MSPARKY
New member
- Location
- Mindoro Wi
In searching the web I found your forum and found it to be an interesting read and valuable source of information. With that said I have some questions that I have been unable to get a definitive answer on in my research so far.
About 1991 I installed a main service ie the meter box, main disconnect and the main panel away from my buildings as required by the power company. This was signed off by the power company and the electrician that I was working with at the time along as required by the power company before they could run power and install the meter.
At the same time I installed the 200 amp sub panel in my original pole shed with 3 wire run to it from the main panel with the ground and the neutral bonded at the sub panel per the same electrician.
My question, and what I have gathered so far from these threads and other internet articles is that bonding the neutral and ground was the practice back then and looks like it is grandfathered in today?
I also gathered that a ground wire does not need to be added to the existing 3 wire if it was prior to the code update requiring 4 wire? Ground rods are in the ground at these panels. Is there anything short of running a ground wire that should be done for safety reasons?
A few years ago I ran power from this sub panel to a new sub panel I mounted to an old power pole to run a yard light and a outlet box. I bonded the ground and the neutral at the new sub panel as that is how the original sub panel was done. Is that correct or incorrect? I just realized in writing this that I forgot to add a ground rod at the pole as planned and assume that should still be done?
As a side note, last year I reeducated myself on the current codes and ran 4 wire from the main panel to a 200 amp sub panel I installed in another building, so no questions there. That is when I started looking into how the first sub panel was installed realized the differences between then and now.
So, I Just have questions on the original wiring due to the original neutral and ground being bonded and is there anything special I should do to when I add outlets for my welders and air compressor because of the bonding? I do have GFCI on all my 120V receptacles in the original building so that should be up to code.
About 1991 I installed a main service ie the meter box, main disconnect and the main panel away from my buildings as required by the power company. This was signed off by the power company and the electrician that I was working with at the time along as required by the power company before they could run power and install the meter.
At the same time I installed the 200 amp sub panel in my original pole shed with 3 wire run to it from the main panel with the ground and the neutral bonded at the sub panel per the same electrician.
My question, and what I have gathered so far from these threads and other internet articles is that bonding the neutral and ground was the practice back then and looks like it is grandfathered in today?
I also gathered that a ground wire does not need to be added to the existing 3 wire if it was prior to the code update requiring 4 wire? Ground rods are in the ground at these panels. Is there anything short of running a ground wire that should be done for safety reasons?
A few years ago I ran power from this sub panel to a new sub panel I mounted to an old power pole to run a yard light and a outlet box. I bonded the ground and the neutral at the new sub panel as that is how the original sub panel was done. Is that correct or incorrect? I just realized in writing this that I forgot to add a ground rod at the pole as planned and assume that should still be done?
As a side note, last year I reeducated myself on the current codes and ran 4 wire from the main panel to a 200 amp sub panel I installed in another building, so no questions there. That is when I started looking into how the first sub panel was installed realized the differences between then and now.
So, I Just have questions on the original wiring due to the original neutral and ground being bonded and is there anything special I should do to when I add outlets for my welders and air compressor because of the bonding? I do have GFCI on all my 120V receptacles in the original building so that should be up to code.
