proper grounding

[kimball gray]

Came across this yesterday. Still not sure if it is allowed. Solid ground was attaced to a ground rod on the exterior of the home(the rod was loose and does not appear to be to proper depth). Then, in the 125 amp panel, the stranded copper ground is spliced with a copper irreversible clamp(which does not appeat to have been bent or spread to make it irreversible), and another bare copper conductor coming off a buss to the conduit pipe that the sec's use from the overhead mast. House is built on a crawl and I found no signs of a ground to pipes in the crawlspace. Is this legal? From what I understand, some jurisdictions are more lenient than others on splices?

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[Speedy Petey]

WOW! THere is SO much wrong here it's not funny.

A) The is NOT a ground, it is the service neutral. It can be spliced, but it MUST be insulated in this application. Tape would be acceptable, but an insulated splice or crimp would be best.

B) THAT PIPE! WTF? Completely illegal and I have no idea what they are trying to accomplish with that bond clamp. Maybe since the pipe is just stuck into the panel through a KO they figured that was a way to bond it.

I'd call it out as a highly non-complaint installation and refer it to a pro.

[kimball gray]

The pipe appears to be an extension of the overhead weather mast that the SEC enter the building through. Maybe a complete pic of the entire panel might help.

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[Marc]

Looks like there's some EGCs terminated together in a twist at the top of the enclosure.

I wonder if that 125 amp at the top is listed for use as Service Disconnect.

Yeah, Peter's right. It's a mess of violations. Likely a DIY.

Marc

[John Kogel]

I see a screw holding the main breaker in place, so that part is probably OK.

Kimball, there should not be a threaded end of a conduit just poked into the box like that. It is wrong. Mr Petey is not exaggerating.

The clamp and jumper is an attempt to makes things right, but not acceptable.

There is no protection of the SECs from chafing where they exit the conduit, wrong.

The neutral is spliced, and the splice is clamped incorrectly.

As Marc pointed out, the equipment grounds are not properly terminated under a clamp or to a bus bar.

How much more do you need? []

[kimball gray]

It is a 100 amp breaker and I assume it is the main disconnect. this is a new install and no legend. I am to understand that conduit is not allowed inside a service panel? the panel is rated for up to 125 amps. EATON.

[kimball gray]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I really need more edu on elec. Getting it soon....

[Jim Katen]

. . . Then, in the 125 amp panel, the stranded copper ground is spliced with a copper irreversible clamp(which does not appeat to have been bent or spread to make it irreversible), . . .

That's a split bolt. It's not irreversible and spreading it apart won't make it irreversible. In this application, however, that connection need not be irreversible.

WOW! THere is SO much wrong here it's not funny.

A) The is NOT a ground, it is the service neutral. It can be spliced, but it MUST be insulated in this application. Tape would be acceptable, but an insulated splice or crimp would be best.

If this was a sub panel, I'd agree. However, It's my understanding that this is the service panel. If so, why would you need to insulate the splice? Would not 230.41 x1 allow it to remain bare?

I'd call it out as a highly non-complaint installation and refer it to a pro.

Agreed.

[Jim Katen]

. . . I am to understand that conduit is not allowed inside a service panel? . . .

I'm not sure whether or not there's a specific rule prohibiting having a conduit inside a service panel. However, the conduit is supposed to terminate at a listed fitting. I doubt that there are any fittings, listed for this purpose, that will allow the conduit to project into the box.