wiring issues need help

[shuswap]

okay i started with a 40 amp breaker at main breaker panel,ran this to a intermatic 104 A is the common,1 is hot and 3 is hot,from there i have run 2 and 4 as the timed hots to a sub panel with individual breakers,which should give me 240,the bottom of these breakers have 2 screws and are made for 240 as in there a double breaker,okay so now i ran this to each side of a plug in and i do have 120 on each screw coming from the breaker but i cant get my 240 volt ballasts to fire up,switch them to 120 and plug them in the wall and they work fine,now i have the common running from the timer to the sub panel breaker box but am not using ,as in it goes to the common bar and is otherwise empty.my ballast wires are black is hooked to 240,white to the common and green ground what am i missing?

 

[gomer]

Is the 40 amp breaker a double breaker/220 breaker? Two hot wires each reading 110 volts to the neutral and 220 volts across them coming out of the main panel.

At the sub-panel do you have 220 between/across the two breakers that are tied together?

I hope you are running large enough wire forward from the 40 amp breakers.

 

[shuswap]

yes its a double pole 240 volt 40 amp breaker and im running 8 gauge which according to my local wiring shop is okay,at the timer i have 120 at each hot when measuring from hot to neutral,then on sub panel i have 120 on each screw at bottom,or output of breaker but im not sure if my meter wont work or im doing something wrong but when on acv 750 it reads zero when touching same 2 screws at output of breaker ,but if i got from one screw to neutral i have 120 like i said before

 

[Horsemanrocks]

Disconnect the ballast to guaranty that the 120V reading that you're getting (at the "other" terminal screw) isn't being supplied by only one (the same) phase (120V source).
If you get 120V at each screw and nothing across (between) then you're reading the same voltage through the ballast....Hope that makes sense
I'll check back

HMR

 

[gomer]

Let's see where the 220 ends.
Check to see that you have 220 volts between the two hot wires coming out of the double 40 amp breaker.
See that you have 220 volts between the two hot legs that arrive at your timer and the same leaving when the timer is on.
Check that you have 220 going into your sub-panel.
You should have 220 between the two wire attaching screws coming out of the double breaker. On the double 220 volt breaker each half should show 110 to neutral and 220 across them.

 

[Horsemanrocks]

Excellent advice Gomer

Excellent advice Gomer

I'm with Gomer....the only thing that I can add is that with the load (the ballast) connected.....you can get fooled by the same phase feeding throught the ballast giving 120V at each terminal and not getting 240V across.

HMR

 

[shuswap]

i have nothing plugged in at the moment and i 120 from each screw in sub panel to neutral but when i touch them both i get nothing,but either screw to the neutral is 120 i went to the dryer plugged in the house and i can touch both hots there and get 240 so i will go back there tomorrow and see if i get 240 at the starting point in the main breaker for the entire house,if i only have 110 at each output but not 240 when i touch both screws leaving the main house breaker what did i miss?

and thanxs for those whom have left the input thats why these forums fucking rock!!

 

[Horsemanrocks]

If you have 240V at the dryer....you'll have it at the main.
First thing: follow Gomers' advice.
Time for "wild ass" guesses.
The most likely way of having 120V at each terminal....but not across....is that they come from the same source.
Possibly you have distributed from the sub-panel with two single pole breakers that are not necessarily "out of phase". That means that they originate from the same bus bar.
Just one of the possibilities.
Good luck....I'll check again tomorrow.

HMR

 

[PharmaCan]

Take some pics of your panel and sub-panel and post the pics. Somewhere along the line you've gone from pulling from both hot bus bars to pulling from only one. You have a simple problem that is easy to fix and a couple pics would probably help sort things out.

PC

 

[sparkjumper]

You cant get "out of phase" legs because the 2 pole breaker is designed to use different legs wherever you mount it.Check at the main panel to make sure you have 240 V coming out from the starting point.Then wotk your way along like Gomer said.There could be something wrong with the breaker if you are getting 120V to ground and neutral but no voltage at all between "legs".At the main breaker check hot to neutral,hot to ground and then in between hots.

 

[Horsemanrocks]

All good advice

All good advice

If by chance you have any other 240V loads connected to the sub-panel…..disconnect them before following Gomers’ plan….they could be backfeeding an otherwise open buss.

HMR

 

[shuswap]

well you learn something new everyday,it was pulling from the same 120,had to move on 120 breaker down and then split the spot that the 240 was pulling from all is working great thanxs for all the input!

 

[gomer]

Glad you got it sorted out. Best of luck on the future grow.