SQUARE D SUB PANEL

[WNYBill]

If you put in a ground rod and 2 grounding bars in the sub panel. Do you connect the neutral wires to one grounding bar and the rod and the bare ground wires to the other grounding bar? And don't use the bonding screw but aren't they connected by the steel box sub panel?

Separate buildings? Sub panel in a building could be 200 feet from the main and in a separate building 10 feet from the main. Sub panel 10 feet away needs a separate ground rod but the one 200 feet away doesn't. Does that make sense?

I want my wiring to be safe but some of these rules make no sense.

 

[buickanddeere]

If you bond the the sub panel neutral to ground. Now you are running some of the neutral current through the ground system . Bad, Bad Bad.
Now this is a thought that many can not accept but anyways . The ground system is NOT supposed to carry neutral current .
There is only supposed to be one bond of the neutral to the ground system . This at at the customer's electrical service entrance .
The bond to neutral is intended to hold the current carrying conductor to near earth potential . Instead of letting the neutral and by default the live lines to float without reference to earth/ground.

 

[John T]

VERY GOOD I will add just a bit more:

The reasons you EARTH GROUND the NEUTRAL are 1) For lightning and Surge protection
and 2) To keep the grid at one common low voltage reference IE MOTHER EARTH..

BONDING Neutral Buss to Equipment Ground Buss (Main panel only) is so FAULT CURRENT
has a return path via the Equipment GroundING Conductor to trip a breaker and clear
the fault. There can be ONLY ONE N G BOND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IE not again at sub
panels

As you so correctly noted, Normal return current is via the Neutral and ONLY fault
current is conducted in the EGC. NEVER NEVER allow return current to flow in the EGC
it can possibly cause electrocution and is a major NEC violation for good reason.

Dont take my word for this consult the NEC.

Its my belief Plumbing Codes, Building Codes, Electrical Codes etc are written by
experts for fire and life safety protection and the authors PROBABLY know more about
the topics than lay persons. Just because they may not make sense to a non trained,
non professional, non experienced person DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THEY ARE WRONG
(hey they could still be wrong or right ?? even if they don't make sense, use YOUR
own judgment, thats YOUR right)

As always despite and plumbing HVAC Building or Electrical Codes I support a
persons free choice to build or plumb or wire his home as he so pleases, its HIS
money, HIS risk, HIS choice not mine or anyone elses SO DO AS YALL PLEASE thats what
I do lol

Best wishes be smart be safe yall

John T

 

[dr sportster]

You need an isolated ground bar .

 

[buickanddeere]

(quoted from post at 11:47:01 09/15/23) You need an isolated ground bar .

No no no . Need an isolated neutral bar . The ground bats are all bonded together .

 

[dr sportster]

Yes neutral bar Up on plastic blocks

 

[lenray]

Thanks for all the help fellas so much appreciated.....