- Joined
- Nov 2, 2021
- Messages
- 1,116
The church I’m employed at is having the kitchen area remodeled in one of our buildings, so here goes. My coworker tagged receptacles and wrote on the block wall next to them the circuits they’re associated with. Doesn’t matter walls will be studded and Sheetrocked no big deal writing on the walls.
Along with some other wonky wiring we’re finding this one wowed me. There’s a quad box with two receptacles marked 18/33, ok.. no. I go to the panel throw 18/33 off, first I’m like ok they have two commercial refrigerators plugged in so separate circuits would be logical. Here’s where it goes downhill.
I go back to the quad box pull the trim plate and use my volt stick the little ticker before pulling the receptacles out and find out there’s still power. So I call my coworker over I’m like dude you sure you got the correct circuits for this box, yes why? Well there’s still power here. I leave 18/33 off get my plug in circuit sniffer plug it in sniff the panel I find another circuit this time breaker 20. Now I’m getting suspicious because I know shared neutrals aka multi wire branch circuits you have to have a 2-pole double throw breaker with a common trip handle and based on these breakers be different circuits and singles I’m like what’s going on here? So now with breaker 20 off I head back to the quad box and hit it again with the volt stick bam I’m still hot now I’m like ***. use the plug in sniffer a 4th circuit. Well I find out there Is 3 neutrals in the quad box one wire nutted off in the back of the box.. on the receptacles the neutral jumper bars were not snapped off so the intent wasn’t 4 individual circuits and not enough neutrals. This was just very very bad workmanship and electrical practices of sharing neutrals none of the wires were identified in the raceway belonging to one group.
I rewired the junction box that’s feeding the quad receptacles each receptacle will be on its own 20a circuit the third neutral and circuit is now an outside gfci receptacle and the 4th hot is disconnected at the panel and the junction box capped off with a wire nut.
Sorry for the rambling but this was something that was a wow moment.
Along with some other wonky wiring we’re finding this one wowed me. There’s a quad box with two receptacles marked 18/33, ok.. no. I go to the panel throw 18/33 off, first I’m like ok they have two commercial refrigerators plugged in so separate circuits would be logical. Here’s where it goes downhill.
I go back to the quad box pull the trim plate and use my volt stick the little ticker before pulling the receptacles out and find out there’s still power. So I call my coworker over I’m like dude you sure you got the correct circuits for this box, yes why? Well there’s still power here. I leave 18/33 off get my plug in circuit sniffer plug it in sniff the panel I find another circuit this time breaker 20. Now I’m getting suspicious because I know shared neutrals aka multi wire branch circuits you have to have a 2-pole double throw breaker with a common trip handle and based on these breakers be different circuits and singles I’m like what’s going on here? So now with breaker 20 off I head back to the quad box and hit it again with the volt stick bam I’m still hot now I’m like ***. use the plug in sniffer a 4th circuit. Well I find out there Is 3 neutrals in the quad box one wire nutted off in the back of the box.. on the receptacles the neutral jumper bars were not snapped off so the intent wasn’t 4 individual circuits and not enough neutrals. This was just very very bad workmanship and electrical practices of sharing neutrals none of the wires were identified in the raceway belonging to one group.
I rewired the junction box that’s feeding the quad receptacles each receptacle will be on its own 20a circuit the third neutral and circuit is now an outside gfci receptacle and the 4th hot is disconnected at the panel and the junction box capped off with a wire nut.
Sorry for the rambling but this was something that was a wow moment.
.
