[gordyPA]

Hi All, Ive got a circuit which I believe all the recepticles have open grounds. I believe all the recepticles have grounded lines run to them but in the basement there is a junction box which I think may be causing the problem. A 3 line wire is run (white, black, green, no bare) from the panel to the junction box. The white and black are both hot, and the green is being used as neutral and ground. So i'm not sure if that is acceptable or correct? Then from the junction box, 2 wires exit it each having 1 hot line. My question is, is this what is causing the open ground? Should I seperate the line going to the junction box with another line? Thanks Gordy from PA

 

[300zx]

Sounds like you have a 220 line (2 hots and a ground) .For a (120)volt line you need 1 hot 1 neutral 1 ground.This is what is causing the open ground.The whites on the 120 line are tied to the green wire.This is not safe. Where does the 220 line go to? Sounds like the j-box is a mess! To fix you need to run a curciut to another j-box next to that one take the 120 lines put in new j-box with your new 120 line.New 15 or 20 amp breaker (dependeing on wire size) How many wires are in the j-box?And what size #12 or #14?.

 

[J. V.]

Is this a 240 volt circuit or a 120 volt circuit. Go to the breaker and see. White/Black/Green indicates 120 volts, depending on the original installer. Look in the panel and see how these three wires are connected. Then come back and tell us.

Common cable configurations are wht/blk/bare or wht/blk/red/bare. I must assume this circuit is in conduit. A green conductor is my indicator.

 

[ScottR]

Sounds like someone ran an MWBC but was too cheap to buy the correct cable.

Then from the junction box, 2 wires exit it each having 1 hot line. My question is, is this what is causing the open ground?

What kind of cables are entering and exiting the box? Are they BX (metal sheath), or NM (plastic sheath)? And if the exiting cables have bare or green wires, where are those connected in the jbox?

Should I seperate the line going to the junction box with another line?

Yes. Run another cable from the panel, using black=hot, white=neut, bare/green=ground (as it should be), and change the existing cable to that same layout. Wherever the white wire from the existing cable connects in the panel should be where you connect the black wire from the new cable, and then both whites should land on the neutral bus bar, as should the grounds if it is the main panel (if it's a sub panel, the neutrals and grounds should be separated).

Make sure the new and existing wire is sized appropriately for the breaker (#14 for a 15A breaker and #12 for 20A -- when in doubt use #12 wire).

I must assume this circuit is in conduit. A green conductor is my indicator.

I was picturing MC.. Fortunately either way the ground is insulated and probably sized the same as the conductors, so the OP is not in immediate danger of fire.

 

[theatretch85]

Common cable configurations are wht/blk/bare or wht/blk/red/bare. I must assume this circuit is in conduit. A green conductor is my indicator.

J.V. I have actually seen a 14/3 NM cable in my house that is White/Black/Orange/Green, yes an insulated ground wire. There are at least two places in my house that I know of where they used this NM cable configuration. The rest of the NM all has bare grounds, and the other existing 14/3 NM also has the orange wire verses the standard red wire.

 

[gordyPA]

To the junction box is 1 line with 2 hots and a neutral. No ground. That is split into 2 120 lines which run to 2 different circuits in my house. My questions is, since there is no dedicated ground back to the panel is that what is causing the open ground? If the neutral and ground are both run on a single wire would that cause an open ground?