Grounding terminal in panel question

[gibby64]

I have upgrade to 200 amp service for my home... i had the electrician put in a large panel with lots of empty slots for future circuits... which I have now started to add... my question:

My neutrals do not share the same terminals as my grounds... and my ground terminals are maxed out... can i put in another 12 or so terminal block and link it to the other one via 8 or 10 copper? Or do I need to replace the whole thing? With one big daddy...

Also is it against code to have multiple ground wires screwed into 1 terminal since they are sized for much larger guage than 12/14?...

Thanks, long time lurker! -Kyle

 

[Speedy Petey]

If this is a new panel most grounding bars will accept two or even three grounding conductors of the same size under one screw. Typically this only applies to #14, #12 & #10.
Also, if this is the main panel then the grounds can go on the same bar(s) as the neutrals.

Can you post a pic of the panel inside?

 

[Alchymist]

Most new panels have provisions for two ground bars. Take the model number to the electrical supply store and they can give you the right one if one is available.

Even though it is a main panel, I still keep the grounds and neutrals separated, just in the rare event the panel will ever become a sub-panel. Redid more than one panel by adding a ground bar and moving all the grounds from the neutral to the new ground bar because a new service was installed and the old panel became a sub-panel.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Look at the placard on the inside of the door. It will list the correct part number(s) of ground bars, it will also give you, in the torque section of the chart, the number of wires and what sizes are allowed under each ground screw.

Charles

 

[Aceman]

I would start doubling them up before I added another ground bar.

 

[gibby64]

OK, thanks for the help. I will start doubling them up then... It is the main panel... there is an old panel that is original to the house (1946) where all the non grounded wire is...and was maxed out a long time ago... sometime in the 80's there was an addition done and a new panel put in the garage... and that became the main panel with the original one now acting as a sub-panel with a 70 amp breaker to it... in the early 90's another addition was done and several small panels were added tacked on to "main" one at the time....
so I got rid of all the add-ons and installed the new panel with upgraded service... still have the original panel to the house hooked up as a subpanel off of the new main with a 70 amp... would be too much work to rewire that much of the house and ground.
The ground bar in the new panel was added to the panel by screwing it in by the electrician... he also grounded my house (yea!)... obviously what ever is in the original panel is not grounded... but i have started to add circuits with at least 1 plug where electronics/computers/tvs are that is grounded in each room. Yea for pier and beam construction... very easy to plug and play.

 

[waytocupok]

me too, good info ,so I got rid of all the add-ons and installed the new panel with upgraded service.