Thread: What would you write?

Most of the Panels I see that were done 10+ years ago are all wired with the Gnd & Neu for each circuit together under one screw in the Panel.

This was common practice back then.

Other than writing something like:

Although common several years ago, it is no longer acceptable to have the ground and Neutral wires for circuits under one screw in the Main Panel. If you are having any other work done in the Panel it is recommended that you have the electrician separate the Grounds and Neutrals as part of his work.

Do you have a better (SHORT) paragraph ?

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My wording - "Double tapping is present at the neutral bus bar". Then, depending upon my mood, I'd put a check mark in either the "FYI" or "Correct as Necessary" column.

I'm usually lucky if people will read just that much. Explaining what it all means is probably pushing my luck.

Here's what my boilerplate is. I think you are making a mistake trying to determine when this was acceptable, I see it still being done, so why worry about when it was "OK".

"Neutrals are doubled with other neutrals or grounding conductors on the ground bus. Neutrals (white) should be installed singly at individual bus lugs. Only grounding conductors (bare wires) can safely be doubled. This is a simple repair but should be done by an electrician."

I'm sure someone will point out why this wording is not accurate, but I haven't had any guff from electricians about it yet.

Originally Posted by Bob Sisson

Most of the Panels I see that were done 10+ years ago are all wired with the Gnd & Neu for each circuit together under one screw in the Panel.

This was common practice back then.

Other than writing something like:

Although common several years ago, it is no longer acceptable to have the ground and Neutral wires for circuits under one screw in the Main Panel. If you are having any other work done in the Panel it is recommended that you have the electrician separate the Grounds and Neutrals as part of his work.

Do you have a better (SHORT) paragraph ?

It was wrong back then too. The only difference is that prior to the 2002 NEC, doubling conductors was up to the manufacturer. Now, the NEC does not allow doubling of neutrals. As far as I know, it was never allowable to have the neutral and ground wires under the same terminal screw.

"Neutral and grounding conductors are secured under common terminal screws in the service equipment panel. This can result in poor connection and can result in arcing/damage between the conductors and the terminal. Each neutral conductor should be secured under a dedicated terminal screw. Corrections should be made by a licensed electrical contractor."