Bond Neutral to Ground or No?

Shaneyj

Senior Member
Location
Katy, Texas
Occupation
Project Engineer
In a sub panel on a detached structure, does the neutral get bonded to ground?


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If fed by 4 wires (as is currently required), no. There was a time when it was allowable to treat this like service (3 wire feed, bonded N-G) under the right conditions. In both cases, a GES is required at the structure.
Systems prior to I believe 2008 you can do that as long as you have no metallic pathways back to the other building,
Today you’re stuck with four wires and you do not bond them and keep them separate GEC connects to the ground
 
Every subpanel, regardless of location, should have its neutral and ground isolated, with a separate neutral and EGC brought to it. Unless it was installed in a previous code cycle when you were allowed to do otherwise. Most commonly, you keep these separate unless required to do otherwise.

Here's the limited scope of examples I can think of, for where you either are allowed or required to bond neutral and ground.
1. The main service panel, or main service disconnect. Or each service disconnect if there are multiple.
2. Hot-sequence meter sockets on service conductors, where neutral and ground are combined as the same wire.
3. Separately-derived sytems: The device with the 240.21(C) disconnect for transformer secondary conductors.
4. Separately-derived systems: a generator or battery-backup system that requires its own neutral, independent from the service neutral. Usually, there will be a switchable neutral in the transfer switch, when this happens.
5. A device that only uses either neutral or ground for instrumentation purposes, and gives you the option to omit the negligible-amp neutral, and make voltage measurements from the EGC. Technically, this isn't bonding the neutral and ground, but rather using the ground instead of the neutral, for a purpose ordinarily reserved for the neutral.

Regarding #3, the NEC gives us the option to either do this in the transformer, or in the 240.21(C) disconnect equipment, but not both. My recommendation is to do it in the transformer, and treat everything else on the secondary side as subpanes.
 
If fed by 4 wires (as is currently required), no. There was a time when it was allowable to treat this like service (3 wire feed, bonded N-G) under the right conditions. In both cases, a GES is required at the structure.

That’s what brought up the question.
4 wire run from main disconnect to sub.
2 ground rods at sub.


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