ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Switched Neutral

<p align="center"><img border="0" src="https://www.electrical-contractor.net/Violations/Submissions/SwitchedNeutral.jpg" width="403" height="259">
Submitted by sparky66wv (V. Kelly)
<p align="left">"This photo is of a switched neutral with the hot continuous through the box and unbroken and unspliced ... sort-of clever if you
ignore the switched neural part..."

Sorry Guys... a Polaroid Fun Flash just doesn't have the macro capability I need for close-ups. However, I think one can just make out the photo and see that the "romex" is one continuous piece, with the white wire broken for the switch.

Has anyone run into this before? (Not the switched neutral part, but the "continuous" part.) This is the third or fourth that I've seen in this area.

I also wanted to mention that a reasonably new Leviton brand 15A switch (complete with a ground screw and phillips type terminal screws) was removed from this before the photo was taken. Must've been changed within the last five years, my estimate.

Sparky,

I've seen it once or twice myself. - I tried to clear up the photo a little, but that was the best I could do.

I have followed several older electricians here in MO who do the same style, although they broke the hot side, they split the Romex and place the switch in the line and leave the nuetral looped in the box. I spent 1/2 of a day trying to clean up a mess like that one day.

I haven't seen that one done in romex, But I have seen some stranded thhn, being used in the same manner.
Also on the switched neutral, Plant I am working at now, for some (roughly 1/3) of the motor controllers, they use the overload circuit to break the neutral and not the hot.... I seem to be the only one who finds this to be scary........

tajoch,
Almost all magnetic starters have the overlaod realy break the grounded conductor of the control power circuit to open the contactor. This is the industry standard. Starters that have the overload relay in the hot of the control circuit are special order. Why do see this as scary?
Don(resqcapt19)

These are not necessarily grounded conductors. In the case of a 208, 240, or 480 volt coil this conductor is ungrounded. Also, there's an exception in NEC 250-21 (3), but these are fairly unlikely circumstances (d) If you want to change it, it can be accomplished with jumpers, and a material outlay of less than a dollar.
A potential hazard with the O/L contact switching the grounded wire is that if the wire from the contact to the coil (sometimes just a jumper, but often extends to other controls) becomes grounded, the circuit will not respond to the open contact. This can allow other devices on the same controls to run, and can destroy machinery and people.
(no more edits, sorry guys)
[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-04-2001).]

I see this often in OH... in homes 100+ years old and K/T (knob and tube). the old timers thought switched was switched. I thought they were all dead. I guess old bad habits never die.