Service Panel

[VIC1958]

Second time in 3 months, am I missing something? 200 amp main panel with disconnect, appears to have a split neutral bar ( one on each side of the breakers joined by a jumper bar). All the conductors are romex. All the neutrals are on one neutral bus bar, all the grounds are on the other neutarl bus bar. The bus bar with all the neutrals is bonded to the can, the bus is also connected to main feeder neutral. The bus bar with all the gounds is connected to the ground wire that goes to the water service, this bus bar is not bonded to the can. Problem....the electrician removed the jumper bar that would connect the two bus bars together. I was under the impression that the grounds and neutral where suppose to be isolated from each other only if this panel was a sub-panel. Is this right or wrong........referance to the code?

Thanks

 

[infinity]

The GEC from the water pipe must go to the neutral bar not the can. {250.24(A)} Otherwise the rest is fine once you bond the EGC bus to the can.

 

[augie47]

If it is a true service panel (no OCP device/switch ahead of it), there was no need to remove the "jumper" bar.
In doing so, your equipment grounding conductors no longer have the required path back to the neutral.

 

[VIC1958]

The GEC from the water pipe must go to the neutral bar not the can. {250.24(A)} Otherwise the rest is fine.

I probably didnt paint a real good picture......The GEC from the water service is connected to the bus bar with all the grounding conductors from the branch circuits. Nothing else is connected to this bus, if you remove the water service GEC and move it to the neutral bus, then the grounding conductors are floating and not attatched to anything.

 

[infinity]

I probably didnt paint a real good picture......The GEC from the water service is connected to the bus bar with all the grounding conductors from the branch circuits. Nothing else is connected to this bus, if you remove the water service GEC and move it to the neutral bus, then the grounding conductors are floating and not attatched to anything.

Yes, I missed that part. You'll need to also bond the equipment grounding bus to the can. I will fix my other post.

 

[VIC1958]

Yes, I missed that part. You'll need to also bond the equipment grounding bus to the can. I will fix my other post.

Can this be achieved by replacing the jumper bar that would connect both bus bars as long as the neutral bar is bonded to the can?

 

[augie47]

Yes.

note the wording from 250.24:
(1) General. The grounding electrode conductor connection shall be made at any accessible point from the load end of the service drop or service lateral to and including the terminal or bus to which the grounded service conductor is connected at the service disconnecting means.

Using the above, the AHJ might require that you GEC to the water actually be terminated on the buss that has the grounded conductor and not on the buss
connected by the jumper.

 

[infinity]

Can this be achieved by replacing the jumper bar that would connect both bus bars as long as the neutral bar is bonded to the can?

IMO, yes. The neutral bar would now be on both sides of the panel, just like it was when it came out of the box.