Electrical Help Please?

[Sethodine]

I could use some input from somebody who maybe knows a bit more about home electrics than myself. I'm confident I can do this job correctly and safely, but I've run into a confusing situation.

I'm putting in a 240v socket, so that we can re-charge our Leaf faster. I have the socket, the 40-amp double-pole breaker, the wire and all the other hardware that I'll need for the job. Very thoroughly researched.

But then I opened up the electrical box to see what I had to work with, and I saw this:

Which bar is the Ground? Which is the Neutral? According to code in the USA, ground should be Green and Neutral should be White. Instead, all I see are White and Bare wires on both bars.
The socket I'm installing is a NEMA 6-50, which is Hot-Hot-Ground, so I don't need the Neutral bar.

Help!

[Please do not respond with "Call an electrician." I will if I must. I'm looking for alternatives before getting to that point.]

 

[Injunjoe]

Although not a licensed electrician, it appears that they did not have wire of the correct color so they wrapped the neutral with a white stripe on the left side. The right side is ground because they typically use bare wire or green for ground.

 

[Jambe]

One of the worst wring jobs ever.
It has been ten years since I did mine but I will get a picture and hope to be able to explain what you need to do.
(Or someone may beat me to it. )

 

[Sethodine]

Is there some sort of diagnostic I can do? I have a multi-meter.

 

[Jambe]

I'm embarrassed to post this because it was messed up by the painter not covering it when spraying the wall.
The two hots (120 v.+ 120 v.) coming in from the top are red and black. The neutral is white. The ground is the bare wire by the neutral. All of the circuit grounds are connected to the thin bars with the many screws.
The 240 volt breakers all have one black and one red and one ground.

Do you have your breaker? It needs to be specific for the panelboard brand. Do you have your wire (probably one piece of black and one of red, #8)?
Hook the screw end of the 40 amp breaker under the grey tab right under the existing breaker (either side) and press the other end firmly onto the standoffs. The black wire and the red wire hook into the new breaker. The ground goes to the ground bar. That's it.

 

[Jambe]

I may have changes to the above. I'm waiting for a reply.

 

[Sethodine]

They didn't have and 8/2 at Home Depot, so I got individual 8 gauge Black, Red, and Green. It only needs to run about 4 feet tops (although I got 10 feet of each just-in-case).

I ordered the double-pole 40amp breaker online. I didn't realize that there were different brands for different panelboards--I assumed they were standardized--but it looks just like the breakers that are in the panel so I think it'll work fine.

My problem is that the main board has 2 black running into it, one of the bars has black and the other has black with white tape. I don't want to "assume" that the white-taped-black is the Neutral bar. If I know which one is the ground, then I feel confident I can wire in the new breaker safely.

 

[Sethodine]

I'm realizing now that it looks like there are Neutral and Ground wired onto BOTH bars. This is not acceptable!

I think I will be calling an electrician tomorrow to fix this. And then while I'm at it, I can have him install my new breaker.

 

[Elio Amazed]

I know you said to not tell you to not call an electrician, but trust me Seth, for your own good...
If you are looking at that box and you have to ask, "Which bar is the Ground? Which is the Neutral?"...
You and your family need you to call an electrician, be it a friend who actually knows what he/she is doing...
Or someone you have to pay to do this. Reality. Those two questions just disqualified you from doing this safely...
No matter how much detailed instruction you get. And that definitely goes for any and all instruction from our members.

I can tell you exactly how to correctly wire that box. But I won't.

Don't forget, you more than likely will have to hire an inspector to legally approve the installation anyway.

Sorry man. That's the truth.

BTW... In reality, there's absolutely nothing wrong with those neutrals being connected where they are.
Technically... well... I suppose newer inspectors might be happier if they were connected to the "correct" bars.
It looks like the box was wired by someone used to the old style where one bar served as both ground and neutral.
Chances are an inspector thought it was OK the way it was. See if you can find an inspection sticker anywhere on the box.

 

[Jambe]

120 v. between the big, curved black feeds (either one) and the white taped wire.
One of the curved black wires should be red.
I don't think you are connecting anything to the neutral bar, which is on the left side [don't know what bare ground wires are doing hooked to it], ground bar is on right side [don't know what white neutral wires are doing hooked to it]. Existing breaker screws to neutral or ground should be 120 v.
Push in the breaker and you should have 240 v. between the two breaker screws.

(I'm not an electrician but my brother is.)