Missing half the neutral?

[Minuteman]

Doing a large add on to a house. The service is being upgraded and relocated. A disconnect was added next to the new mater base and new conductors ran to the old main panel (now a sub panel).

My question arises from the neutral and ground bars in the panel. About half the neutrals and half the grounds were on landed on the two bars. The bar on the left had the neutral feed, the bar on the right had only the bond wire or the copper water line. There was no jumper between the two bars and neither side had a bond jumper or screw to bond the panel.

So, am I to assume that the only neutral path that the neutrals on the right had was through the water pipe and/or the nipple between the panel and the old meter base? I would guess that there would have been voltage problems if several of the right side neutrals where under load at the same time.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

If the panel bars were truely separated how would the neutral travl thru the water pipe. There must be some connection between the ground and the neutral bar.

 

[electricalperson]

If the panel bars were truely separated how would the neutral travl thru the water pipe. There must be some connection between the ground and the neutral bar.

my guess would be the town has a metal underground waterpipe and could be using that pipe as a path to a neighbors house and using that neutral as the return back to the transformer

 

[electricalperson]

measure current on the waterpipe bond wire to see if thats true

 

[Minuteman]

If the panel bars were truely separated how would the neutral travl thru the water pipe. There must be some connection between the ground and the neutral bar.

It's overhead fed with a ground wire that runs down the utility pole.

 

[Minuteman]

measure current on the waterpipe bond wire to see if thats true

I completed the separation since there is the new disconnect.

 

[electricalperson]

did the neutral current travel through the EGC back to the main panel? sorry if im not understanding it was a long hot day today

 

[76nemo]

did the neutral current travel through the EGC back to the main panel? sorry if im not understanding it was a long hot day today

The way I read it was the main's grounded/grounding were isolated. My baddd Sorry Chris.

 

[76nemo]

If the panel bars were truely separated how would the neutral travl thru the water pipe. There must be some connection between the ground and the neutral bar.

Am I reading this right, that the sub was earthed at it's panel?

 

[cadpoint]

Am I reading this right, that the sub was earthed at it's panel?

No, he said

...
Doing a large add on to a house. The service is being upgraded and relocated. A disconnect was added next to the new meter base and new conductors ran to the old main panel (now a sub panel).

 

[Minuteman]

Okay, I noticed the partial separation during the conversion. My thought was that it was the waterline. Somehow, those neutral wires on the side with only a bond to the water pipe were working.

 

[electricalperson]

Okay, I noticed the partial separation during the conversion. My thought was that it was the waterline. Somehow, those neutral wires on the side with only a bond to the water pipe were working.

well if that was the only side working then you must have lost the neutral coming in from the street and that neutral current had to be traveling back to the transformer somehow

 

[Dennis Alwon]

well if that was the only side working then you must have lost the neutral coming in from the street and that neutral current had to be traveling back to the transformer somehow

I don't think he is saying that those neutrals were the only ones working but that they were working without a direct connection to the neutral. The grounded conductor landed on the other isolated bar but all the neutrals were working.

 

[Minuteman]

I don't think he is saying that those neutrals were the only ones working but that they were working without a direct connection to the neutral. The grounded conductor landed on the other isolated bar but all the neutrals were working.

Yep, that's it Dennis - thanks. I didn't present it very well.

So when I went to isolate the two bars, the one that I chose to be the ground bar was already separated from the other (no links, no bond screws). It just struck as strange. I checked everything with my fluke and that bar was isolated, except for the #6 that was bonded to the water pipe.

Anyway, everything is changed now. The service was moved and the new disco installed. Thanks all for your responses.