Double tapped neutral wires In an electrical panel, you will find a variety of different types of wire gauges, circuit breakers, and bus bars. Three types of wires that you will see in any electrical panel are hot, neutral, and ground conductors. Hot conductors are usually colored black or red, neutrals are white or gray, and grounds are copper and not covered with insulation. While these conductors work together to ensure that electricity is carried safely through the system, in this article we will focus on the neutral wires and why double tapped neutrals can be a problem.

In an electrical system, hot wires carry the current from the power source to the outlet, while neutral wires carry the circuit back to the power source. After the electrical current has passed through the outlet and appliance it is connected to, the current travels through the neutral wires back to a ground or bus bar at the electrical panel. This circulates the current through the system and helps to prevent improper currents from staying in an outlet. This system works well, but can be disrupted if the neutral wires are improperly installed at the bus bar.

Neutral conductors sharing a common connection Double tapped neutral wires are where multiple neutral conductors are installed underneath one shared lug at the bus bar. This becomes a problem as the circuit cannot be isolated in this condition when it needs to be worked on. An additional reason is that the lugs at the bus bar can become loose when installed over two or more neutral conductors. When the lug becomes loose, the conductor can overheat or arc. This is a significant hazard and can lead to an electrical fire. Having neutrals isolated and limited to one lug per conductor at the bus bar has been required for many years, however there are still many electrical panels in both old and new homes that have double tapped neutral conductors.

While ground wires are allowed to have up to three conductors per lug at a bus bar, neutral wires are more likely to carry current and experience problems when double tapped and should be limited to one conductor per lug. If you have double tapped neutral conductors at your electrical panel, consider having a licensed electrician correct these wires in order to properly secure them in place under the separate lugs. This may be difficult in older or full electrical panels, but is an important part of a well functioning electrical system inside your home.