Background of my Problem: 200Amp service comes from power company from their xformer via 2 hot wires (120VAC 180 degrees out of phase) and a 3rd neutral wire (from their center tapped xformer) which they grounded at the pole. There is a single 200A breaker switch under the meter at the pole which is 10 feet away from my house. I wired 3) 4/0 AL cables from this 200A breaker switch on the pole a distance of about 90 feet under ground in conduit to my main 200A CB panel in my garage. I treated my Garage Panel as a main household CB panel and Not as a Sub Panel. This means I have the neutral and earth ground tied together in my panel and I added an earth ground cable to an 8 foot copper electrode into the yard nearby (as an aside, all my plumbing in the house is plastic PEX).
Now we are getting closer to my question. All unbalanced currents in my Main CB panel are expecting to return 100% back to the pole 90 feet away, where the power company installed their 8 foot electrode into the ground (why ?, because current has a tendency to return to its source, is the answer I have so far found). Lets say there is 20A of unbalanced current at some given point in time. This 20A of current reaches the point in my Main Panel where the neutral and earth ground are connected. This current has a choice of going 90 feet back to the ground at the pole via the neutral cable like it is supposed to, or some of it can choose my earth ground that is about 15 feet from the panel. (When I get back to this house in Missouri (2 months from now) I am going to put an ammeter clamp around my cable to earth ground and verify once and for all if any current does flow thru it or not and I will post the results on this site.)
So here is my question. My conduit is under my driveway now and there is no way for me to add a 4th wire per code. Can anyone explain to me how my house is now in danger of electrical fire, or people can get electrical shocks or my TV and computers are at risk for surges etc. because of what I have erroneously done? Or can I sleep peacefully at night and forget about it? (There have been no problems so far for 2 years of continuous usage.) By the way, there are no electrical inspectors in this remote part of Missouri. 2 power company electricians were at my site giving me advice when I only connected 3 wires instead of 4.
Now we are getting closer to my question. All unbalanced currents in my Main CB panel are expecting to return 100% back to the pole 90 feet away, where the power company installed their 8 foot electrode into the ground (why ?, because current has a tendency to return to its source, is the answer I have so far found). Lets say there is 20A of unbalanced current at some given point in time. This 20A of current reaches the point in my Main Panel where the neutral and earth ground are connected. This current has a choice of going 90 feet back to the ground at the pole via the neutral cable like it is supposed to, or some of it can choose my earth ground that is about 15 feet from the panel. (When I get back to this house in Missouri (2 months from now) I am going to put an ammeter clamp around my cable to earth ground and verify once and for all if any current does flow thru it or not and I will post the results on this site.)
So here is my question. My conduit is under my driveway now and there is no way for me to add a 4th wire per code. Can anyone explain to me how my house is now in danger of electrical fire, or people can get electrical shocks or my TV and computers are at risk for surges etc. because of what I have erroneously done? Or can I sleep peacefully at night and forget about it? (There have been no problems so far for 2 years of continuous usage.) By the way, there are no electrical inspectors in this remote part of Missouri. 2 power company electricians were at my site giving me advice when I only connected 3 wires instead of 4.