What is NEC Code For This Grounding Scheme ?

[John Ross]

I had talked to an electrician on the phone and he said something like "oh, those old panels just had a neutral bar and they put the grounds on there too. That is not good, especially for eletronic devices to be protected." He then went on to say he would install a ground busbar in panel.

This is what I am dealing with! If it wasn't for you guys, I would have had some pretty off the wall things done to my electric service. It seems like I am at a point where I know more than they do about this. This is truly backwards, but with all the help here, I will know when I find an electrician who knows what he is doing. Ususally, the response is "hire a professional", but in my case, it's "go to NG and THEN be informed enough to hire a professional (if one exists in my city).

Anyway, thanks to everyone who is participating in this thread. It is VERY helpful to me.

-- John

[Tom Horne]

That is only true if all of the other Grounding Electrode Conductors also come together at that grounding buss bar. I know that the code does not specifically say that but most inspectors will reject it as an unlawful splice if it is not in fact a single common grounding point.

-- Tom Horne

[Doug Miller]

Well, that shouldn't be too hard for him to manage, since right now he just has the one (to the water pipe, more than 5' from the entrance) and he's planning to add one more -- easy enough to tie them together at one point.

[Doug Miller]

As I read 205.64(C)(3), yes, you can install a busbar right there. There does not appear to be a requirement to have it in a box; it's grounded, after all, so it hardly matters if someone touches it. To attach it, I believe I'd just use wood screws into a joist -- but you might want to run that past your local inspection authority.

Code says connections may be made "with a listed connector" which I assume would include the terminal screws on a busbar -- but probably not a clamp, unless that clamp is listed for use with that bar.

Either one should be fairly easy for an electrician to install.

The receptacle ground wires may, as far as I know, be attached anywhere on the grounding electrode system. That would include a busbar.

[Doug Miller]

It certainly does no harm, except to your wallet, for him to install a ground busbar in the service panel -- but it does no good either: since Code requires ground and neutral to be bonded together in the service panel, electrically they're all one bar anyway.