# 28 v neutral to ground



## 480jc (Jan 8, 2010)

a friend called and said he blew a mother board on a coffee machine after plugging in a 240v receptacle...so I went over and checked it out...someone he had working for him ran a 10/3 romex line from his a/c disconnect outside to a 240v receptacle in his shop...the breaker in the panel is a 2-pole 50...condensor is off, t-stat is in off position...breaker is on...reading 28volts to ground off the neutral...anyone have a clue where this is coming from? I checked out the feed, it comes directly from the panel...i know this is against code, but it boggled my mind, so I can't let it go...I told him he needs to have a seperate circuit run...I just can't figure out where he's getting the voltage on his neutral to ground...


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## mattsilkwood (Sep 21, 2008)

480jc said:


> a friend called and said he blew a mother board on a coffee machine after plugging in a 240v receptacle...so I went over and checked it out...someone he had working for him ran a 10/3 romex line from his a/c disconnect outside to a 240v receptacle in his shop...the breaker in the panel is a 2-pole 50...condensor is off, t-stat is in off position...breaker is on...reading 28volts to ground off the neutral...anyone have a clue where this is coming from? I checked out the feed, it comes directly from the panel...i know this is against code, but it boggled my mind, so I can't let it go...I told him he needs to have a seperate circuit run...I just can't figure out where he's getting the voltage on his neutral to ground...


 Because either its not properly bonded or the neutral is loose.


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## DipsyDoodleDandy (Dec 21, 2009)

*...*

Induction? Phantom Voltage? Any current on the grounded conductor with breaker on or off ?


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

try using a soleniod tester and see what you get.


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

three phase? harmonics maybe.


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## normel (Oct 3, 2007)

480jc said:


> a friend called and said he blew a mother board on a coffee machine after plugging in a 240v receptacle...so I went over and checked it out...someone he had working for him ran a 10/3 romex line from his a/c disconnect outside to a 240v receptacle in his shop...the breaker in the panel is a 2-pole 50...condensor is off, t-stat is in off position...breaker is on...reading 28volts to ground off the neutral...anyone have a clue where this is coming from? I checked out the feed, it comes directly from the panel...i know this is against code, but it boggled my mind, so I can't let it go...I told him he needs to have a seperate circuit run...I just can't figure out where he's getting the voltage on his neutral to ground...


Where is he tapping the neutral on a 240V only AC disconnect?


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## DipsyDoodleDandy (Dec 21, 2009)

*...*

From what your saying (tapping off AC to get coffee machine working?), That's some crazy jacklegging. I'd start looking in attic for a j-box. I bet someone intercepted it up there and is running some 120 V circuits using the grounded conductor as a neutral. 

That's just my guess


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## 480jc (Jan 8, 2010)

the home run feeding the condensor disconnect is a 6/3 or an 8/3 mc and the neutral was just capped off in the disconnect...whoever ran this used the unused neutral...


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

bobelectric said:


> three phase? harmonics maybe.


NO!...................

Matt is partial right and DIPSTICK got part also, bad connection lack of bond and phantom voltage is my guess.


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## Mike_586 (Mar 24, 2009)

brian john said:


> *NO!...................*
> 
> Matt is partial right and DIPSTICK got part also, bad connection lack of bond and phantom voltage is my guess.


:stupid:


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## 480jc (Jan 8, 2010)

I think there is an air handler tapped off the homerun before the a/c condensor disconnect...gonna check this tomorrow...but i'll also check the connections and make sure everything is tight...I'll post again tomorrow night to let you know what I've found...


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## 480jc (Jan 8, 2010)

I followed the homerun back to the panel...found a jb in ceiling...it appears that whoever was the original installer ran out of wire and installed a jb in the ceiling and then ran what appeared to be a 6-4mc or something from the jb to the panel, how do I know this? because in the disconnect I had a black red white and green and in the panel I found a black red blue and white...after searching I found the jb and upon opening it i found the white wires not spliced...once I noticed the blue in the panel I knew there had to be a JB somewhere...thanks for your help on this...it wasn't just a loose neutral, there was no neutral connection!!!


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## DipsyDoodleDandy (Dec 21, 2009)

*...*



DipsyDoodleDandy said:


> From what your saying (tapping off AC to get coffee machine working?), That's some crazy jacklegging. I'd start looking in attic for a j-box. I bet someone intercepted it up there and is running some 120 V circuits using the grounded conductor as a neutral.
> 
> That's just my guess



Do I get 1/2 credit?

Coincidental?


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

DipsyDoodleDandy said:


> Do I get 1/2 credit?
> 
> Coincidental?


 
Heck A+ for the day THIS TIME.


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