the neutrals are ...
17
votes
5answers
3k views
What does "can't mix neutrals" mean, and how would neutrals get mixed?
Electrician told me a problem I was having was caused by a new arc fault breaker they installed.
I was told you, "can't mix neutrals"
Can you describe what that means? How would these ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
Does my generator interlock require a ground rod?
I will back feed the main panel of my home with the portable generator, power inlet box and breaker. The schematic for the generator shows that neutral is connected to the ground inside the generator.
...
1
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2answers
55 views
Intermittent flickering lights across multiple circuits and multiple brands of bulbs
I'm having an issue in a house I bought last fall where I'll be sitting in a room and the lights will flash on and off so fast it feels seizure inducing. I don't think it's every bulb every time this ...
0
votes
1answer
102 views
How to fix bonded neutral and ground in subpanels
I am selling my home and the buyers inspection says the bonded neutral and ground must be corrected. How should I fix this?
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3answers
57 views
Necessary with 2 neutral terminals on Light Sensor (Steinel Nightmatic 3000)?
I am installing a Steinel Nightmatic 3000, which has the circuit diagram:
But since I have a 3 core cable to hand leading to my junction box I would like to install it in the following way:
[...
0
votes
3answers
90 views
Voltage between neutral line and soil?
I am feeling unpleasant electric shock when I touch metal water pipes or faucets.
This happens also when the main breaker is off (L1, L2 and L3). This rules out my appliances (hot water boiler and etc....
0
votes
1answer
72 views
Installing a smart switch + adding a neutral wire
I'd like to replace my current light switch with this one: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B07RV3KXF4. Wiring diagram (focus on the one on the right):
My house is a rather old one and I only ...
0
votes
2answers
80 views
Electrically distinguish neutral from hot
I have a box with three conduits. These are in-wall/under the floor steel conduits from an apartment built in 1950. One conduit has hot and neutral wires coming from panel. The second has hot and ...
4
votes
3answers
420 views
Attach Smart Switches to Shared Neutral
I am trying to figure out my options for installing a smart switch in my configuration without running a new wire with a neutral. This is quite similar to other questions I'll reference later, so ...
0
votes
2answers
101 views
Neutral and ground seperation at a sub-panel
Could someone explain to me why the neutral and ground bars are never bonded on a sub panel? It's my understanding that the reason they're separated is so that the current returning on the neutral ...
6
votes
1answer
458 views
Using 10/2 and/or 8/2 for a 240 only 3-prong
I have 2 dedicated circuits:
40 amp water heater
30 amp electric range
Both have 2 hots and a neutral grounded at the panel. One runs through a junction box where the wires are connected and ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
200 amp service wire jumping from house, to barn to pool house. Somewhere the Neutral is broken
My question is a bit more technical then most as I have narrowed the problem down to a bad neutral somewhere in the system. There is a service wire from the house overhead to a barn, then another line ...
1
vote
3answers
75 views
Move neutrals to subpanel or leave them on main?
I have a 150A Square D QO panel that is full and won't allow for tandem circuits. I'm going to take out the bottom 2 breakers and replace them with a 100a breaker to feed a subpanel via 4AWG copper ...
1
vote
2answers
70 views
Correct voltage of hot wires with common neutral
I just bought a house and am changing around some outlets in the garage, and I want to make sure the electricity is wired properly. There are 6 wires in a conduit going to the garage, three hot (red, ...
0
votes
0answers
63 views
Do I have an neutral wire? Could it be red?
I'm trying to install a smart switch over the current 3-way 3 gang switch. I can't tell if I have a neutral wire as there are 2 red wires. One of the red is twisted with one other white wire.
After ...
3
votes
2answers
311 views
Ground and neutral bus considerations when wiring a gfci breaker
Hello all,
I am adding a gfci breaker to my main breaker panel. By the looks of my panel I think the ground bus and neutral bus are bonded but not certain of this. It looks like my right bus bar is ...
2
votes
1answer
415 views
Are generator "bonding plugs" safe and legal?
I've been researching portable generators, and I have learned that models with a floating neutral need to be grounded. Some people say you can bypass this requirement by plugging a "bonding plug&...
1
vote
1answer
94 views
Max amperage for “neutral tie strap” in daisy chained Siemens panel
200 amp service.
We have a service disconnect upstream of our main panel, which effectively means our neutrals and grounds are still isolated in our main panel (as one does when setting up a sub panel)...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Identifying Wires (especially Neutral) in Complex 3-Way Light Circuit
I'm planning to replace a number of 3-way switches with smart switches and as a necessary first step have been trying to map out the wiring in each of the relevant boxes. This is what I've come up ...
0
votes
2answers
75 views
Using white/neutral for light switches
I’m not an electrician, but I sure have added LOTS of lights and switches in my home. I’m almost done remodeling my basement and have just noticed that I have been splicing into the white/neutral wire ...
3
votes
1answer
142 views
Should I have current running through my neutral wire in breaker box?
There's 146v on one hot pole, 106v on the other and the neutral wire has 36v on it. My tester at some of the outlets in this trailer (made in the 80's) says hot/ground reverse and hot/neutral reverse. ...
0
votes
0answers
47 views
No Neutral Wire to Install Smart 3 Way Dimmer
I am replacing a 3 Way switch (master) and remote dimmer with Decora Smart devices. The master has the correct wires to install the smart 3-way dimmer master. The remote box had a dimmer device with ...
0
votes
2answers
68 views
How to tell whether metal junction box is properly grounded?
I have a detached garage that is powered by a circuit breaker in the main house’s breaker box, which is properly grounded. The outlets in the garage have metal junction boxes, fed by metal conduit ...
1
vote
3answers
907 views
Where do I attach the Ground and Neutral inside a sub-panel?
I'm wiring 100 amp subpanel to detached Garage with 2/2/2/4 copper. I'm hoping to replace the subpanel to my detached garage which was previously wired to run on a 40 or 60 amp subpanel with like 6 ...
0
votes
3answers
149 views
Still reading open neutral after restoring power to lights and outlets
We recently plugged a space heater into an outlet in our son’s bedroom and only ran it at night. At some point, all of the lights and outlets in the room except one outlet on the opposite wall stopped ...
0
votes
1answer
79 views
Neutral wires are burning hot, saw an ember
Removed the outlet and the three connected neutral wires were insanely hot. Have an extension cord running a heater, could it be the draw or do I just need a new outlet?
0
votes
2answers
519 views
Doorbell transformer - Installed in panel -doesn't work when green is connected?
Earlier today I replaced my doorbell transformer in preparation to install video doorbells. The old transformer was connected outside the main panel, and only had 2 wires. One to hot, and the other ...
1
vote
2answers
109 views
Wiring single circuit GFCI circuit breaker where a duplex GFCI breaker is shown in wiring diagram
I am wiring a hot tub. The spa subpanel I purchased (Eaton) came with a 50 amp duplex GFCI breaker which is what many spas use. I bought a used Hot Springs Spa and found instead of a single 240 volt ...
2
votes
2answers
76 views
Sharing multiple neutrals?
Found a junction box that splices all the neutrals for 5 separate circuits. 3 on one phase 2 on the other. All 12/2 romex.
Was trying to convince them to change it, but I don't have a good explanation ...
1
vote
1answer
100 views
Should a smart switch (that requires a neutral wire) cause my non-contact voltage tester to beep?
I installed 3 smart switches which are all on the same circuit in my house. I have never changed a light switch before, but I followed the directions very closely and watched a couple of Youtube ...
0
votes
2answers
127 views
Can I split a shared neutral between two GFCI breakers?
I have two 15A circuits that share a neutral. Currently, they go to two normal breakers, and I'd like to replace two those breakers (side-by-side in the breaker box) with plug-on neutral GFCI ...
0
votes
2answers
39 views
Adding a ceiling light to this circuit
I currently have the following circuit in a room:

I plan to add a ceiling light and was going to tie the light switches black and ground to the new ceiling wires black and ground, and then use a ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
Why does my outlet have two white wires on the neutral side and one "neutral" wire is hot?
The breaker for my microwave tripped and when I turned the breaker back on it tripped again after using the microwave again. I tested the microwave in another outlet and it works fine. I went to ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
Where should I place the C wire?
I have an old Lennox boiler which doesn't appear to have a PCB board. Originally the old honeywell thermostat had a 2 pair wire attached which included Red and White Wires. I snaked an 18/5 thermostat ...
1
vote
1answer
225 views
Convert 2 gang no neutral light switch into 1 gang to power a smart-switch that requires neutral. Possible? UK
This is probably not possible and instead just highlights my basic lack of understanding, but thought it was worth asking! If it is possible I would get a qualified electrician to do it.
I'd like to ...
2
votes
3answers
449 views
Does a neutral wire need to be run from a switch to the light?
We have an older church building that we would like to put our parking lot lights on a timer. We purchased digital timers only to find out that there is not a neutral wire within the switch boxes. We ...
2
votes
1answer
377 views
How to find a neutral to ground short on my main panel
I've just installed a subpanel in my attached garage. The rough in has passed inspection, however my main panel has standard breakers and has never had fault finding interrupter breakers in it, and ...
0
votes
0answers
49 views
Electrical outlets not working, garbage disposal on same breaker works
We've been running a portable A/C in our studio apartment for 5+ years (coastal CA, no central air). We discovered, upon adding a toaster oven, that if we run the toaster oven while also running the A/...
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votes
1answer
274 views
One hot white wire in a switch box?
I have switch box that controls my under cabinet lights. I was replacing the lights themselves and had issues with them working, started troubleshooting and found that there is a single hot white wire ...
0
votes
1answer
85 views
Lost Nuetral - Turning Lights On Stops Others Flickering
Today we had lights flickering, odd brown outs, and power surges. Problems would come and go. Called our power company. The man they sent determined we had lost our connection to the neutral.
Before ...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
Can one circuit trip a GFCI breaker on another circuit with no shared neutral
I have two circuits in my main breaker panel.
Circuit 1 is on a 2 pole 60amp GFCI breaker. It goes directly outside from the breaker box and does not interact with the house aside from at the main ...
2
votes
2answers
159 views
Is this a weird or very problematic shared neutral?
I will try to explain it and I made a drawing that give an idea of what it seems to look like.
I just had some work done on my house (built in 1967) and the electrician found this weird connection.
I ...
0
votes
1answer
113 views
Bare neutral to subpanel in detached garage
I have an old house with a detached garage. There is power to the detached garage through a 3-conductor cable that is routed above ground. Power from my house comes from the power pole, to my house. ...
1
vote
1answer
720 views
What is the correct wiring (including Ground) for two main load centers plus transfer switch?
I will be building a new house and plan to have 400A electric utility service split into two 200A main load centers. One of those load centers will be tied to a whole house generator via an automatic ...
5
votes
1answer
533 views
Can I connect the neutral wire ends via a single switch terminal (without a pigtail)?
I installed a smart dimmer switch that requires a neutral wire. It was in the junction box with the two ends wire-capped together.
My switch didn't come with pigtail wires and I didn't have any extra ...
