It is NOT permitted to share a neutral in any other situation. If you were to share a neutral with two breakers on the same leg of a panel, both circuits could draw the breaker limit (lets say 15A) making the shared neutral as much as 30A return current!
Contents
- 1 Does NEC allow shared neutrals?
- 2 Can you share a neutral on the same phase?
- 3 Can you tie neutrals together from different circuits?
- 4 What does sharing a neutral mean?
- 5 Can you share a neutral on GFCI?
- 6 Can two AFCI breakers share a neutral?
- 7 Can two neutral wires touch?
- 8 What happens if you tie two circuits together?
- 9 How many neutral wires can be connected together?
- 10 Can a neutral wire be overloaded?
- 11 How do you know if a share is neutral?
- 12 Is neutral same as common?
Section 200.4(B) states that ” unless specifically permitted elsewhere in this Code”. Specific requirements in sections 215.4 and 225.7 permit multiple circuits to have a common or shared neutral conductor.
If two circuits on the same phase share a neutral, the current in the neutral will add. The voltage across the neutral is still zero, or very close.
Can you tie neutrals together from different circuits?
Neutral wires from different circuits are NOT tied together except at the neutral buss in the panel. Neutral wires carry current. If you tie neutral wires together from different circuits then you run the risk of overloading the neutral wire, which could cause a fire.
What does sharing a neutral mean?
A shared neutral is a connection in which a plurality of circuits use the same neutral connection. This is also known as a common neutral, and the circuits and neutral together are sometimes referred to as an Edison circuit.
“The only way to use two GFCI receptacles to provide GFCI protection to more than two total receptacles on a shared-neutral circuit is to stop sharing the neutral after the GFCIs – by using two seperate 12/2’s, or 12/2/2.
An AFCI with shared neutral consists of two one-pole GE circuit breakers that are tied together with a handle tie, forming a simple, two-pole shared neutral solution. 3. This allows you to wire a multi-wire or a shared neutral the same way you would with a thermal magnetic breaker.
Can two neutral wires touch?
No they cannot. The NEC clearly states that each neutral must terminate by itself in the lug.
What happens if you tie two circuits together?
With two wires connected to the same breaker or terminal, the circuit breaker could overheat. A fire may also occur if your circuit breaker is double tapped. You may be able to view for yourself whether your circuit breaker is double tapped.
How many neutral wires can be connected together?
There is only one neutral in all other neutrals (out) must connect to the single neutral in. If you did that some of those neutral outs would no longer work because they weren’t any longer connected to the neutral. What you can do use use two wire nuts and a pigtail connecting them.
Can a neutral wire be overloaded?
Overloading Of The Grounded (Neutral) Conductor. Failure to properly terminate the ungrounded (hot) conductors to separate phases could cause the grounded (neutral) conductor to become overloaded from excessive neutral current, and the insulation could be damaged or destroyed.
Open up the panel and look inside. Cables with three wires: red, white, and black (may or may not (but should) have a ground wire as the fourth) have a shared neutral, namely the white.
Is neutral same as common?
The common wire is normally the white wire, at least in the United States, and is often called the neutral wire. It’s also called common because all circuits in the house typically have the white wires tied together, which means every circuit has that wire in common.
