Wiring atrocities, need help, starting with the panel


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Old 09-13-21, 11:53 AM
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Wiring atrocities, need help, starting with the panel

Hello all.

I am seeking help and at the same time maybe give some of you sparkies an interesting thread.

Colombia

120 volt national grid, there are laws and codes but generally they are ignored.

Complete rewiring done 5 years ago by a qualified electrician is failing and dangerous
Three storey house wired with hot and neutrals only, as the local norm

Was alerted to burning cables in wall during shower by main breaker tripping and resetting. Bathroom breaker and the panel breakers did not and have never tripped, but do close circuits.

I have read up, disconnected some dangerous circuits, found older burn outs and other problems. Complete rewiring is impossible right now.


sorry, photo leapt in early

photo


I am thinking of GCFI devices. However, I can only see 3 returning neutrals for the 7 outgoing single pole breakers at the panel. The lights share the circuits with power sockets and I am not confident in trying to install local GCFI sockets until I understand the neutral situation better.

HOWEVER, FOR NOW, I need to know if the main panel is connected ‘correctly’, especially in the nuetral to ground connection.

The photo is not clear but hope the attached diagram helps, omitted all the outgoing circuit wires.

Energy company locks meter in box with main breakers so no way of turning power off

Chances of death changing these Homeline breakers on a live board?

Circuit tester lights up on only one of the incoming 4 wires, the breaker buss bar.

And I have to stress, as much as I love Colombia, you cant simply trust local 'profesionals' in matters such as this, I have learnt the hard way.

Many thanks for any advise, I promise not to misuse it


enter 4 cables,
White, neutral bus to meter
Black, live, breakers to meter
Red, ground to meter
Black, ground to floor

 

Last edited by PJmax; 09-13-21 at 08:36 PM. Reason: added diagram from link
  #2  
Old 09-13-21, 08:34 PM
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Welcome to the forums from Columbia.

The main breaker should not trip and ever reset by itself.
If you have seven 120v circuits than you need to have seven neutrals. If you don't then several circuits are sharing neutrals and that is completely wrong with 120v circuits.

I can't see anything helpful in your panel picture.
So the next step would be to post another picture or two of the panel that are very clear.
 
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Old 09-14-21, 09:33 AM
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Thanks for replying,
Spent the last 10 minutes failing to get a clearer picture but the wires block the view anyway, it is a mess.

It may not have been the main breaker that tripped, I heard a bang from downstairs, power went and returned.

I spent time diagnosing the whole house and there are so many problems.
For starters though, I am not sure if the panel is correctly connected to the meter.

Hopefully if I rephrase the question it will be clearer and you can use the diagram without another photo.

The nuetral and ground buses are connected with a thin green wire in the panel, before the main disconnect in the meter. There is a ground rod in between the panel and meter

Four wires enter at the meter side,
One to the breaker bus
One to the neutral bus
But TWO run to the ground bus. This confuses me, a black runs down a plastic canal to the ground rod and the red goes to the meter.

If you could clarify that this is correct, well, atleast safe, I would be very grateful,

I will borrow a better camera when I start opening up walls etc.......

























 
 

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