Sub-panel wiring

**Richard Roshak** · 06-08-2017, 04:16 PM

Recently installed sub-panel has a three wire supply cable. The electrician took the neutral wire and added an additional wire turning it into a four wire. This does not look right.

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**Jerry Peck** · 06-08-2017, 04:32 PM

Do you have another photo which has a higher resolution and better focus?

I don't see what you are referring to - I do see that the two ungrounded conductors have been extended with a splice to it - but I couldn't even tell that much about those splices.

**Jim Port** · 06-08-2017, 04:58 PM

Are you asking about the hot feeding both sides of the panel?

**Richard Roshak** · 06-08-2017, 05:33 PM

Sorry, I'm talking about the hot feeds. The service cable comes in from the top of the panel then the light colored wire is joined with another then to the lugs. Typically I see a four wire to these type sub-panel, however I believe I have seen wiring diagrams allowing this type of wiring. Just not sure.

**Jim Port** · 06-09-2017, 09:33 AM

I don't know what light colored wire you are talking about . Also I seriously doubt that that is a service so the cable would not be a service cable. It would be a feeder.

**Gunnar Alquist** · 06-09-2017, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Richard Roshak

Recently installed sub-panel has a three wire supply cable. The electrician took the neutral wire and added an additional wire turning it into a four wire. This does not look right.

Richard,

A more thorough description is needed from you.

I am making some assumptions here. Are you saying that there is a single ungrounded conductor that has been spliced/split to the two lugs so the panel only has 120 volts to it, and the other (formerly) ungrounded conductor is now being used as the grounded (neutral) conductor to create separate grounded (neutral) and equipment grounding conductors?

**Stuart Brooks** · 06-23-2017, 08:25 PM

Please tell me that a licensed and experienced electrician did not make that mess. It looks like thete is a black wire used as a neutral. It may be a shadow but it looks like one of the red wires is heat discolored. That looks like a DIY job to me

**John Kogel** · 06-23-2017, 09:26 PM

That splice looks flaky but we need to know wire gauges.
It looks like he took 120 and split it to two breakers, actually 3 breakers. Maybe overlpoading the neutral, which can't be seen in the blurry pic. But if it is stranded copper the same size as the hot, you have a 120 volt panel with 3 breakers in it. Probably ok but the wires need to be identified by color code.

If you couldn't decjpher it, no shame in calling for an electrician to check it.
Get a $100 camera with a lens that focuses on the subject.

**david shapiro** · 06-25-2017, 02:48 PM

I don't know whether HIs tend to do this or not, but in some jurisdictions its is easy to look up a house's permit history. My inclination here as an electrician who does a certain amount of consulting is to investigate whether the panel was ever permitted, inspected and finaled. If not, pointing out the omission and stressing the need to get the thing to where it passes an AHJ inspection could be a useful element to the report. Maybe Jerry could comment on what could happen to the purchaser if something goes expensively wrong, associated with this panel according to his insurance investigator.