Ground and Neutral

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h60mloggie

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I live in a rural county where you can pretty much do as you please and when I bought this house I wasn't aware of this fact. I have found many switches without the copper ground attached. Anyway, this is a picture of my main panel buss bars. I thought you shouldn't put neutral on the same bar as earth ground?

View attachment 1429909733445.jpg
 
from what iv read this is fine in the main panel but if this was a sub panel you they have to be on there own please correct if i am wrong
 
This is the main panel. I'm trying to find an open ground in my garage. I have 3 outlets that appears to be multiwire branched and operate on the same circuit breaker. I have power come from both sides, even on the neutral.
 
If this is the main panel with the first disconnect after the meter then the grounds and the neutral can be on the same bar. Only one neutral per hole is allowed, which looks fine in your panel.
 
If this is the main panel with the first disconnect after the meter then the grounds and the neutral can be on the same bar. Only one neutral per hole is allowed, which looks fine in your panel.

Ok, thanks. Now I've opened the switch box that has (L to R); Outside lights, Garage, and then mudroom. No grounds to the switches! I suppose that might be the source of my open ground?

View attachment 1430000481456.jpg
 
Have been following your adventure. I would start by powering down the main and getting to work in your shop. Tighten everything ... literally. All feed lines from the main into your sub-panel (at the main and where the feed comes into your sub-panel), all breaker connections, all neutrals and grounds, all switches and all receptacles. See if that helps after you re-power and run your equipment.

This procedure eliminates these connections as the source of your problems
 
Those cable should have grounds in them. Someone cut them off.

You might get lucky and be able pull a bit more cable into the box to find the grounds.

If they are just missing in the switch box it would not be a huge concern to me. I don't see the point of grounding a switch anyway. The only part accessible after install is plastic anyway.
 
This is the main panel. I'm trying to find an open ground in my garage. I have 3 outlets that appears to be multiwire branched and operate on the same circuit breaker. I have power come from both sides, even on the neutral.


If the neutral wire is hot , then your first / biggest problem is you have lost continuity back to the neutral bar .

You get that fixed , then worry about your grounds .

The photo of the 3 gang plastic box , you are correct , the bare earth ground wires seem to have gone AOL .

If you can not pull some more slack on the Romex , I would get some nylon / plastic plate screws and live with it .

The only place where the earth ground / grounding electrode conductor is bonded / grounded at the neutral bar . This is only at the service entrance panel that contains the main or mains .

No matter what people call them they are not the same . They fulfill different functions .

God bless
Wyr
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone for your responses - Problems are RESOLVED. The Neutral with voltage should have been identified as a feed. Unfortunately there was not enough slack to get to ground so I had to replace the run. Fortunately it is was only 5 feet.
 

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