I'm currently working on wiring a sauna with the help of a retired electrician, but I'm running into a problem. To give you some context, I'm using what I'll call 'non-romex' wire, which is just individual insulated wires – not the standard romex type. We ran this non-romex wire in aluminum conduit through my garage, leading from the breaker box to the first junction box (let's call it junction A). From there, it connects to romex, which then runs under the house to the second junction box (junction B). Lastly, I have non-romex in PVC conduit underground for the final leg. Right now, there's nothing connected in the sauna; just four strands of wire capped with wire nuts.
When we powered it up, the breaker tripped. After some troubleshooting, we disconnected junction A, and the breaker stopped tripping. But then we disconnected junction B, and the breaker tripped again. We initially thought it might be because the romex was stapled too tightly under the house. In a final attempt, we swapped the two hot wires at junction A, and the breaker remained on, showing 120 volts on each leg at the sauna. So, I'm confused. ChatGPT mentioned that you shouldn't cross over legs, but nothing is connected at the other end. What's going on?
3 Answers
Just a heads up, trust your electrician friend’s expertise when they're on-site. If they can’t pinpoint the issue in person, it might be tough for anyone online to help. Be careful, electrical work can be hazardous if things aren’t set up correctly!
Hey, sounds like you're on the right track! It sounds like the wire you're using is probably THHN. Just to clarify, are you using a double-pole breaker for 240V? You mentioned black, red, and ground wires, but just to be sure, when you check the voltage, are you measuring it from each leg to ground or across the two hot legs? You should see 240V between the hot wires and 120V to ground.
Glad you found the right term! With a double-pole 40 amp breaker and using THHN in black, red, white, and green, you should be good. But keep an eye on how you're testing the voltage. If you're measuring 120V individually and 240V across both hot wires, then you’re set. Just make sure everything is wired according to local codes, it's super important when dealing with electrical stuff.