In article , Steve Kraus wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:
But he never actually said that he has a neutral. He's *assuming* that
there is one. This is a common assumption among people who don't
understand how North American 240V service works, but it's usually a
mistaken assumption.

He expressly referred to two hot wires, a ground wire, and a wire he
referred to as a "common."

Go back and re-read the original post.

4 wires in all. What are you suggesting he
means by "common" other than neutral? No one is suggesting he or anyone
else wire anything without verifying for certain that that is the case.
But we have only what he stated to go on.

And he never explicitly stated that he actually had all four.

Since you're the one who is coming to the conclusion that the wire he
refers to is NOT a neutral may I ask what you think it is?

Geez, I thought I'd already made that clear -- I think he's referring to a
neutral that he *assumes* is present because he misunderstands how 240V
circuits are wired, and thinks that all circuits have neutrals. Look at it
this way: if he *did* understand how 240V circuits are wired, he'd know what
to look for and he'd know what to do with it, and would not have asked the
question in the first place.

In a 240V motor circuit, it's *very* unlikely that there is a neutral
conductor present. The OP never said that he actually checked. He's assuming
that there is a neutral. That assumption is probably incorrect.

Everyone else
here believes he is referring to a neutral...yes yes it should be
verified...but that's what he said and I'm puzzled why you draw some other
conclusion.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.