Termination of neutral in main service panel

Mike2401

In the main service panel, can a neutral be terminated in the equipment ground bar if there are no spaces left in the neutral bar?

Thank you,
Mike

gregzoll

Neutral & Ground are always tied together in a Main Panel. Only in a Sub are they separate.

vsheetz

I think the question had to do with the physical attachment points - the OP understands they are electrically tied together.

Mike2401

Thanks vsheetz,

I want to add a circuit in the main service panel and there are no positions available on the nuetral bar, but there are several positions available in the equipment ground bar. My question is, "Can I terminate the neutral of the new circuit on the equipment ground bar?" Is this code compliant for NEC 2008?

Thank you,
Mike

a7ecorsair

Just a bit of information..
Since you are out of neutral bar spaces, there must be ground wires occupying some of those spaces. If you look closely at your panel, you will see that the two bars, neutral and ground, are connected some how. This is proper for a main panel but if this were a sub panel the two bars have to be separate.

Scuba_Dave

Also grounds of the same size can be doubled up under one screw

Stubbie

Hi Mike

Just to be certain what your talking about. If you have an added grounding bar in the service equipment ... ie... the place where the main breaker (disconnect) is located you CANNOT land a neutral (grounded conductor) to that grounding bar.

What I'm saying here is if you have a neutral bar or bars that are bonded together and to the metal of the panel with a main bonding jumper ... then neutrals and grounds can land on them. However if a grounding bar has been added or the panel came with one installed it will be attached directly to the metal of the panel and will not be mounted on plastic standoffs like the neutral bar or bars.

If that is what you have you cannot land a neutral on that grounding bar. The reason is you are not allowed to use the metal of the panel to return neutral current to the service neutral via the main bonding jumper that bonds the neutral bar to the panel metal.

Here is an example

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__________________
" One nice thing about the NEC articles ... you have lots of choices"

Stubbie