Aerial feeder, bare neutral, no insulator at connection to building

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xguard

Senior Member
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
We have an aerial feeder from one building supplying another. The supply side (load side of the feeder ocpd) of the feeder uses a bare neutral messenger that is directly electrically connected to the metal building where it exits, ie the clamp supporting the messenger is bolted to the building, no insulator. The bare neutral messenger is also routed through a metal conduit prior to exiting the building. Any thoughts on either of these? Thanks.
 

xguard

Senior Member
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
2010

it runs to a disconnect 20 ft away then to the additional building 100 feet away with underground ridid.

the disconnect is mounted on a metal stand along with two other disconnects that are fed directly by the same transformers, but not through the first building. The only other metal paths I see would be back through the utility to the other disconnects.

When was it installed?

Are there any other metallic paths between the source and the load?
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
Well I'll put this out there...
225.4 Conductor Covering. Where within 3.0 m (10 ft) of
any building or structure other than supporting poles or
towers, open individual (aerial) overhead conductors shall
be insulated for the nominal voltage. Conductors in cables
or raceways, except Type MI cable, shall be of the rubbercovered
type or thermoplastic type and, in wet locations,
shall comply with 310.10(C). Conductors for festoon lighting
shall be of the rubber-covered or thermoplastic type.

Exception: Equipment grounding conductors and grounded
circuit conductors shall be permitted to be bare or covered as
specifically permitted elsewhere in this Code.

Now the question is whether there is any specific permission given elsewhere for the neutral to be bare.

However, what I'm wondering at present is, if installed in 2010, where is the EGC? That's what the bare conductor should be, while the neutral insulated....???
 

JDB3

Senior Member
Bare neutral wire in the conduit! In a sense, when the power company runs their bare neutral (overhead) connects to the meter socket / panel, it all connects to the metal of it all. So seems like should be OK? :?
 

xguard

Senior Member
Location
Baton Rouge, LA
That's factoring into my concern, now it's not just bonded only at the service where it enters the building but now also where a feeder exits the metal building. Does the metal building now have the potential to carry neutral current in addition to the conduit?

Bare neutral wire in the conduit! In a sense, when the power company runs their bare neutral (overhead) connects to the meter socket / panel, it all connects to the metal of it all. So seems like should be OK? :?
 

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
That's factoring into my concern, now it's not just bonded only at the service where it enters the building but now also where a feeder exits the metal building. Does the metal building now have the potential to carry neutral current in addition to the conduit?
Yes. That's why a grounded neutral must be insulated after the service disconnecting means. Actually should be insulated before service disconnecting means, where i contact with non-current-carrying metal parts, but for some reason Code has yet to prohibit it.
 
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