Main Panel Neutral Bar

[Tim Backer]

This forum is a great learning tool!! While getting ready for a career change toward becomming an electrician, I'm hoping I can ask a strictly educational question from time to time...

In my travels as a broadcast engineer, I've seen my share of electrical panels - some installed properly, some done by someone with no business holding a pair of wire cutters!

My question is this...

I understand that the neutral gets bonded to the ground electrode conductor at the first OCP box / panel. Is there supposed to be two buss bars - one for branch circuit neutrals, and one for grounds?

I've seen many neutral bars with branch neutrals and grounds both running to them, many times 2 to a screw (which I believe is a violation ).

Thanks for any clarification you can provide.

Oh - and before anyone brings it up - I'm going to get a copy of the '05 NEC next week so I can follow the references on all f these posts!

Tim

 

[George Stolz]

Re: Main Panel Neutral Bar

Originally posted by Tim Backer:
This forum is a great learning tool!! While getting ready for a career change toward becomming an electrician, I'm hoping I can ask a strictly educational question from time to time...

Tim, welcome to the forum.

Is there supposed to be two buss bars - one for branch circuit neutrals, and one for grounds?

No, they can be on the same bar. I don't do it that way.

I've seen many neutral bars with branch neutrals and grounds both running to them, many times 2 to a screw (which I believe is a violation

 

[augie47]

Re: Main Panel Neutral Bar

Neutrals can never be under the same screw. I'd cite a reference, but my wife is waiting on me to get off.

 

[Tim Backer]

Re: Main Panel Neutral Bar

Thanks - this is what I thought...

So, if the neutral bar doesn't have enough capacity for both the branch neutrals and grounds, the panels should have had another buss bar added for the extra capacity?

You may postpone your answers should the wife be pacing behind you waiting for the computer

 

[stud696981]

Re: Main Panel Neutral Bar

The panel should have enough room for all the neutral connections. If you then run out of space for the ground wires you will need to add a ground bar kit.

I almost always add a ground bar kit and place the grounds on the ground bars instead of the neutral bar. It has been helpful down the road when I get a call back to add a circuit, that way I'm not out of room and trying to reorganize a panel.

 

[Tim Backer]

Re: Main Panel Neutral Bar

That makes sense.

I would agree that it makes sense to install a ground bar kit up front - especially if the neutral bar supplied with the panel is sized just big enough for the max breaker count.

Then again, every little bit adds to the bid for a job...

It seems to me that it makes for a cleaner installation as well, but then again, I'm a neat freak.

Thanks all for "learnin me"! Lookin forward to "cutting over" to the new career...

 

[jeff43222]

Re: Main Panel Neutral Bar

This is one of my gripes with Square D panels. They often have to have an additional ground bar kit (sometimes included, sometimes not) installed simply because there aren't enough spaces to hold all the neutrals and grounds.

I tend not to have this problem with Siemens panels. My experience with them is that the total number of lugs between the two ground/neutral bars is usually just under double the number of slots in the panel for breakers. Since at least a few breakers are usually 240V or protecting multiwire circuits, it would be unusual to run out of lugs.

[ August 22, 2005, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: jeff43222 ]