Newer construction missing bonding screw? Was this intentional?

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generatorlabs

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After reviewing the Mike Holt bonding/grounding Powerpoints once again, I find myself examining a possible problem in the attached photo.
This is the service entrance at my own home. It feeds an interior load center at the other side of the house.
I have not performed any work on this structure; this is how it has been since I bought the house.
All conduits and hubs connecting this enclosure are PVC.
Disregarding the "casual encounter" the enclosure has with the exposed ground lead, how is this enclosure safe from being energized if there was a major fault with one of the feed cables??
Shouldn't there be a bonding screw in the open hole of the Neutral bus?

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It is possible that the neutral bus is factory bonded? If so it may say that is suitable only for use as service equipment.
 
It may be, as infinity notes, a factory bonded neutral but my memory of that particular enclosure is that there is normally a bond screw where noted in the attached photo.bondscrew.jpg
 
generatorlabs said:
After reviewing the Mike Holt bonding/grounding Powerpoints once again, I find myself examining a possible problem in the attached photo.
This is the service entrance at my own home. It feeds an interior load center at the other side of the house.
I have not performed any work on this structure; this is how it has been since I bought the house.
All conduits and hubs connecting this enclosure are PVC.
Disregarding the "casual encounter" the enclosure has with the exposed ground lead, how is this enclosure safe from being energized if there was a major fault with one of the feed cables??
Shouldn't there be a bonding screw in the open hole of the Neutral bus?

View attachment 16130
Click to expand...

I would say you are correct but then you will need a 4 wire to your interior load center. Should have been one anyway. Is the can bonded in the other panel?
 
GlennH said:
Been a while but isn't the line connection usually on the top?
Click to expand...

The code requires Up = On, it does not say much about line on top or bottom. If the breaker is not specifically labelled line and Load, bottom feed is certainly acceptable.
 
augie47 said:
It may be, as infinity notes, a factory bonded neutral but my memory of that particular enclosure is that there is normally a bond screw where noted in the attached photo.View attachment 16131
Click to expand...
I have installed many of those - that is where the bonding screw goes and is missing in OP's installation. If I dig hard enough through misc parts containers I probably have some that fit that.


If this is (and it appears to be) the service disconnecting means, hopefully the grounding electrode conductor is landed at the metering equipment?
 
augie47 said:
It may be, as infinity notes, a factory bonded neutral but my memory of that particular enclosure is that there is normally a bond screw where noted in the attached photo.View attachment 16131
Click to expand...

Thank you....I knew I was not imagining things. I looked up the specs on the cabinet and there is a part number for the bonding screw.
What is surprising is how the AHJ allowed this install to pass inspection in the first place.
The AHJ is coming here tomorrow to do a rough-in inspection for a different project and I am going to point this out.
If it was done on this structure then I can see work like this happening in this entire sub-division.
 
ptonsparky said:
I would say you are correct but then you will need a 4 wire to your interior load center. Should have been one anyway. Is the can bonded in the other panel?
Click to expand...

I double checked the upstream load center and there is no bonding screw used there. There are four 4/0 wires from the exterior main disco to the upstream load center.
 
kwired said:
I have installed many of those - that is where the bonding screw goes and is missing in OP's installation. If I dig hard enough through misc parts containers I probably have some that fit that.


If this is (and it appears to be) the service disconnecting means, hopefully the grounding electrode conductor is landed at the metering equipment?
Click to expand...

This is the primary service disconnect means. The grounding electrode is landed in the meter cabinet. However this main disconnect is a floating island since all conduit connecting it is PVC. I am scratching my head at how this passed final inspection to begin with.

kwired: I would certainly take you up on that offer if you think you have one of those bonding screws for this cabinet lying around. I think this screw has a larger head than the typical green screws I have seen. The part number I have found is Neutral Bonding Screw - 4028318578. I don't know how easy it is to get something like this directly from Schneider.

Let me know if you have one and I will cover the shipping.

Thanks!
 
generatorlabs said:
This is the primary service disconnect means. The grounding electrode is landed in the meter cabinet. However this main disconnect is a floating island since all conduit connecting it is PVC. I am scratching my head at how this passed final inspection to begin with.

kwired: I would certainly take you up on that offer if you think you have one of those bonding screws for this cabinet lying around. I think this screw has a larger head than the typical green screws I have seen. The part number I have found is Neutral Bonding Screw - 4028318578. I don't know how easy it is to get something like this directly from Schneider.

Let me know if you have one and I will cover the shipping.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it is a 10-32 screw. Buy one about 3" long, cut it to length and use a green sharpie/paint to color the head green.

Nothing in 250.8 says it has to be a listed screw.
 
jumper said:
Pretty sure it is a 10-32 screw. Buy one about 3" long, cut it to length and use a green sharpie/paint to color the head green.

Nothing in 250.8 says it has to be a listed screw.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure it is 1/4-20 not 10/32
Yes it does have a larger head than most 1/4-20 stove bolts.

Go to a supply house that sells Square D and ask who they sell gear to.
I guarantee that contractor has several bond screws laying around.
 
cpinetree said:
Pretty sure it is 1/4-20 not 10/32
Yes it does have a larger head than most 1/4-20 stove bolts.

Go to a supply house that sells Square D and ask who they sell gear to.
I guarantee that contractor has several bond screws laying around.
Click to expand...
I think exact screw to fit the factory bond screw location can possibly vary depending on what series of that same unit you have. I install mostly Square D, and usually save the bonding screws when not using them. But they don't have part numbers on them so one needs physical description to find one in the spares I have.

Might be easiest to either use the equipment grounding kit for that box which amounts to two lugs that accept up to 2/0 conductors and a screw that fits in an extruded hole in the cabinet or simply scrape some paint and put in your own lug and run a bonding jumper to it.
 
Thank you all for your help!

Thank you all for your help!

I just wanted to reach out and thank all who responded.
As a follow up I am glad to say that I passed my final inspection without a single discrepancy.
I am now officially generating my own power via a solar array and just a few moments ago observed my meter spinning backwards for the first time ever!

I was able to get a suitable bonding screw from a local outfit for no cost at all.
The inspector told me that the bonding issue is one of the first things they look for on new service.
He really could not understand how my house passed inspection for COA when it was built.
They were really building this development at a fast pace at one time.
The utility also found loose line terminals in the meter box when they pulled the meter.
They were quick to disconnect power at the pedestal and tighten those up for me.

So I am glad my entire service panel setup is up to snuff now.

Thanks for the assistance!
 
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