Main Panel for house install

[green.bubbly]

Looking for feed back or suggestions. Not much done yet but I figured I would ask as I go. Will begin installing the circuit breakers Saturday.







.

 

[malibu101]

Maybe cut the neutral a little shorter so it's not almost resting on the bottom of the housing, rendering the back few knockouts hard to use.

 

[green.bubbly]

I will take care of that. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Mmfh]

Main panel for house, are you doing away with a fuse box? Installing bigger service?

What cha doin Man?

 

[matt151617]

Not much to it. Get those quick snap in NM connectors/bushings, they're much faster than the metal lock-in ones. Label the wire on the outside of the box with the breaker number, that'll make things easier down the road if replacing or taping into a circuit. I used address labels to put next to the breaker for the description of the circuit. A label maker may be easier and look nicer.

Also make sure you have extra lengths of 12 gauge wire (and 14 if you have that in your panel anywhere). It always seems there's one or two wires that are a few inches short.

 

[green.bubbly]

Main panel for house, are you doing away with a fuse box? Installing bigger service?

What cha doin Man?

New house construction.

Not much to it. Get those quick snap in NM connectors/bushings, they're much faster than the metal lock-in ones. Label the wire on the outside of the box with the breaker number, that'll make things easier down the road if replacing or taping into a circuit. I used address labels to put next to the breaker for the description of the circuit. A label maker may be easier and look nicer.

Also make sure you have extra lengths of 12 gauge wire (and 14 if you have that in your panel anywhere). It always seems there's one or two wires that are a few inches short.

Already have some of the NM quick snaps. I saw those discussed in another thread. They also look cleaner than the metal ones. Thanks for the other suggestions.

 

[Full Throttle]

I alway's label the wire as to what it does like bed 1, or m bath, kitchen etc, on the romex outer sheething, then when you skin to install I cut that label and put it on the wire at the breaker lug.

as you form all your hot's,neutrals and grounds use a piece of with as a zip tie to form them tight and keep them in order. after you are done remove it so the wires can expand and contract with heat.

 

[green.bubbly]

Here is the meter base located on the outside wall. No ground yet, forgot to get a copper rod.

Sorry, I am having trouble rotating the pic from my phone.

My forearms are now sore as hell.

 

[Norcal]

Meter cans are load on the BOTTOM line at the top, yours is bassackwards.

 

[green.bubbly]

My forearms official hate me now.

Off to undo my bassackwardness ...

 

[green.bubbly]

Alrighty, I shortened the neutral in the service panel and correctly ran the wires in the meter base. Thanks for the guidance...

 

[green.bubbly]

Ok, now what?


Once again, sorry about the rotated images. Will fix later when I am on a computer.

 

[PRH44]

Looks like grounding needs to be done. Ground rod, and to building steel. You should provide grounding means for your communications, data, cable TV entry if you have these.
I would use a torque wrench on my service entrance terminations.
Start terminating the branches , I like to do grounds first to the ground bar, then neutrals to the neutral bar, then hots to the breakers. I always work top to bottom on load centers such as these.

 

[green.bubbly]

Looks like grounding needs to be done. Ground rod, and to building steel. You should provide grounding means for your communications, data, cable TV entry if you have these.
I would use a torque wrench on my service entrance terminations.
Start terminating the branches , I like to do grounds first to the ground bar, then neutrals to the neutral bar, then hots to the breakers. I always work top to bottom on load centers such as these.

The building is grounded through the ufer. The rebar and several anchor bolts are tied together. I was told that was sufficient but I am certainly open to other suggestions.

It is also my understanding that there does not need to be a ground wire from the panel to the meter base since the ground and neutral are bonded in the service panel???

***edit*** Sorry, were you referring to the meter base? Yes, I forgot to get a ground rod so the ground for the meter base is not done yet.

I was going to ask earlier how tight to tighten the screws in the meter base but did not want to sound stupid. I did notice that after I tightened them as much as I could with an allen wrench, after I would wiggle the cables around, I could then tighten some more.

 

[PRH44]

Normally utility does not want a ground in the meter cabinet, thats fine if you didn't.

All the grounding you did is great. you need to connect this grid to the panel neutral.

 

[PRH44]

Torque specs. are usually on a label on the back side of the cover. Use the MFG recommended torque. If you can not locate the label use standard bolts size torque specsr for no greater than a grade 5 course thread.

If the meter set screws is a 3/8" it would be torqued to 20 to 23 foot pounds

 

[green.bubbly]

Normally utility does not want a ground in the meter cabinet, thats fine if you didn't.

All the grounding you did is great. you need to connect this grid to the panel neutral.

When I get home tonight, I will double check the POCO's spec sheet. From what I recalled, the ground wire from the ufer/rod goes into the meter base where it is bonded to the neutral bar.

 

[PRH44]

Your area may differ but here the utility will not allow grounding in the meter. They have the say so, I would certainly check with them.

In most locations the main panel or disconnect is the bulls eye for grounding, ground wires should be brought to the panel. Your neutral will need to bonded to the cabinet. A green screw should have been in the box to perform this task.

Local Authority trumps all.

 

[green.bubbly]

First my forearms were sore from fighting with that 3/0 cable. Now my calves are burning from standing in one place so long. I now know my panel well enough to get intimate with it.


Grounds are done.

 

[PRH44]

keep up the good work

 

[green.bubbly]

keep up the good work

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[BigJohn20]

If you're on 2008+, don't forget about the intersystem bonding/grounding bridge.

http://www.aifittings.com/products/spec-sheets/gb5.pdf

 

[BHM]

If you're on 2008+, don't forget about the intersystem bonding/grounding bridge.

http://www.aifittings.com/products/spec-sheets/gb5.pdf

What is this for? Where are all the ground leads coming from?

 

[BigJohn20]

What is this for? Where are all the ground leads coming from?

Ground leads are coming from CATV, Satellite, Phone, etc.

There was always a requirement to bond these types of systems, its just that the revision makes it so that it has to be located at an easily accessible, central location (the service entrance).

 

[PRH44]

What I like to do is install a ground bus at the main panel (satisfies code). Then to over build it so to speak the way I like to do it for my own home. I extended a #6 ground wire to another bus at the rack that contains my incoming Phone, Internet/network, Sat. TV, Security, FA. I like to ground things well.

Because I can

 

[BigJohn20]

What I like to do is install a ground bus at the main panel (satisfies code). Then to over build it so to speak the way I like to do it for my own home. I extended a #6 ground wire to another bus at the rack that contains my incoming Phone, Internet/network, Sat. TV, Security, FA. I like to ground things well.

Because I can

I'm assuming it's on the outside of the panel?

 

[PRH44]

I have the supplied ground inside. I have a Harger ground bus between my to panels and another harger at the rack. I also placed one in the kiln room, Garage and barn.

I scored these from Remodel we did on a high rise. They replaced all the copper ground bus in the telecom rooms with plated ones with a different bolt hole configuration to meet bicsi standards.

I know its a bit ridiculous but they were free.

 

[BigJohn20]

I have the supplied ground inside. I have a Harger ground bus between my to panels and another harger at the rack. I also placed one in the kiln room, Garage and barn.

I scored these from Remodel we did on a high rise. They replaced all the copper ground bus in the telecom rooms with plated ones with a different bolt hole configuration to meet bicsi standards.

I know its a bit ridiculous but they were free.

For 250.94, it requires the bridge to be external to any enclosures.

That said, that system blows anything residential I've seen straight to hell. Kudos

 

[PRH44]

Thanks BigJohn20
Obviously if I had to purchase these it would be different.
250.95 is a good thing I have seen the Cable guy or the phone guy do some really wacky looking things to pick up a ground.

I just prefer doing it myself to avoid some of the workmanship you get from some people.

 

[green.bubbly]

Is this something that would normally be installed by the cable company? I have never ever seen this before. Then again, I never really went looking for it either.

 

[BigJohn20]

Is this something that would normally be installed by the cable company? I have never ever seen this before. Then again, I never really went looking for it either.

No. It is required to be installed by the electrical contractor on all new residential construction where the AHJ is on NEC 2008 or newer and may be required by your AHJ during service upgrades/other renovations (you have to ask them).

You were always required to have these systems bonded. The difference is the bridge is now required, and its location is governed by the NEC.

You ever see the cable guy go to a random copper pipe for a ground, even if its no longer an all copper system? That's one of the reasons this has been implemented. There's no good reason not to have proper bonding now.

 

[green.bubbly]

Alright. So it is basically a ground bar located on the outside of the structure near the meter base. The ground line from the rods connects to it and is a grounding point for other services such as cable and telephone.

What is the official name for this thing? I tried searching Lowes and HD for grounding bridge but came up empty.

 

[BigJohn20]

Alright. So it is basically a ground bar located on the outside of the structure near the meter base. The ground line from the rods connects to it and is a grounding point for other services such as cable and telephone.

What is the official name for this thing? I tried searching Lowes and HD for grounding bridge but came up empty.

Two names:

Intersystem Bonding Bridge
Intersystem Grounding Bridge

Will depend on the manufacturer what they call it. Same exact thing.

The Home Depot around here carries this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...3&langId=-1&productId=202194170&storeId=10051

Also found this one:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/burndy-aluminum-intersystem-bonding-bridge-319128.html

Don't know if Lowes carries them.

The preference for us is the Arlington GB5 that I linked in the PDF above.

 

[I void warranties]

i have one that's mounted on the outside of my meter pan. is this within code? catv installed.

 

[BigJohn20]

i have one that's mounted on the outside of my meter pan. is this within code? catv installed.

Should be fine. External to enclosure, at least three terminals, doesn't interfere with opening.

 

[green.bubbly]

I did not like the HD offerings so I ordered the GBB5P which has the conduit adapter. Must say, that will look like **** on the outside of my house but if ya gotta have it...

Thanks again to all for their input.

 

[6768rogues]

Did you use dielectric grease on the wire at the connections?

 

[green.bubbly]

Did you use dielectric grease on the wire at the connections?

Short answer...no

Long answer, which connections are you referring to? I was going to get some NO-OX-ID and apply to the conductors on the outside meter base since it is exposed to the outside elements.

 

[Tom in Seattle]

I did not like the HD offerings so I ordered the GBB5P which has the conduit adapter. Must say, that will look like **** on the outside of my house but if ya gotta have it...

I ordered one of those myself from Amazon today for $17.84. The only reason I'm installing this is to pass inspection when I change the panel and meter socket.

I don't really need the grounding bridge for anything because I already have the CATV and phone lines in the Structured Media Center bonded back to the main panel via the the old #6 stranded bare cable that used to run to the old gas water heater in the garage.

Since that cable connection didn't meet code anymore it's been replaced by a new #6 stranded copper cable that runs from the panel down into the crawl space and attaches to the copper water pipe where it enters the house.

 

[Norcal]

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