Posts Moved From The Big Picture Thread

[Lxnxjxhx]

Let's say a residence has the neutral conductor tied to the ground conductor at one or more outlets or places, so there is no longer a Single Point Ground at the panel.

What symptoms and/or dangers, day-to-day and/or rarely, with light loads and/or heavy loads, would you expect?

How would you detect this, and with what instruments and procedures?

 

[480sparky]

Let's say a residence has the neutral conductor tied to the ground conductor at one or more outlets or places, so there is no longer a Single Point Ground at the panel.

What symptoms and/or dangers, day-to-day and/or rarely, with light loads and/or heavy loads, would you expect?

How would you detect this, and with what instruments and procedures?

With one of these.

 

[Lxnxjxhx]

SureTest? Circuit Analyzer

SureTest? Circuit Analyzer

That's quite a gadget. Voltmeter, ammeter, freq. meter, maybe more stuff, all switched in and out as needed by a microprocessor, which probably also makes pass/fail judgements.
Maybe it pays for itself after using it twice. Time is money so convenience can be quite profitable.

I guess I'll go bother these people for a while on how exactly this does all that.

 

[Lxnxjxhx]

SureTest? Circuit Analyzer

SureTest? Circuit Analyzer

I don't agree with all the spec limits they give in their manual (< 2 vac ground to neutral seems way high) but then I don't make these instruments for a living, and the manual is free on the Internet.

Thanks for the link!

 

[don_resqcapt19]

I don't agree with all the spec limits they give in their manual (< 2 vac ground to neutral seems way high) but then I don't make these instruments for a living, and the manual is free on the Internet.

Thanks for the link!

All you are doing with a neutral to ground voltage test is reading the voltage drop on the neutral. Assuming that there is the same drop on the hot, 2 volts neutral to ground is just a bit over 3% voltage drop for the circuit.

 

[Lxnxjxhx]

just over 3% drop

just over 3% drop

The lines I measured must have been lightly loaded.
So, what symptoms would you expect from not having a single point ground at the panel?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The lines I measured must have been lightly loaded.
So, what symptoms would you expect from not having a single point ground at the panel?

A 3% votlage drop in not normally found on a lightly loaded circuit. If the neutral to ground voltage is not consistant with the voltage drop that would be expected for the amount of load I would be looking for a poor connection on the neutral between the test point and the panel. I would not expect multiple neutral to ground connections to increase the neutral to ground voltage.

 

[la2151]

EGC conductor

EGC conductor

HI I only trust this is the best post to ask?? I went to look at a hse that is empty & now bank owned.the pool has a sub panel from the main service panel.But the sub panel dsnt have a EGC in the same conduit as hots & neutral.( PVC undergrnd). they installed a grnd rod at the sub panel. Forgive me but as I understand this? There has to b a egc conductor with the hots & neutral?Should I plan on pulling in a egc with the existing conductors.They also did not seperate the neutrals & grnds in the sub panel. I suspect this was a NO permit install?I am going to ask my electrical engineer as well but as always really value all the info I get from here.Just learn so much from every one here.The bank had asked the real estate agent to get this house inspected by a EC.I was really surprised as well that this hse had a hot tub fed by the same sub panel that had NO GFI protection & the A/c style disconnect was mounted to the hot tub.. NO wonder pple get killed.Really a poor job some one else did.they ran insulated conductors in wall with no conduit.again really appreciate any input & help.The more I learn the less I claim to know.