[Shop-talk] 110vac outlet question (update)

[Pat]

The ground is normally tied to the neutral only at the main panel, and 
each building fed from the main panel is to have its own ground rod. 
Sounds like there is no ground wire run back to your main panel. Is 
there a 4th wire in the cable running to the main panel? If it is not 
there, and it can be run, I'd add it. if not, I'd tie the neutral to the 
ground in the barn sub panel. That would be safer than having the ground 
and neutral totally isolated as they are now.

Peace,
Pat

Thusly spake Frank Vantacich:
> This is what I metered this weekend:
>  
> At the subpanel in my barn, where the dilema exists,  the neutral and ground
> bars are not attached to one another. Between the two hot legs I get 234vac.
> The ground is a UFer, a piece of rebar in my foundation.  I meter 148vac
> between ground and one of the hots and 88vac between ground and the other hot
> leg.  I meter 119vac between each hot leg and neutral.
>  
> At the actual receptacle I meter 28vac between the large slot or neutral and
> ground, and the same at the subpanel.
>  
> I would think I should see the same voltages between each hot leg and ground
> and neutral?  Or another words the neutral and ground should be at the same
> potential?
>
>
> Frank V.
> rustymetal at sbcglobal.net
>
> --- On Fri, 12/12/08, Mark Watson <watsonm05 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> From: Mark Watson <watsonm05 at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] 110vac outlet question
> To: "'Shop Talk'" <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
> Date: Friday, December 12, 2008, 5:07 PM
>
> Karl,
>
> I like your logic.  It is certainly more straightforward than the twisted
> chain of logic I came up with:  I remember "Wide White" to remember
> which
> wire goes to which blade.  How do I remember that the white wire is the
> neutral wire?  Well, if you're looking into a dimly lit electrical box
> which
> wire would be hardest to see?  The black one.  Which wire is the dangerous
> one?  The black one!  Sounds like some kind of plot to at least shock if not
> kill non-electricians to keep them from putting their un-trained hands in
> there!
>
> Mark Watson
> (I'm an Electrical Engineer but I work mostly on electronics - anything
> over
> 15V D.C. is high voltage)
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Karl Vacek" <kvacek at ameritech.net>
> To: "Randall" <tr3driver at ca.rr.com>; "'Shop
> Talk'"
> <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2008 12:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] 110vac outlet question
>
>
>   
>> Don't know that this is the actual reason, but think about the danger
>>     
> of
>   
>> little kids sticking things into receptacles.  The hot is smaller and thus
>>     
>
>   
>> harder to stick something in and get a shock.
>>
>> Elegant reasoning, huh ??   ;-)
>>
>>     
>>> In fact I can never remember which blade is which
>>>       
>>> Randall
>>>       
>> _______________________________________________
>>     
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-- 
Pat Horne, Owner, Horne Systems	(512) 797-7501
5026 FM 2001 Lockhart, TX 78644-4443
Pat at HorneSystemsTx.com	www.hornesystemstx.com
-- We support Habitat for Humanity - a hand UP, not a hand OUT --