I recently removed an old combination heat-light-fan from a bathroom. I noted that the seperately switched fan and light circuits were connected to only one neutral, not seperate neturals. The neutral to the light had been cut off. Is this acceptable according to current electrical code?
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If you pick up a good book on wiring (for entertainment and personal enlightenment only - grin), you will see variations in wiring, that are acceptable, at the distant parts of a circuit. With switched fixtures, the neutrals stay permanently connected while the various hots get interrupted by the switches. (Within reason) the neutrals to near fixtures on the same circuit can either branch from one point, or run in a daisy-chain from fixture to fixture. (Which is what you are seeing, as opposed to one being 'cut off'). Daisy chaining has the advantage of not trying to stuff 4 neutral wires into one wirenut when serving 3 fixtures and reduces the bulk of wires running into the certain boxes.
You'll see some wild variations on interconnecting neutrals in old-style wiring - includng the neutrals running not-at-all parallel to their associated hots. Can be fine (or can be extremely dangerous, such as loops and cross-connected circuits).
A lot more has to be known before saying it is 'to code' . Total load, total numbers of fixtures and wirenuts..... and done properly all matter. But so far this is just a variation.
Is this all on the same breaker? If so, OK. If not, the two breakers can't be on the same leg.
-- J.S.
If its on two seperate breakers they have to be hooked together so if one side trips the other will also. This is to make sure everything is either dead or alive.
Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
That is true only if the two circuits are both on the same device yolk. As in a duplex receptical that has the tab broken off between the two hot screws.There are no electrons! It is all made up. Don't believe it.
Electricity is made by GREENIES.