I have an old building that I recently acquired and in the main the ground and neutral are bonded. In the “sub-panel”there are three wires from the main-two hot and a neutral which travel about 75 feet from the main to this “sub-panel”in metal conduit. Currently, in this “sub-panel” both neutral and ground buses are bonded together. I realize code requires that in the sub-panel ground and neutral need to be separate. Which is the easiest solution?Can I put a ground rod and run #6 copper from the ground rod to a ground bus in the sub-panel? Or do I need to run about 75 feet of copper ground wire froim my main to the sub-panel? Thanks for any advice.
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The easiest solution is to just use the metal conduit as your ground. All you really have to do is remove the bond between the neutral and the ground bus bars in the subpanel.
~Peter
Thank you for the advice. That sure does make the job a lot easier. I appreciate your help!
Edited 11/9/2003 10:02:27 AM ET by Dave
Don't forget to make sure the neutrals and grounds are on separate bars in the sub - in my area they get mixed togther usually - at least in older stuff.
_______________________
Albert Einstein said it best:
“Problems,” he said, “cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them.”
Your mileage may vary ....
Thank you Bob. I will be putting in a new sub-panel box replacing the old federal pacific box that looks like a rat nest so I should be able to know for sure now that I will have separate neutral and ground.
AHhh. Never a bad idea to graduate from fed pac box!
_______________________
Albert Einstein said it best:
“Problems,” he said, “cannot be solved at the same level of consciousness that created them.”
Your mileage may vary ....