Curious

[billydrowne]

Saw something weird today and im curios what everyone else thinks, and il try to give as many details as possible. Been doing a residential service upgrade over the last two days, today was new panel, cut power and switch everything over. 200a meter main. 4 wire off the load side to a main lug panel. All gas appliances and no 3 wire 240v circuits. I took my meter out after everything was pulled, and the biggest detail i can think of is that i had the entire panel made up before metering everything for shorts, with separated neutrals and grounds in a main lug panel with the bonding screw removed, and the meter socket not made up yet with the exception of the wire going out to ground rods, you should not read continuity between neutral and ground bus bars? I was ringing out, by the time i did my brain was fried and i couldn't make sense of why it was happening.

 

[Dsg319]

Metal device boxes in the home possible neutral to case touching somewhere.

 

[billydrowne]

Metal device boxes in the home possible neutral to case touching somewhere.

Yea true. That makes sense.

 

[ptonsparky]

I don't know if I would have thought to check.
Sounds like a fun time lifting one neutral conductor at a time.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

You have 4 wires going to the sub panel. The grounding electrode conductor is connected to the neutral I assume and the equipment grounding conductor is connected to the neutral bar in the main panel.

 

[ptonsparky]

I thought they were all isolated on line side, but maybe not.

 

[billydrowne]

You have 4 wires going to the sub panel. The grounding electrode conductor is connected to the neutral I assume and the equipment grounding conductor is connected to the neutral bar in the main panel.

GEC goes to ground bar, grounded conductor to neutral bar, everything separated after first disconnect outside

 

[ggunn]

Saw something weird today and im curios what everyone else thinks, and il try to give as many details as possible. Been doing a residential service upgrade over the last two days, today was new panel, cut power and switch everything over. 200a meter main. 4 wire off the load side to a main lug panel. All gas appliances and no 3 wire 240v circuits. I took my meter out after everything was pulled, and the biggest detail i can think of is that i had the entire panel made up before metering everything for shorts, with separated neutrals and grounds in a main lug panel with the bonding screw removed, and the meter socket not made up yet with the exception of the wire going out to ground rods, you should not read continuity between neutral and ground bus bars? I was ringing out, by the time i did my brain was fried and i couldn't make sense of why it was happening.

If there is a GEC going to the meter socket, the N-G bond is probably in there.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

GEC goes to ground bar, grounded conductor to neutral bar, everything separated after first disconnect outside

My point is if you ohm between the ground and neutral at the sub panel where they are separated, they are still connected together at the main panel so of course you will have an ohm reading

 

[billydrowne]

If there is a GEC going to the meter socket, the N-G bond is probably in there.

Right, but thats all that was made up. My line and load of the meter wasnt terminated. Only the GEC to the rods thats why i was confused at the panel toning out.

 

[billydrowne]

My point is if you ohm between the ground and neutral at the sub panel where they are separated, they are still connected together at the main panel so of course you will have an ohm reading

Yes i agree, but those werent terminated yet, only my wire going to the rods. Everything was dangling out of the meter socket when i ohmed out in the panel.

 

[LarryFine]

I would first use my solenoid tester to see if 'real' power can flow from a hot line to each conductor in turn to see whether either or both are actually grounded.