On Fri, 7 Jan 2005 16:01:46 -0800, "Slowhand" I'm@work wrote:


"Leon" wrote in message
. com...

"LRod" wrote in message
...

The other thing is make sure your terms are straight when you're
describing your situation. You actually have a copper, 10 gauge (3
wire - ground, hot,, hot) coming from a 30 amp (unused) breaker which
used to power a water heater (now gas). The fact that it used to power
a water heater tells us it's a 240V circuit protected by a 30A
breaker, thus the wires are hot, hot, ground. There is no neutral in a
240V circuit (North America).

With that in mind, and I agree about ground, hot, hot on a 3 wire set up.
Many newer homes with 220 have 4 wires, 1 being ground. What do you call
the other 3?

Hot, Hot, Neutral, Ground
I have the 4 wire running to my table saw. Of which I branched off and
created a duplex 110 recepticle where the neutral was needed.

All that is true, and I'm sure as an old sparky you remember when a
240V circuit was just the two hots; the ground wire is a relatively
new (40 or 50 years?) requirement.

In any event, I'm also sure you will agree that in a 240V circuit that
will supply only a motor or a heater, there won't be any neutral
because there is no neutral in a 240V circuit.

Now I am fully aware that dryer circuits are now required to be four
wire, that one may no longer use the ground for the neutral path
needed for the 120V parts of a dryer circuit which the NEC permitted
as a special use. But that's an exception. I think that may also be an
exception in range circuits, but for water heaters, table saws,
planers, jointers, dust collectors, ACs, etc., all that's required is
three (and electrically, all that's needed is two), and neutral isn't
one of them.

Your example of the 120V receptacle is simply a variation of a multi
wire circuit which looks just like a 240V circuit everywhere along the
circuit except at the loads. But a neutral IS needed in a multiwire
circuit. It isn't in a 240V circuit excepting the dryer/range
applications.



- -
LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

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