Thread: An Electrical Puzzler

separate question. are you running the wires between the meter and main panel in conduit or are the three wires running in open air. also are the aluminum and copper wires being connected where the can physically touch each other.

Quote: Originally Posted by master53yoda is the bare conductor warped around the other two and inside an insulation. The above configuration is called service entrance cable. the ground/ neutral do not become separated until they hit pass through the neutral/ground bar at the service panel. they are normall run insulated in some form once they enter the structure. you normally don't see bar ground/neutral wires inside the conduit of a...

Crokett, What I remember from my electrical school training...many years ago is this. The neutral is the "grounded conductor"...meaning it is the electrical return path for the current in the system. A bare twisted (braided type) ground is the "equipment grounding conductor" that is physically connected to a driven ground rod, what it does is provide protection for the electrical service and equipment...

I'm not an electrician, so this may be not be 100% correct. The neutral on your service is actually a grounded conductor. I believe if you trace the existing one it will be connected to the ground rod at your service entrance. That's how mine is, at least. The neutral is split off the ground as a seperate conductor inside your main service panel. If you look carefully the neutral bus should be strapped to ground inside the panel....

KLF is right. The neutral is ground, the ground is ground. It's sort of a redundant thing. The neutral is tied to the ground at the main panel and the ground is tied to a ground rod. Wiring in houses often do not distinguish between hot and neutral, so the neutral in houses is insulated. My previous house in Seattle had knob and tube wiring and non polarized outlets, so it was anyone's guess as to which outlet hole was hot. Tom on...

If this was my electrical project, I wouldn't proceed with any advice I would get from an online forum. I would trust a licensed master electrician in my area. Even if I didn't hire the guy to do the work, I would pay for a consultation. .

your bare ground/neutral was a bare ground not a neutral older homes did not have neutral in new homes you have a ground & neutral

Crokett, What I remember from my electrical school training...many years ago is this. The neutral is the "grounded conductor"...meaning it is the electrical return path for the current in the system. A bare twisted (braided type) ground is the "equipment grounding conductor" that is physically connected to a driven ground rod, what it does is provide protection for the electrical service and equipment...