"Dennis" wrote in message
news:B%p0j.6083$rg1.5080@trndny04...
The white wires are not neutrals (a neutral only occurs in a 240 volt
circuit and carries the unbalanced load of the two legs.) And most likely,
one or two of the white wires is what is called a switch leg, that is, it
is actually a ungrounded (or black) wire run to the switch to be
"switched". (But actually it's a "hot" wire in disguise).



Neutral wires are present in 120V circuits as well, yes neutral and ground
busses are bonded together in the panel, but the white wire is still called
neutral though it carries the full return current. A white wire can be hot
if used in a switch drop or to a 240v appliance receptacle but in that case
there should be a band of black or red tape around it to mark it as such,
though in most houses I've worked on they've skipped that.

Note that this assumes USA, I'm not as knowledgeable about the electrical
codes in other countries.