Hello,
I’m in the midst of a renovation project, and I have a concern that the electrician has not wired a subpanel box inside the house correctly. The electrician has installed three panel boxes: 1.) the main box on the exterior of the house, 2.) a large sub-panel box (that feeds from the main box), and 3.) and a small sub-panel box (that feeds from the larger sub-panel box). The issue that I see is that I think the neutral and the ground are bonded in the large sub-panel box (picture below). My understanding of installation that conforms to code is for the neutral and the ground to only be bonded at the main panel box. Sub-panel boxes should have separated neutral and grounds.
Is there any situtation where a subpanel should have a neutral and ground bonded together?
I want to be sure I’m informed before I talk to the electrician about this.
Thanks for the advice!
Replies
Neutral and ground should not be bonded in a subpanel. It used to be that in a seperate building you could install a new grounding electrode and bond neutral and ground just as in a service. No more. You have to cary a seperate ground wire (which appears to have been done.) and isolate the ground from the neutral. Congratulations on catching this. A good inspector will.
Where's the Inspection?
The best party to ask is your local electrical inspector. Let him look overf the entire job and consider the whole picture.
Agree
that local electrical inspector is your go-to guy for final determination.
From your description it sounds like your FIRST box would be your meter socket, outside the structure?
Unusual in most cases to have a main box outside as that's where your main disconnect ought to be located.
Sub-panels can be anywhere downstream in that or adjacent structures & should NOT have neutral & ground bonded.