Thanks John, I will get down in the well tommorrow and try to answer all these questions. Will also take pictures. I wnat to do this right, but the easiest way possible.
Many Thanks for your patience. Kaye
John Grabowski wrote:
According to Afubar via HomeKB.com :
No. It'd work, but it's against code, and there are some real hazards with it.
You'll have to run a new cable.
That certainly would eliminate the issue with not having enough wires for both
240 and 120. Still doesn't fix the problem with buried Romex (if indeed that's what you have).Total nameplate amperage ratings of everything you plan to put on the circuit. For incandescent light bulbs, divide wattage by 120 to get amps (e.g. 60W light bulb draws 0.5 amps, 100W bulb = 0.83 amps, etc). For fluorescent fixtures, if the amperage is not marked on the fixture, do the same calculation as for incandescents, then add the nameplate amperage of the ballast (it'll be on a label on the ballast). Not perfect, but close enough.
i am currently at a job where an inspector passed that but it was for another inspector. nothing to do with my work.
I had an old stove in an old house once that had 3 wires to it - two hots and a neutral - no ground. The plug in did not even have a prong for the ground.
Yeah that would be fun if the OP put in a pool, above or below ground.
So? Notice "old stove" and "old house". That arrangement is not permitted by current electrical codes.
Code violations? Yep!
Safety? Maybe so; maybe no.
Yes but the utility service is "wired" much the same way. The utility neutral (both 240/120 and for the primary voltage) is grounded at every transformer and (in most places) at every meter or service entry point.
But what the utility does to get the power to your panel isn't covered by "the code." But that arrangement (with multiple connections between neutral and ground and no separate ground connection) is generally considered to be reasonably safe.
If the OP is thinking about doing this on the QT, the important question is just how BIG the neutral/ground wire is. A secondary question is whether his well pipe and the casing are plastic or metal. If his well pipe and casing are metal any ground rod placed in the area would be for purely cosmetic purposes as the well itself it likely better than the "utility" ground.
If he wants to "do things right" it's not hard to find 10/3 w/ground waterproof cable in areas with wells. When my pump failed, the "well guy" replaced the cable. (He didn't want to worry about the condition of the old stuff.) I now have a 200' roll of 10/3 w/ground. If I needed some good sized underground wiring, I would not hesitate to use that stuff.
Nah.
In NO case should he consider using a step up transformer. Keep the 240 volts to the pump and use the transformer to provide local juice. Consider putting a power switch (or CB) before the transformer as the transformer will continually consume a few watts of power regardless of load. The next question, of course, is whether to bond the secondary "neutral" to ground.
Important to note that at first glance type UF cable looks a lot like type NM cable a.k.a. Romex. Best to read the printing on it to see what it really is. Also important to know the gauge wire since if you want a subpanel you probably need a heavier gauge wire such as 10ga to make it worthwhile.
My recommendation is to replace the wire with a run of PVC conduit (cheap stuff) and pull new THHN wire of a suitable gauge such as 10ga (possibly 8ga if it's a long run) so you can install a 30A six space subpanel (also cheap) in the shed to feed the well pump, lighting and utility circuits.
Conceptually it _could_, presupposing that the existing ground was insulated (it isn't, because it's romex/romex-like (eg: NMWU/UF)), a sub-panel was installed, and a ground rod (or two) installed at the outbuilding. Tho, that would probably cost more and be less flexible than the alternative (running new
4 conductor wire).I'm sorry I've been away from this so long. I looked in the breaker box on the service pole and what I saw really scared me. Needless to say, I will be digging and laying new wire in PVC out to the new shed. The distance is only ablut 30 feet (probably less). I've tried to downlod pictures of the breaker box and wire, haven't had too much sucess. I do have picts of my deck, bathroom remodel, the old well topper and such in the photo album. Not sure how to post a link. Anyway guys, I really appreciate all the advice and as i get closer to running new wire, I will be back to ask more questions.
Thanks all Kaye
Goedjn wrote:
I hope this works, here are links to pictures of the original well topper with the service pole in the background, the breaker box (grey wire is the one running to the well house.pump), and the as yet unfinished 8 x 12 new green house shed that I am building.
HomeKB.comhttp://www.homekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/repair/200704/1 real class electric work there.......
trouble is they failed the class.
I once found 2 lengths of romex tied in a knot with wirenuts and no box in a wall. apparently someone ran out of wire so they tied it together.
We were gutting the house at the time, after a fire. there was so much bad wiring i was amazed it hadnt burned from that.
a cat had knocked over a lamp.......135K in building damages not including possesions
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