n2aws
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2022
- Messages
- 681
TL;DR, Why isn't it more common for electricians to add a ground bus bar to a "main" panel during new construction? Other than the added cost of a few dollars to buy the groundbus kit for the panels that don't come with one?
Honestly, it's just an idle curiosity I had simply because I spent some time yesterday separating grounds from neutrals in my "main panel", in prep for an upcoming ATS install that'll become my new "first source of disconnect". So the idea is, when I make the N/G bond there, I can just remove the green screw in the current main panel.
It was a bit more of a chore than I would have expected. Some of the grounds were a little short to reach the newly installed busbar.. and the panel is kinda cramped from 50 years of renovations, add-ons, and additional circuits being added. So I got to thinking.. If I were building a new house today, I think I'd ask the electricians to go ahead and wire it with a separate ground bar.. even if I wasn't planning for a solar or generator install immediately.
I psent some time looking for an answer this morning, and honestly other than the cost of the hardware.. most of the answers seemed like they were just people guessing.
Help a guy fulfill his curiosity! Electricians, what say you? Is this a code/labor/aesthetics/hassle/cost thing, or is there some other thing I'm not aware of?
Honestly, it's just an idle curiosity I had simply because I spent some time yesterday separating grounds from neutrals in my "main panel", in prep for an upcoming ATS install that'll become my new "first source of disconnect". So the idea is, when I make the N/G bond there, I can just remove the green screw in the current main panel.
It was a bit more of a chore than I would have expected. Some of the grounds were a little short to reach the newly installed busbar.. and the panel is kinda cramped from 50 years of renovations, add-ons, and additional circuits being added. So I got to thinking.. If I were building a new house today, I think I'd ask the electricians to go ahead and wire it with a separate ground bar.. even if I wasn't planning for a solar or generator install immediately.
I psent some time looking for an answer this morning, and honestly other than the cost of the hardware.. most of the answers seemed like they were just people guessing.
Help a guy fulfill his curiosity! Electricians, what say you? Is this a code/labor/aesthetics/hassle/cost thing, or is there some other thing I'm not aware of?