14
votes
Add service entrance barriers to live electric panel - tips?
Contact your power company. Say:
"Am I correct that my smart meter has a large contactor in it, so that you can remotely shut off my power with a few keystrokes on your computer?"
And
"...
8
votes
Add service entrance barriers to live electric panel - tips?
There's a couple of ways to play this, assuming you don't want to just YOLO this and shove them on with your bare hand (not the greatest idea)
Ask your utility to kill the power to your house for a ...
- 19.7k
6
votes
Can neutrals be landed in an old panel which acts as a junction box?
Current flows in loops. It's not like air tools where air only has to go one way. Electric current has to come back too in a full loop.
Neutral is the return path that carries 100% of the current - ...
6
votes
Is it ok to use 14-3 wire to connect fan and recessed light
You can share neutral for devices that are all powered on the same cable. (after which can split off the live and tap the neutral in a 14-2 cable to power the new lamps
So yes it's good.
14 gauge is ...
- 13.2k
5
votes
How to identify which live wire go with which neutral wire?
First, neutrals will generally be in the same conduit pipe as the partner live wire.
To identify the neutrals, plug a load into each circuit and turn the load on. Lift all the neutrals off the ...
3
votes
How to identify which live wire go with which neutral wire?
I'm relying on your statement that you know which wires are neutrals, but not how they are paired with lives and I will assume the neutrals on the new panel go to a common bus, so you can install them ...
- 16.8k
3
votes
Accepted
Understanding bad electrical panel wireing
That is not ok.
The neutral wire from the second breaker ought to be blue. This is "just" a code violation, altough a severe one and an indication of shoddy workmanship and further issues.
...
- 330
3
votes
Accepted
Wire type from meter base to panel, conduit end to end, underground, and through a crawl space
I would go one size up in Aluminium, to 250 kcmil. 4/0 Aluminium is technically under the 200A at 75ºC in the ampacity chart. There may be a carve-out in the NEC for service feeders specifically but I'...
- 1,168
2
votes
Accepted
Must SEU cable between the meter and load center be in conduit?
The NEC would permit this, but Washington State code doesn't
The Washington State electrical code amends NEC 230.43 to prohibit the use of SE cables for service conductors within buildings. Since you ...
- 71.8k
2
votes
Accepted
Different vintages breakers in main panel
Top left doesn't look like a Murray. It looks like a GE maybe -- and it's an A/C unit! Alien breakers are most common on A/C units because the contractors don't care and aren't electricians.
As far ...
2
votes
Accepted
Can I reuse an existing grounding rod and water pipe ground location?
Panel to first electrode needs to be uninterrupted, but from there you can use connectors
Since the existing grounding electrode conductor is large enough and in good enough condition, you can go ...
- 71.8k
2
votes
Grounding electrode conductor
Go ahead and use a bare wire
NEC 680.25 on feeders specifically calls out equipment grounding conductors, so you're fine using a bare copper grounding electrode conductor for your pool subpanel. Note ...
- 71.8k
2
votes
Does Square D make an extension lug kit for adding a sub panel?
A subfeed lug kit and the wires behind it must be protected by a breaker.
Electrical equipment and wiring must be protected by a circuit breaker.
A subfeed lug kit is Square D's name for the thing. It ...
1
vote
How to identify which live wire go with which neutral wire?
1 - Finding the room behind every live wire
To find which neutral goes to which live wire, I first found where each live wire went.
To do so I just switch on every light. Then one by one I unpluged ...
- 111
1
vote
Can i run a 30amp rv outlet with gfi outlet with 30 and 20 amp breakers in box off my main 100amp breakers
The 20A breaker opposite the main breaker cannot be moved or changed, however if it is powering a bog-standard 4500W water heater it needs to be changed to 25A. (siemens QP225). If it is a 3800W ...
1
vote
Where is my neutral bar?
Notice the panel has a steel box (enclosure).
Look closely at the construction of the bar(s) in question. If the bar is on insulated standoffs to isolate it from the chassis, then it is designed to ...
1
vote
Accepted
Where is my neutral bar?
Your neutral is the large white wire going into the middle of the top bus bar. It appears that the three bus bars are all connected together and there are neutral wires going to each bar. There is ...
- 53k
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