Electricians wanted

[joe--h]

https://www.jadelearning.com/blog/t...020-nec/#:~:text=Equipment Grounding Conducto

Worth reading, makes your hair hurt too.
Joe H

 

[Willie B]

I really wish Code hadn't chosen such similar names for very different use conductors.
I offer center tapped for white, neutral, instead of grounded. It connects to the center point of the secondary winding of the utility transformer.
Grounding could be left, or labeled fault conductor.

I think it'd make for less confusion.

Current on center tapped conductor is fine.
Current on fault conductor is to be avoided.

 

[Birken Vogt]

The trouble is, it is not always center tapped.

There are still 120 volt only systems out here. One conductor is grounded, the other is hot.

Or you might have a 240 delta or 480 corner ground 3 phase system with only 3 wires. One of the 3 phases happens to be a grounded conductor, not a center tap or neutral.

I do agree that the wire we color green or bare should be called something other than a "ground" wire, though. I like the term bonding, because its purpose is not really to take things to earth. More that it is to bond everything metal to everything else.

 

[Willie B]

The trouble is, it is not always center tapped.

There are still 120 volt only systems out here. One conductor is grounded, the other is hot.

Or you might have a 240 delta or 480 corner ground 3 phase system with only 3 wires. One of the 3 phases happens to be a grounded conductor, not a center tap or neutral.

I do agree that the wire we color green or bare should be called something other than a "ground" wire, though. I like the term bonding, because its purpose is not really to take things to earth. More that it is to bond everything metal to everything else.

Yeah, but I imagine those other systems are most commonly used by trained electricians. The neutral grounded residential single phase used universally in USA is where I see do it yourselfers screwing it up.

I do a lot of standby generator installations. One step in the process is separating grounded from grounding as the new service disconnect is in the transfer switch. I see atrocious messes. Often I see bare conductors carrying current.

 

[doublewide]

Regarding 240 volt, 2 wire vs. 3 wire.

My well pump service cable, from the panel to the pump control, is what I call 12 gauge 3 wire. It has 2 hot conductors, 1 neutral conductor and one bare ground/bonding conductor. Then, at the pump control there is a 12 gauge 2 wire service cable to the submersible pump. It has 2 hot conductors and one bare grounding/bonding conductor.

My question is; "What should the neutral conductor be connected to? Nothing? It terminates at the pump control."

 

[doublewide]

Picture

 

[doublewide]

Again

 

[doublewide]

Wow! Those pictures are horrible! Sorry.

 

[Delmer]

The pump doesn't need a neutral, so 12-2 wire with ground would have been enough.

Technically, the white wire should have a wire nut on it I believe, and the white wire connected to the red should be identified with black electrical tape (or other colors).

 

[doublewide]

Thanks for the reply Delmer. So I believe the answer is "Yes, the neutral conductor in the 12/3 that comes from the panel should be connected to nothing, on either end, not connected to the neutral bus bar in the panel and not connected to anything at the pump control."

"and the white wire connected to the red should be identified with black electrical tape (or other colors)."

And yes Delmer, the white conductor in the UF cable is being used as a hot conductor and should be color coded accordingly.

Thanks again.