I started a new job which is to wire an unfinished basement on a house that was built 5 years ago according to the home owner. The home owner said his friend installed the service for him.
This is what caught my eye. There is a meter socket / 200 amp main breaker load center outside. From that main breaker runs an aluminum SE cable ( NOT SER ) and a #4 awg copper THHN stranded wire, running along side to a sub panel about 30 feet away in the basement. There is another sub panel right next to that sub panel. The first sub panel has a 200 amp breaker, and the 2nd sub panel was a 100 amp main lug.
At the meter load center outside, the bare se aluminum conductor is landed on the neutral bus bar and #4 THHN marked with green tape is landed on the same bus.
So I take off the cover at the 200 amp sub panel and the bare aluminum is landed on the isolated neutral bar and the #4 is landed on the other bus and has the green bonding screw secured. Neutrals and grounds we all separated but the bonding jumper was still attached. I take off the 100 amp sub panel cover and it was wired correctly with SER and the neutral and grounds were separated and bonding jumper removed. And bonding screw secured on the ground bar, ok good.
The ground rods are right behind these sub panels and the # 4 bare is connected on the bus with all the grounds in the 200 amp panel. There is no ground rods where the meter is. This is where they should have been...
Why did this pass inspection with SE wire and a separate THHN wire running along with it seperatley? The grounding at the wrong panel, and the bonding jumper connected at the 200 amp sub panel?
Did The inspector just overlook this?
I removed the bonding jumper in the 200 amp panel because I knew they were both sub panels and the main means of disconnect are at the meter.
Im trying to convince him to have me rewire it with SER and move ground rods at meter.
love to hear what you guys have to say.
This is what caught my eye. There is a meter socket / 200 amp main breaker load center outside. From that main breaker runs an aluminum SE cable ( NOT SER ) and a #4 awg copper THHN stranded wire, running along side to a sub panel about 30 feet away in the basement. There is another sub panel right next to that sub panel. The first sub panel has a 200 amp breaker, and the 2nd sub panel was a 100 amp main lug.
At the meter load center outside, the bare se aluminum conductor is landed on the neutral bus bar and #4 THHN marked with green tape is landed on the same bus.
So I take off the cover at the 200 amp sub panel and the bare aluminum is landed on the isolated neutral bar and the #4 is landed on the other bus and has the green bonding screw secured. Neutrals and grounds we all separated but the bonding jumper was still attached. I take off the 100 amp sub panel cover and it was wired correctly with SER and the neutral and grounds were separated and bonding jumper removed. And bonding screw secured on the ground bar, ok good.
The ground rods are right behind these sub panels and the # 4 bare is connected on the bus with all the grounds in the 200 amp panel. There is no ground rods where the meter is. This is where they should have been...
Why did this pass inspection with SE wire and a separate THHN wire running along with it seperatley? The grounding at the wrong panel, and the bonding jumper connected at the 200 amp sub panel?
Did The inspector just overlook this?
I removed the bonding jumper in the 200 amp panel because I knew they were both sub panels and the main means of disconnect are at the meter.
Im trying to convince him to have me rewire it with SER and move ground rods at meter.
love to hear what you guys have to say.