220A welding circuit question

[John47]

Back to myTech College days and basic electricity, although different standards, very little difference, neutral, at or about earth (ground) potential, the neutral should only just move a multimeter needle when there's a load on the circuit, measured from neutral to ground.
NEC allows for either the neutral to be grounded at the consumers breaker box or be floating, depending on the local utility's rules. Doesn't make a deal of difference really as it is grounded by the utility at the meter box.

Don't leave the neutral "hanging loose" in the outlet!! Either insulate it or connect it. Never did much house wiring, more HV armoured cable work and machine maintenance myself in my 40 plus years in the trade.

Also, IF IN DOUBT, find an electrician, even we elecs get burned now and then and we are supposed to know better!

 

[WKTEDDYBEAR]

most residential panels are 3 wire that is 2 hots and a neutral there is a ground wire from ground rods driven into ground. The thing is unless it is a mobile / modular home, the neutral buss bar in box is same as the ground buss bar.if there are 2 buss bars in the box they are linked together as they are in the pictured box above.
in commercial wiring I believe they usually are separate ground and neutral circuits.
it is true in 4 wire(3 + ground)that if you are going to use the white wire instead of bare it should have green (phase) electrical tape on each end of it that can be seen as soon as you can see wire when taking cover off at any connection. otherwise it could be possibly be mistaken by someone as 2-120 volt circuits.

quote John47 "Don't leave the neutral "hanging loose" in the outlet!" that is correct!
someone else suggested unhooking it in the panel I think it needs to be cut where it enters there and where it enters the outlet box to be correct.

FYI; common mistake it is 240 volt not 220 volt {120 x 2=240}
and never try hooking those 2 wires together 240 volt does not work that way, but panel fires can.

 

[Transit]

We have to agree on one thing, the NEC may be read many ways.

As for 240 [2 x 120] there has been a progression of voltages, 2 x 110 = 220, 2 x 115 = 230 and those are the ideal values, loading and power brown outs will change that too.

 

[wstf2]

Thanks for all of the responses but as a non-electrician I can't decipher all of what is being said. Is it o.k. to use it the way it is for my soon to be new MIG welder?

 

[Inspector507]

Thanks for all of the responses but as a non-electrician I can't decipher all of what is being said. Is it o.k. to use it the way it is for my soon to be new MIG welder?

wstf2, you've gotten both good and bad information, as usual when it comes to electric. But from your picture and your description, your 50A 240V receptacle is wired correctly. If a grounded conductor (sometimes called the neutral) was needed, it would be a 50A 120/240V 4 wire receptacle.

 

[Haywire]

I'm no industrial electrician.. I'm an aircraft electrician. Worlds apart. That said, from a logic standpoint, if I had a choice of using either an insulated conductor or a bare conductor for neutral, the insulated conductor is the no-brainer, regardless of how the code is written. :confused3:

Ian

 

[wstf2]

wstf2, you've gotten both good and bad information, as usual when it comes to electric. But from your picture and your description, your 50A 240V receptacle is wired correctly. If a grounded conductor (sometimes called the neutral) was needed, it would be a 50A 120/240V 4 wire receptacle.

This may or may not make a difference but the wire from the house main panel to the garage sub panel is 4-wire red, black, white and bare copper, all of which are attached in the sub panel.

 

[Inspector507]

This may or may not make a difference but the wire from the house main panel to the garage sub panel is 4-wire red, black, white and bare copper, all of which are attached in the sub panel.

That would be the correct wiring for a sub-panel.

 

[wstf2]

Back to myTech College days and basic electricity, although different standards, very little difference, neutral, at or about earth (ground) potential, the neutral should only just move a multimeter needle when there's a load on the circuit, measured from neutral to ground.
NEC allows for either the neutral to be grounded at the consumers breaker box or be floating, depending on the local utility's rules. Doesn't make a deal of difference really as it is grounded by the utility at the meter box.

Don't leave the neutral "hanging loose" in the outlet!! Either insulate it or connect it. Never did much house wiring, more HV armoured cable work and machine maintenance myself in my 40 plus years in the trade.

Also, IF IN DOUBT, find an electrician, even we elecs get burned now and then and we are supposed to know better!

The white neutral isn't hanging loose in the outlet box. It must be higher up above the outlet box and below the sub panel in the wall cavity.

 

[wstf2]

1. For peace of mind and since it appears to be doing nothing, should I detach the white wire at the neutral bar and cap it off?
2. Should I pull the existing complete #6 four wire out (it's only about three feet long) and replace it with #6 hot black, hot white and ground green, following the exact sub panel connection path as the existing hot red, hot black and bare copper ground?
3. Leave it as is?
Again, thanks all, just want it to be safe and right for the three pronged connection welder.