I’ve done about a thousand home inspections to date over the past few years. Business is very good. In this distribution panel - I see almost a type of twisted/braided together grounds. On either side they are not connected to the bus bars. Yet, all outlets are grounded. Is this an acceptable method of wiring together grounds? I’ve never seen it before.
No, per today’s standards, you cannot just twist grounds together like that. Also, what do you mean by a distribution panel? subpanel? I see other violations. I would defer this panel. Looks like handyman special
Agree with Simon, each ground wire should be connected to a bus.
That’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. And your saying the knitted grounds are ultimately not even connected to the busbar?
Yes. How are the outlets grounded? My polarity tester shows all properly grounded.
This is the main electrical distribution panel for this home. Not a sub panel. What other violations do you see? I will obviously refer this to an electrician. All the outlets in the home are grounded. How is this possible?
Yes - no connection to the bus bars as per photos. I’ll refer it to an electrician.
There should be 6 inches of exposed (sheathing removed) NM cable conductors inside the panel. The bonding jumper is not properly secured/bonded. There is probably more because it wasn’t done by a licensed electrician. Your tester is showing grounding at the outlets because the EGCs have a connection to earth/neutral via bonding somewhere.
Looks like a DIY attempt to skimp on NM cable. Just run each length to it’s breaker, less waste. LOL …except now there isn’t enough ground lead to make it to the bus bar and he didn’t know how or was too cheap to add a bus bar. Never seen that much NM jacket inside the panel.
Excellent. Yes, I see the green screw for the main bonding jumper is missing. Thanks for your observations. Really appreciate it.
A main electrical distribution panel IS a subpanel. If its not the main its considered a subpanel. Case in point…I do alot of mobile homes and outside by the meter is the main shut off only and everything else is inside the home. The inside distribution panel (as I call it) is technically a subpanel. Put it this way, if the grounds and neutrals are not bonded together then it is considered a subpanel.
I would honestly refer to this as a MAIN panel and not a distribution panel as I see the bonding strap. Most people would consider a “distribution panel” a subpanel as I do.
Do you have some photo’s that show the entire panel?
It is much better to use the term service and distribution panel. A panel can have a main breaker and not be a service. A distribution panel fed with 3 wires would need to be bonded like a service.
The fact that this idiot forgot to put the ground screw in -
Probably didn’t know any better, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a bond there poor as it might be. The big question is: what did he actually connect the “braided” grounds to?
BUMP!
How the hell did I miss this thread from March?
I have never seen the likes, or anything even close, to this “Ace” of an Electricians handywork!!
Like Robert mentioned, would love to see where he connected this ‘masterpiece’ to!
WOW!!