advice.......

[cruzn57]

added a subpanel to the garage, ( garage not connected to the house)
ran 8-3 wire from meter ( meter is on a pole, which feeds breaker panel at the house) used a 50a breaker at the meter,
in connecting wires at subpanel red and black to lugs on power strip,
I bought a ground strip for the sub panel, (not installed yet)
and I did put a ground rod into the earth and into the footing.
question is about neutral and grounds, since meter has neutral and ground strip, can I connect neutral and grounds onto same ground bar, in the sub panel?
should I run a ground wire from sub panel to ground bar? connected to ??

power to garage is for lights (4 -4ft floresents)
and 4-5 outlets,
at later date I'll upgrade to 100A & bigger breakers.

 

[pattenp]

Ground to ground bar and neutral to neutral bar in the sub-panel. And you do need to run a ground wire from the sub-panel ground bar to the ground rod. I also think you should use #6 for 50A.

 

[r_olson_06]

Yes run 6 AWG. a picky inspector might gig you on the rating of the system. #8cu is good for 45amps at 60 C. Because the circuit is rated under 100amps you must follow NEC 110.14. Which states if your circuit is rated at 100amps or more you can rate off the 75 C column in NEC 310.16. If not you must use the 60 C column unless you prove that everything is rated at 75 C or higher. Your wire will be to small. Most inspectors don't enforce this rule but some will. And remember most inspectors will tell you what they want if you just ask them.

 

[Aceman]

230.79 requires you to have a disconnecting means rated at 60 amps. Which means your breaker is too small, as well as your wire. You also need a disconnecting means at the garage, the easiest for you would be a 100A main breaker panel.

 

[IONH]

230.79 requires you to have a disconnecting means rated at 60 amps. Which means your breaker is too small, as well as your wire. You also need a disconnecting means at the garage, the easiest for you would be a 100A main breaker panel.

Just looked up 230.79. Does that mean you can't run a 6 slot sub panel in a detached garage with 10 gauge supplying it?

 

[pattenp]

That code section is for service entrance from the meter, not for branch/feeder circuits from a main breaker panel to a sub-panel.

Just looked up 230.79. Does that mean you can't run a 6 slot sub panel in a detached garage with 10 gauge supplying it?

 

[cruzn57]

thanks for the help.
I will down grade the breaker at the main box to 40A, as I'm only feeding
2 recepticle circuits, and one light circuit,
am I correct in my understanding that the neutral bar only gets white /neutral wires, and that it is connected to the neutral wire that goes back to main box?
also , are the neutral and ground wires connected to same buss in main box?
I've seen it both ways and questioned it.

again thanks

also... what size ground wire from grnd buss to ground rod?

 

[pattenp]

The neutral bar in the sub-panel should only have white(neutral) wires connected to it, that includes the white neutral wire that goes back to the main panel. The only place that the grounds and neutrals are connected to the same bar is in the main panel.