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pole barn sub panel
With code varying for area to area you both could be correct on what is allowed or required. As to the fourth wire for 220 it was not long ago that no circuit 110 or 220 had a fourth wire for single phase except in a mobile home in my world. If you will look in many breaker boxes you will find grounds and neutrals on same buss. As least in my part of the world. If the buss is mounted directly on the metal box as or has a jumper screw as some area's codes require you are in effect joining them still. The meter box I install two years ago only had three wires from the power company (220) so neutral and ground were joined by them. THeir neutral mounted to the meter box, with ground wire also mounted to the meter box. To me they are in same circuit.
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pole barn sub panel
I left the electric business before 1985 for other than my own barn and my brother's. The biggest thing I was trying to say is the way I think he wired it was standard for many years and it will work. I still find it hard to believe if it is safe to wire it that way from the meter base to the main breaker box and it is not safe to a sub panel. At same time it is only three wires run by the power company from transformer to meter base, two powers and a single ground/neutral. So why is there no need for a seperate 4th wire when it comes to the power in or out of meter base?
It used to be unless you had either more than 6 or 8 breakers (not sure now which number is was) you were not required to have a main disconnect either, again, per code here. That was even on a main breaker box. Is the extra ground wire safer, probably. So are ground fault outlets and I do recommend them anywhere near where water may be. Now would that not be for any outlet he may use an extension code to run something outside with?
Before someone comes along and say you sure had lax code there let me say 14 guage wire and 15 amp circuits have not been legal here since at least 1970 and all services had to be in conduit, not as they were with expoused (do not remember the type of wire they used as we did not use it here) in some large cities in other states.
Now if he wants to talk with his local code people and ask them if what he did is per code that is his call. I would not suggest he bring them out to his building as they may have all kind of issues.
A point that concerns me more that the 4th wire would be the depth he buried his conduit.
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pole barn sub panel
Eric,
I thought I sent this from dial up connection but it did not make it.
In going over what you first asked, I have a question. Your two hot wires are 220 voltage across them, correct? If you used a side by side double breaker they should be 220. If you used a piggy back or two single breakers that are not side by side you may have both hot wires on the same leg of your main breaker box. If you do you only have 110 voltage and you are placing a double load on your single neutral. THAT WOULD BE DANGEROUS AND ONE DAY WILL FAIL.
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pole barn sub panel
Eric,
I thought you probably had but I have seen the other done.
I hope you enjoy your barn.
As to codes there is reasons for them. Some even make a lot of sense which I fully agree. Now why was the code for years on a 110 circuit a power and a neutral or the black and white wire only? Then there came the smaller guage ground and then it was decided the ground must be as large as the power.
At the same time there was code requirement for the 110 circuit to have the third wire the ground as the same guage as the power and neutral the code also said if you were to replace the outlet itself in an old 2 wire circuit you were to use or at least allowed to use the 3 prong outlet giving the impression to someone using it to be a grounded outlet. Now if that makes sense I forgive those who make codes and think they are perfect. Some of the electric codes (last I studied them) were a lot like some of the IRS code, law but huh?
As to a good local electrician, please if you do, do ask more at least two and let us know if both gave the exact same answer. Now, let one be about 30 and one about 60. Don't forget to ask how many barns, houses or what ever each has wired and then how many have burnt due to wiring.
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