wiring

[edl]

a couple sf basic wiring questions:

hooking a 2guage wire to the breaker box, the neutral is too big for any of the holes - is it ok to split the wire and put half in one hole and half in another?

also, it seems the electrician that wired the house put neutrals and grounds intermixed on both busses - is that normal? - i would have thought that all grounds on one side and all neutrals on the other??

also, why is it that the ground goes from the neutral to the earth? - so the service ground is clearly on one side - there is a horn that is pushed into one of the holes on the ground bus and that completes the bonding strap to the neutral side and then there is a big green wire that goes down to the water pipe - why is that?

thanks!!

 

[rockwithjason]

if this is the main panel and not a sub panel it is permissible to have grounds and neutrals on the same bar. it is frowned upon to split the #2 into separate lugs. get a proper size lug for your panel. the ground and the neutral are bonded together at the panel for several reasons. one is that the neutral is the main return path for short circuit currents. the bond provides some protection from contact with higher voltage lines. there are more reasons also but i am kinda brain dead at the moment.

 

[Phuckin' Jim]

You would need something like this to attach that big neutral wire. Dividing the strands and shoving them into multiple holes is illegal around here.

http://ecatalog.squared.com/techlib/docdetail.cfm?oid=09008926801ada6a

 

[Aceman]

Panel manufacturers make their own lugs for these situations, here's Siemens:

http://www.sea.siemens.com/us/SiteCollectionDocuments/WSSResources/ECCS1.pdf

They make another that goes up to 250 kcmill, an ECCS2.

 

[Norcal]

What make of panel? That will determine the needed accessory.

 

[MrMark]

What is the preferred practice at the service entrance with regard to mixing grounds and neutrals on the same bus bar. Let's say we have one large bus bar on the left and one smallish bus bar on the right. These bars are bonded together and connected to the service neutral and the ground rod, etc.

Do you just randomly intermix grounds and neutrals on each of these bars? Maybe reserve the upper half for neutrals, and the lower half for grounds, etc.?

Do you try to keep the left one for neutrals and run the grounds (even if it is a hell of a long path up and over and around) over to the right side?

I like the wiring to look good too. Wiring that looks good almost always is good. Wiring that looks bad almost surely is in my experience.

 

[edl]

thanks for the suggestions

it is a murray - ended up getting a large lug and screwing it in to the bus - seems to have worked out - i threw the switch and the house is still standing...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Even if the panelboard is the main panel and you do not have to separate the grounds and neutrals, do so anyhow (separate bars, even though the bars may be joined together by a removable strap). Sometime in the future, things could change and that panelboard could suddenly become a sub panel by installation of an outside disconnect where there is not one now, or some other change, and you will be ready.

Charles

 

[Norcal]

thanks for the suggestions

it is a murray - ended up getting a large lug and screwing it in to the bus - seems to have worked out - i threw the switch and the house is still standing...

HD has Murray panels & they have a decent amount of accessories for the makes of panels they handle, the proper lug kit is not expensive & would be the best choice.