I am installing a 240/120 service entrance power panelboard (5 mains - out to 5 distribution panelboards), 400 A total. The NQOD interior was not supplied with a ground bar, so instead of adding a grounding buss with the EGC and then bonding it to neutral through the little bolt-on ground bonding pin, can I just add a few lugs to the neutral buss and connect EGC and outgoing ground wires. I will of course bond the frame/case of the panel to this bar as well. Does the NEC address this? Are there any safety issues to this proposal? Perhaps labeling/identifying the grounds versus neutrals is an issue?
Grounded and EGC on same bussbar?
- Thread starter dmhb
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Massachusetts
If it where me I would install grounding bars.
One could argue that the neutral bar in service equipment is also the required grounding bar and that is the case many times.
My own preference is separate bars.
One could argue that the neutral bar in service equipment is also the required grounding bar and that is the case many times.
My own preference is separate bars.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
This is an often overlooked code article. Many times I have opened a panel cover to see all of the EGC's twisted together and installed under one big lug bolted to the panel. It seems that many times the EC will pull in EGC's to a subpanel and not supply a EGC bar so he goes for the aforementioned method.
Is there any validity to the reasoning that attaching grounded and EGC to the same bussbar will provide a much more secure and high capacity bond than the main bonding jumper that routes through bolts and the panelboard frame? I also know that the transformer's grounding is a not nearly as good as the extra-large grounding electrode and EGC I installed for the building. Will connecting transformer neutral directly to my large EGC help to protect the transformer?
- Status