Having a debate
- Thread starter nickelec
- Start date
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zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
The AHJ, and some forum members, might get right stroppy with you.
Eddie702
Licensed Electrician
- Location
- Western Massachusetts
- Occupation
- Electrician
Not dangerous at all until something goes wrong. A loose neutral would put current through the equipment ground which could cause a fire especially if the EG is cable armor, conduit etc.
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
Depends-
Is there a metallic path or EGC between main and sub panels?
Is there a neutral between them?
Is anything in the sub needing/using a neutral? (If all it has are phase-phase loads and there's nothing on the bar, it may not matter if there's no incoming neutral, either.)
Not exactly a simple question.
Is there a metallic path or EGC between main and sub panels?
Is there a neutral between them?
Is anything in the sub needing/using a neutral? (If all it has are phase-phase loads and there's nothing on the bar, it may not matter if there's no incoming neutral, either.)
Not exactly a simple question.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I actually have a paralleled neutral-EGC situation going on right now, temporarily. I just today re-energized an interior 150a main-breaker panel through the new 200a ATS and the 4/0 SER we pulled in today. They only used SE and mixed neutrals and EGCs
This is an Eaton BR panel with the flat strip behind the interior that connects the two buses together. I'm going to remove the strip and move the enclosure bonding jumper and screw to what will be the EGC bus, and use the unbonded bus as the neutral.
I went ahead and landed both the neutral and the EGC in their respective terminals in the panel today, as well as in the ATS. The EGC in the 4/0, while a bit smaller than the neutral, is large enough to handle its share of the neutral current for a day or two.
I think there's an exception that allows paired panels that are nippled together to be wired like one large panel, but I don't think that would cover your situation. I would say the sub-panel should be wired as such, regardless of the length of the feeder.
This is an Eaton BR panel with the flat strip behind the interior that connects the two buses together. I'm going to remove the strip and move the enclosure bonding jumper and screw to what will be the EGC bus, and use the unbonded bus as the neutral.
I went ahead and landed both the neutral and the EGC in their respective terminals in the panel today, as well as in the ATS. The EGC in the 4/0, while a bit smaller than the neutral, is large enough to handle its share of the neutral current for a day or two.
I think there's an exception that allows paired panels that are nippled together to be wired like one large panel, but I don't think that would cover your situation. I would say the sub-panel should be wired as such, regardless of the length of the feeder.
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