Service entrance grounding question

[ggunn]

We have a situation where we need to place a new service disconnect on the outside of a house. Presently, the service disco is the main breaker on the MDP inside the garage, but under "you touch it you fix it" when we interconnect our PV system we'll have to bring the service up to local code, which now requires the service disco to be outside.

Here's the rub, bub. It's an older service and the MDP is big and jam packed. The ground and neutral bars are bonded, and the circuit grounds and neutrals are randomly distributed between them. Unbonding the bars so we can bond G to N in the new disco will require a massive removal of a rat's nest of wiring from atop the N and G bars in the MDP to get to the jumper, as well as moving all the G's to the G bar and N's to the N bar.

My question is this: Is there any provision in the code which would let us leave the N to G bond in the MDP and have them unbonded in the disco? I'm pretty sure what the answer is but I had to ask.

 

[ActionDave]

You are correct in your frear. About the only thing you might be able to do is move all the breakers outside and use the old MDP as a junction box.

 

[ggunn]

You are correct in your frear. About the only thing you might be able to do is move all the breakers outside and use the old MDP as a junction box.

That's what I figured. Moving all the breakers outside would be worse.

 

[LarryFine]

You're basically facing the same issue that you would when adding a whole-house generator and transfer switch.

 

[ggunn]

You're basically facing the same issue that you would when adding a whole-house generator and transfer switch.

It's not my first rodeo.

I knew it was a very long shot, but if there were some language in the NEC that would have allowed me to leave the N-G bond in the MDP I didn't want to miss it because I didn't ask.

 

[LarryFine]

Then you're back to asking your inspector "What would I have to do, or not do, to be able to leave that part of it as it is?"

I would actually ask.