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  1. #1
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    Jun 2007
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    Default quik ? with a picture about neutral/ground connection

    I attached a photo of a nuetral buss bonded to a ground wire from a supply wire to a subpanel. I know that the ground wires and the nuetral wires are supposed to be isolated on the branch circuitry. Does this play the same for the supply wiring ground to the sub panel and the neutrals on the branch wiring?

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    Lanny Freng
    Inspection WerX
    "Get the Best of US before your new home gets the best of YOU!"

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Spring Hill (Nashville), TN
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    Default Re: quik ? with a picture about neutral/ground connection

    If this is the service equipment, the grounds and neutrals are bonded in the panel. If it is a panel downstream from the service equipment then the ground is bonded to the panel and the neutral is isolated from the ground.

    Scott Patterson, ACI
    Spring Hill, TN
    www.traceinspections.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Default Re: quik ? with a picture about neutral/ground connection

    garage sub panel. I will write it up thanks Scott...

    Lanny Freng
    Inspection WerX
    "Get the Best of US before your new home gets the best of YOU!"

  4. #4
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    Jun 2007
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    Farmington, MN
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    Default Re: quik ? with a picture about neutral/ground connection

    ground buss was at the top of the panel. It looks like they tied the ground from the feeder to the neutral buss instead of the ground buss. I dont have a good pic of the whole sub unfortunately.

    Lanny Freng
    Inspection WerX
    "Get the Best of US before your new home gets the best of YOU!"

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Maryland
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    1,970

    Default Re: quik ? with a picture about neutral/ground connection

    Is that the feed coming into the bottom of the panel? It looks like this is only a 3 wire feeder. Is this is a detached structure or attached.

    If this was a detached structure with no metallic paths back to the other structure this may be ok. More details are neeed.


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Fletcher, NC
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    28,032

    Default Re: quik ? with a picture about neutral/ground connection

    Quote Originally Posted by Fritz Kelly View Post
    Maybe Scott is seeing something I'm not but it just looks like an ungrounded panel to me. I am not seeing any grounding conductors.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Port View Post
    Is that the feed coming into the bottom of the panel? It looks like this is only a 3 wire feeder. Is this is a detached structure or attached.

    If this was a detached structure with no metallic paths back to the other structure this may be ok. More details are neeed.
    I'm with Fritz and Jim, and it's even worse than that.

    Forget the "main panel" "subpanel" thing guys. If you would only forget that and think "Is this "service equipment" or is this "not service equipment", then other things would become apparent.

    Jim point out part of it. There is no insulated neutral to that panel.

    *IF* that is "service equipment", then those conductors coming up from the bottom are the "service entrance conductors", which means that the main disconnect would also be in this enclosure, and which also means that the uninsulated stranded copper serves as both the neutral and grounding conductors.

    However, *IF* that is "not service equipment", then that becomes a feeder and that feeder neutral is required to be insulated (which it is not) and there is required to be a grounding conductor (which there is not)

    Lanny,

    Is that "service equipment" or is it "not service equipment"?

    Therein lies your answer, and also answers whether those are "service entrance conductors" (neutral/ground may be combined as that is) or whether those are "feeder conductors" (which requires an insulated neutral).

    I suspect that those are "feeders", meaning what needs to be done just got a whole lot more complicated and expensive.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

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