Four Breakers - One Neutral

[Mike Lamb]

Is there anything necessarily wrong with this? There are four breakers in the main panel but only one neutral. I suppose the neutrals are pig tailed in the gutter.

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[Marc]

Shouldn't be pigtailed in the gutter. And I'm not so sure that a common gutter is kosher either.

I had one similar to that two days ago:

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All the neutrals and egc's are grouped together in a box on the other side of that wall.

Marc

[inspector57]

I just had this type of issue on a commercial structure.

I had multiple panels with 4 times as many hots from individual breakers (not 240 volt) than the number of neutrals.

I can't quote chapter and verse, but I see the problem as the possibility of overloading the neutrals if splicing neutrals together and using the same size wire to the neutral bar. If there are 4 20 amp breakers, there could be 80 amps returning on the single #12 neutral wire. There is the possibility of multi-wire circuits but also the probability that it is not.

Also, there is also the requirement that all wires in the circuit originate from the same panel board. (or something to that effect)

[Jim Katen]

I'm not sure what's going on there, but I'm having a hard time imagining any way that it can be right.

[Charlie R]

We all see common neutrals where they are using 2 hot wires to two circuits, is there any way that they can use a common neutral for four circuits? I don't think so but I've learned to ask rather than just say "no."

[Chad Fabry]

Was every panel like that? Did the apartment formerly have resistance heat?

[David Meiland]

Chad, are you thinking there were heat relays?

[Chad Fabry]

Chad, are you thinking there were heat relays?

No, I was thinking they had a two pole serving resistance heat, then they removed the resistance heat and picked up a neutral in the gutter for the two new circuits.

[Mr. Electric]

You guys are right to be concerned here. Yes the code allows a common neutral for a multi-wire circuit, but this is not a multi-wire circuit. There should be a neutral for each circuit that originates in the main panel. As noted above the neutral can easily be overloaded and cause all kinds of problems if it fails.

[Mike Lamb]

Thanks all. This is just another 90+ year old Chgo. multi-unit where anything goes.