Double tapped grounds.

This panel is in a new home. The workmanship is fine but as you can see from the picture. Some of the grounds are doubled up on the grounding buss. There are several places on the buss that were left open so it makes me wonder if the electrician new something I don’t.

http://www.nachi.org/forum/images/2006/attach/jpg.gif

29009 North 69th DR 001.jpg

29009 North 69th DR 001.jpg

Many panels allow doubling the grounds. It is usually noted on the panel data sheet.

Anatol

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Anatol is correct. Usually doubling, and even tripling, of ground wires is not an issue. Never on neutrals but ok on grounds provided the panel is labeled for use in this fashion. NEC 408.21. Oh, only for branch circuits as well. Hope this helps.

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I’m still confused, when I read the NEC it says "Each grounded conductor shall terminate within the panel board in an individual terminal that is not also used for another conductor". NEC 408.41

The grounded conductor is the neutral, the grounding conductor is the ground.:smiley:

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The neutral is considered the grounded conductor. The ground is considered the grounding conductor. I know, I know, I know; why don’t they just call them by names that we can easily understand. It is what it is. Hope this helps.

O.K, I get it, thanks for clearing it up.

There is an ongoing discussion at NFPA to do away with “grounding” language altogether except as it refers to the ground electrode system.
There is a strong lobby who wants the word “bonding” to be used for all non-current carrying conductors used to “bond” equipment to ground and the neutral. The whole concept of “grounding” beyond the main bonding jumper is a misnomer, You are really “bonding”. It would certainly be confusing for a generation who grew up saying “ground” but after they embraced the term that it might actually simplify the language and the concepts.

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That is a Square D Homeline panel in the picture. Doubled-up grounds are permitted in that brand and model of panel pictured. The panel’s make-up also makes me think this was a modular/doublewide type home. Is that the case?

It isn’t a modular, actually it is a new upscale spec home on the north end of Phoenix.

They should just give up and call it the earthing conductor like European and IEC standards do.

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Hi…new student just checked my own service panel to take pic for course. Just trying to clear some confusion on double taps. I know on breaker not allowed unless specified. Question is in regard to neutral and ground. I know some panels specify ok to tap on neutral. What about grounds if not specified. Is it ok to tap or not…should it be called out as defect or just noted to client during insp… thanks

Not neutral .Grounds are usually fine.

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Exactly correct.

“Grounded” conductors are the white conductors (often referred to as neutrals) and there may only be one per terminal

“Equipment Grounding” conductors are typically bare or green in color and may be multi-tapped if the panel manufacturer lists it for that

Terminology matters!

I’m not aware of any panel manufacturer that says it is OK to put more than one neutral per screw, or to terminate a neutral and ground under same screw.

Usually 2-3 grounding conductors (grounds) are allowed per screw.

http://mikeholt.com/graphics/110-14a.gif

IMO, earthing is still a misnomer term. Yes in some cases the IEC has a right to call it an earth conductor because in a TT system the earth is actually used as the ground fault path, however in our NEC (and other IEC systems like TN-S), the ground wire has nothing to do with the earth or soil. The ground wire is really a bond wire which simply provides and electrically conductive path back to the service neutral and from there the transformer. Canada uses the term bonding conductor which IMO makes the most sense since its bonding that opens a circuit breaker, not soil.

It is not ok to have multiple grounded conductors under one bus screw. The label will say multiple grounding conductors may use unused holes in the neutral bus on service equipment.

Yes I agree it’s very important and thanks to Chuck for mentioning that. For Lynn and others please do not use the simple term ground. The proper term as Chuck mentioned is Equipment Grounding Conductor (EGC).

Some electricians have told me it is OK to have more than one neutral under a screw on this panel, here is pic that shows why it is not OK. I call them out.

IIRC those ,panels did allow two wires under the one screw head. The holes in a bus bar are limited one neutral.