Breaker Panel....Neutral bus

I'm going to be adding a few breakers into the main service panel...Right now there is 1 neutral/ground bus that is full. I am going to add another bus....I've been told just to screw it directly into the metal panel and that will bond it..... I would think that I would need to jump it to the existing bus but the guy at the home depot (i know..i know) says not to...

any ideas?

Reply to
MB
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You want good contact with the neutral conductor which is attached to the existing buss, so definitely install a substantial size jumper to the existing buss

Reply to
RBM

More importantly you want to maintain the UL rating of your panel, so look it up on the manufacturers site and determine if there is an add on or larger replacement neutral bus bar available. If the bus bar is the largest available for the panel and it's full then presumably the panel is also maxed out with tandem breakers and a full panel replacement may be in order.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

have a licensed electrician safely install an appropriate subpanel. consider adding modern breakers to protect your old wiring. lots we don't know at:

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Reply to
buffalobill

I would add a bus bar screw it directly too the existing cabinet then add a heavy ground wire or two between the new and old bus bars.

its a pretty cheap straightforward project just dont overload the cabinet to the point its jammed, if thats a issue then replace the cabinet.

i did this on a house I recently sold it passed 2 home inspections and more importandly middle group inspection too.

Reply to
hallerb

I agree manufacturer is important for UL. The panel may have a ground bar that can be installed. This information is often on the panel label.

bud--

Reply to
Bud--

Usually there are enough neutral bar slots to accommodate all of the circuits that the electrical panel is rated to have. I am wondering if your panel is maxed out. There should be a label on the inside of the cover or the panel that tells you exactly how many circuit breakers are allowed in the panel. Also, some neutral bars are approved to have more than one ground wire under a screw terminal. That would be stated on the label also. It may help free up some slots by combining some ground wires under one screw.

Reply to
John Grabowski

This is not true for either my old panel, or the replacement panel. I've always wondered why.

Reply to
Goedjn

Read the label. It may permit multiple wires under one screw.

Reply to
John Grabowski

On 3/13/06 7:48 PM, in article yCoRf.785$ snipped-for-privacy@fe12.lga, "John Grabowski" spewed forth this gibberish...

That's what I've seen most often.. Don't mix grounds and neutrals though..

Reply to
Michael Keefe

You can mix grounds and neutrals on a MAIN panel ONLY!

Sub panels they must be seperate!

this directly from a middle group inspector

Reply to
hallerb

That may be his interpretation, but in terms of what a particular panel has been approved for, the label provides the correct information.

Last week I got a call from a customer who was selling her 25 year old house. The buyer's home inspector noted that the ground wire and the neutral wire for each circuit were terminated under the same screw. The buyer wanted that corrected. Upon removal of the cover I noticed that there weren't enough spare screw terminals for all of the ground wires. I read the cover label and it said that it was permissible to install up to 3 ground wires under each screw terminal that did not contain a neutral wire. By doing that, I had plenty of room for all of the ground wires and was able to keep each neutral wire under a screw by itself.

John Grabowski

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Reply to
John Grabowski

The poster you were replying to was trying to indicate that you may not terminate grounds and neutrals under the same screw. To do so would be specifically prohibited by US National Electrical Code Section

408.41 Grounded Conductor Terminations. Each grounded conductor shall terminate within the panelboard in an individual terminal that is not also used for another conductor.

-- Tom Horne

"This alternating current stuff is just a fad. It is much too dangerous for general use." Thomas Alva Edison

Reply to
Member, Takoma Park Volunteer

An opinion: The existing panel buss is approved for neutral conductors. Add a ground buss, bonding to the can and a main bonding jumper to the neutral buss sized per code. Put all neutrals on original neutral bar and all grounds on grounding bar added.

A retired Inspector..

Reply to
Mr.E

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