Best way to properly bond neutral in old bull dog panel

Status
Not open for further replies.

AC\DC

Senior Member
Location
Florence,Oregon,Lane
Occupation
EC
Attached is a wire way and the service disconnect for one of the panel in this church.
They used a #8 for a neutral, I no longer need three phase in this panel, just 120/240 single phase.
I was debating on getting rid of the high leg and remove it from buss in the wire way, and split bolt it to the neutral and bond it to the old panel.
Panel is rated as service disconnect but no means to bond neutral how would I properly bond this.
I was debating just a ground bar with a lug big enough. Never ran into a service panel with no means to already bond neutral. What’s the best way?
 

Attachments

  • 143C69B8-8B08-4116-9804-E5EB19DB29EF.jpeg
    143C69B8-8B08-4116-9804-E5EB19DB29EF.jpeg
    325.8 KB · Views: 43
I do not follow your plan.
It sounds like you are going to take the 'red leg' phase conductor off the bus and then split bolt it to the neutral. You don't really mean this do you? This would create a dead short line to neutral on the supply conductors.
 
I no longer need three phase.
The neutral they currently have is to small.
I am planning on disconnecting the high leg from the Service buss and turning it into the neutral then bond the neutral to the bull dog panel. Then take the load side of the high leg in bull dog and panel it feeds and remove from line side and connect to neutral Bar.
I won’t have a dead short, just rearranging them.

I just don’t know the proper way to bond to the bull dog with my new neutral.
If that still does not make sense I’ll draw a picture.
Grammar is my 99th language
 
I should specify only spot I don’t need the 3phase is in the bull dog disconnect in the picture.
All other panels feed from wire way still need.
 
It looks like about 2 feet of wire. Why not use the correct (white) wire type for your neutral? Where does it go from there?

It doesn’t look like the Bulldog is the service disconnect. If that’s true, the neutral doesn’t get bonded.
 
There a ct meter out side feeding this. No disconnect out there
I probably will get the right color the new conductor.
I guess it makes more sense to just leave the line side alone, and just alter the load side.
Would a double lug bolted through Frame work ?
 
Also who ever wired it did not pull the correct colors for anything some panels they use a red wire for a neutral and never phased tape them.
Also use red for the High leg instead of phasing it red.
though I mention if you look at the picture.
 
Also who ever wired it did not pull the correct colors for anything some panels they use a red wire for a neutral and never phased tape them.
Also use red for the High leg instead of phasing it red.
though I mention if you look at the picture.
Bull Dog equipment would have been installed some 50-60 years ago. You would have to look back into those NEC editions to see if the original installation was code compliant.
 
What is the black wire the goes to the lug that's bolted to the open switch, and where does it go? Is that the ground that goes into the conduit that goes out the left side of the box, or is that the neutral? Is there a neutral wire going into the open switch, or is that switch a service disconnect and the black wire going to the lug the neutral?
 
Black wire going to lug is the neutral.
Black wire going to panel 200 feet away
Neutral is Undersized for what it serves.

EGC is through the conduit.
 
So the offset conduit that connects the switch to the box above carries the neutral current? I'm not sure I like that.
If the neural wire is the large white wire in the box above the switch with the split bolt tap, can you remove the unused phase conductor from the switch to the box and replace it with your new neutral? In the switch you could use a layin lug, or a two or three wire lug, with the neutral from above and the neutral from the load conduit. You could use the third wire to connect to a conduit bonding bushing on the load conduit if you want.
If you sand off the paint I don't see a problem with a one or two hole lug bolted to the switch box
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top