This scares me

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aftershock

aftershock

Senior Member
Location
Memphis, TN
A safety inspection was done on this house and it seems the inspector never went inside to check the main panel.
 

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aftershock

aftershock

Senior Member
Location
Memphis, TN
We replaced the panel. Now the receps have reverse polarity once we corrected the way the wires were landed. This system started with a 100 amp service feeding a 60 amp fused pullout disco, then #4 thw hots with # 6 thw neutral (not in conduit) feeding this panel. The safety inspection (done by our code enforcement dept.) only cited the lack of a ground rod (which was a short piece of 3/8" all thread) and the illegally wired detached storage shed which we just cut loose.
 
Free Electron

Free Electron

Member
Location
Upstate New York
aftershock said:
We replaced the panel. Now the receps have reverse polarity once we corrected the way the wires were landed. This system started with a 100 amp service feeding a 60 amp fused pullout disco, then #4 thw hots with # 6 thw neutral (not in conduit) feeding this panel. The safety inspection (done by our code enforcement dept.) only cited the lack of a ground rod (which was a short piece of 3/8" all thread) and the illegally wired detached storage shed which we just cut loose.
Click to expand...

You're a braver man then me. I would have walked way from this one.
 
cowboyjwc

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
To paraphrase an old joke:

EC: Man that's bad, just look at that.
HO: Have you ever seen anything like that before?
EC: Oh yeah, I see this sort of stuff all the time. Did you talk to another Electrician?
HO: Yeah
EC: What did he say?
HO: He said he'd have to replace everything right now.
EC: Oh no we don't have to replace anything right now.
HO: Oh good.
EC: Yep, two or three days probably gonna catch on fire and burn and we'll just replace it then.

:lol:
 
aftershock

aftershock

Senior Member
Location
Memphis, TN
Free Electron said:
You're a braver man then me. I would have walked way from this one.
Click to expand...

It passed inspection, so I am told. After I had completed the job I had realized I did not put a main disconnect at the meter. I figured it would fail. The original rejects were just to install a ground rod and terminate the wiring in the detached shed/garage. Once I saw the panel, I figured the insp never went inside and told boss we need to correct this and my DA thought the panel was backed up to the meter ( I got turned around somehow when I looked at it), So I figured 1- 1-1/4" LB and 20' of #4 THHN, plus the panel. Well,,,,, 35' of 4/3 romex later and 3' of 1-1/4" PVC, I got the panel fed, but then realized than NM cannot be used in that manner, I should have installed a main at the meter.BUT IT PASSED. And we will not be getting paid for anything but correcting the defects the insp listed in the 1st place.
 
Free Electron

Free Electron

Member
Location
Upstate New York
aftershock said:
It passed inspection, so I am told. After I had completed the job I had realized I did not put a main disconnect at the meter. I figured it would fail. The original rejects were just to install a ground rod and terminate the wiring in the detached shed/garage. Once I saw the panel, I figured the insp never went inside and told boss we need to correct this and my DA thought the panel was backed up to the meter ( I got turned around somehow when I looked at it), So I figured 1- 1-1/4" LB and 20' of #4 THHN, plus the panel. Well,,,,, 35' of 4/3 romex later and 3' of 1-1/4" PVC, I got the panel fed, but then realized than NM cannot be used in that manner, I should have installed a main at the meter.BUT IT PASSED. And we will not be getting paid for anything but correcting the defects the insp listed in the 1st place.
Click to expand...

Judging by your last sentence and the inspectors visual impairment , that there are more problems that will not be corrected. I would list all the deficiencies and have the owner sign off on it. The last one on the job always gets blamed for everything.
 
J

JDB3

Senior Member
Location
San Antonio, Texas
I checked out a house that had reverse polarity on about half of the receptacles. Pull them out to look at the wiring, they were wired correct. Looked inside the panel. On the right side of the panel: the white wires were on the neutral bar, the blacks on the breakers. On the left side of the panel: the black wires were on the neutral bar, the whites on the breakers. :?
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
JDB3 said:
I checked out a house that had reverse polarity on about half of the receptacles. Pull them out to look at the wiring, they were wired correct. Looked inside the panel. On the right side of the panel: the white wires were on the neutral bar, the blacks on the breakers. On the left side of the panel: the black wires were on the neutral bar, the whites on the breakers. :?
Click to expand...

Maybe the installer believed that polarity had something to do with the earth's magnetic poles:)
 
T

TimK

Member
Location
Tacoma, WA
JDB3 said:
I checked out a house that had reverse polarity on about half of the receptacles. Pull them out to look at the wiring, they were wired correct. Looked inside the panel. On the right side of the panel: the white wires were on the neutral bar, the blacks on the breakers. On the left side of the panel: the black wires were on the neutral bar, the whites on the breakers. :?
Click to expand...

Just trying to recapture that electricity going into the ground:rotflmao:
 
G

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
JDB3 said:
I checked out a house that had reverse polarity on about half of the receptacles. Pull them out to look at the wiring, they were wired correct. Looked inside the panel. On the right side of the panel: the white wires were on the neutral bar, the blacks on the breakers. On the left side of the panel: the black wires were on the neutral bar, the whites on the breakers. :?
Click to expand...
What's the problem? That's what you call a balanced load. :D
 
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