switch leg and Neutral

[gilly]

Hello all,

When pulling travlers to your switches do you have to have the Neutral?
I have come across an installation where 4 CKTs were pulled to a Pull Box. From there the hots go to the first set of 3way switches. ( all wire is in rigid conduit ) From the first switches the travlers come back thru the pull box to the 2nd set of switches, and in the same conduit the power for the lights. The Neutral leaves the Pull box with the Power from the 2nd set of switches to the lights. Everything works fine but the problem is the wire get unusally hot. Is the Heat from not having the Neutral with the hots - to, from, and between the switches? ( I clamped the Wire and the highest amps was 14a, on #12 wire ) My other question is how do you count the wire for Derating if the wire is on the same CKT ??

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Hello all,

When pulling travlers to your switches do you have to have the Neutral?
I have come across an installation where 4 CKTs were pulled to a Pull Box. From there the hots go to the first set of 3way switches. ( all wire is in rigid conduit ) From the first switches the travlers come back thru the pull box to the 2nd set of switches, and in the same conduit the power for the lights. The Neutral leaves the Pull box with the Power from the 2nd set of switches to the lights. Everything works fine but the problem is the wire get unusally hot. Is the Heat from not having the Neutral with the hots - to, from, and between the switches? ( I clamped the Wire and the highest amps was 14a, on #12 wire ) My other question is how do you count the wire for Derating if the wire is on the same CKT ??

You don't need a neutral when running switch legs. I believe that switch legs are counted for derating even though it is the same circuit.

 

[480sparky]

If this is a three-way, I think you could at least elminate one conductor from your derating count as only one traveler or the other would be energized at any given time.