Installing sub panel in pole barn shop.

[mx842]

I'm trying to save a little on wiring in my shop. What I want to do is add a couple small 6 space sub panels in two spots in my shop. I picked up a 70 amp 6 space sub panel yesterday that has no breakers in it. I picked up a ground bar kit also. My question is.....do I need to have a separate ground rod for each of these to panels I want to add? And does this panel need it's own main disconnect breaker, or can I just put a 60amp circuit breaker in the main panel and be okay? I already have a 60 Amp breaker that will be used rather than the max 70 amp one because all I had was enough #6 to feed the sub with.

Also can you install an Isolated ground circuit in a building that is powered from a sub panel like in a detached garage where the neutral and ground are separated?

 

[FredH]

Advisable as far as ground rod for each , I would think so , Required in your location , don't know. I replaced the sub panel in our shop when new house was put in . Now power comes from meter underground to panel on back of house . There it goes into main box in house , to small box for heat pump and a separate breaker for the shop panel . Shop is maybe 45' from house and same for main meter pole , but required to have not 1 but 2 ground rods 6 feet apart with one continuous wire from sub panel to first rod to second rod . Now I could of put breaker for shop sub panel into another section of that panel on back of house and have been able to shut power off to house at that panel but still had power to shop but I just put it into the same section thus if I need to shut it down , everything is shut down there or at main panel at meter . By no means am I a electrician or giving advise , just saying what I was Required to do or what I could of done legally . So your question about placement of your breaker is similar to what I was required to do , but do not know your local codes .

Fred H

 

[big daddy ray]

I'm trying to save a little on wiring in my shop. What I want to do is add a couple small 6 space sub panels in two spots in my shop. I picked up a 70 amp 6 space sub panel yesterday that has no breakers in it. I picked up a ground bar kit also. My question is.....do I need to have a separate ground rod for each of these to panels I want to add? And does this panel need it's own main disconnect breaker, or can I just put a 60amp circuit breaker in the main panel and be okay? I already have a 60 Amp breaker that will be used rather than the max 70 amp one because all I had was enough #6 to feed the sub with.

Also can you install an Isolated ground circuit in a building that is powered from a sub panel like in a detached garage where the neutral and ground are separated?

first of all the first means of disconect (first disconecting means main breaker or nife disconect fused or not) is the last place that nutral and ground are the same after that all sub panells shall have there own seperate ground you need to bring a ground from first means of disconect so that you dont have a differance of potenical they have to be of the same grounding field apotenical of differance could cause a posability of electricah shock even deadly DO NOT USE BONDING SCREW ON ANY PANNELS AFTER FIRST MEANS OF DISCONECT (GREEN SCREW PROVIDED ) IF WIRED IN THIS MANNER YOU WILL HAVE A ISOLATED POSABILTY AT SUB PANNELS .

 

[SPIKER]

One ground per building for most cases, (common now for two rods 6+ feet apart as noted above or a underground footer ground. UFER.)

as stated prior, all ground from main panel to sub panels are common but one point the Neutral and ground are Bonded together that is the first power source point (main panel you are feeding from in most cases.) ALL sub panels in same building or other buildings do not have the Neutral & Ground tied together. For sub panels 4 wires need to be run 2 HOT and one Ground and one Neutral wires.

mark

 

[mx842]

First of all I understand that the panel at the meter base (main panel) has the neutral and ground tied together and anything past that point the neutral and the ground system has to be separate, ground to ground, neutral to neutral with no bonding strap, screw or other device tying them together.

The three #6 wires I ran for the welder plugs will stay like they were and I will just have to figure out a way to hook those big #6 wires together so that I can have the three different plugs along the wall like I want.

Also from what I have read you don't need but two ground rods at the the main sub panel where it comes into the building (barn not the main panel at the meter). What about 3 or 4 ground rods all tied together in one continuous loop around the building? I have this large steel structure inside the building that goes from the front door to the back of the building that is 14' high and also this 20' medal container under roof that I want to tie into the ground system so that it is all bonded together. Is there any drawback or problem with having all this tied together along with any other sub panels I might want to put in the building?

 

[Iowachild]

I like to consult Mike Holt with these questions.:lightbulb:

 

[mx842]

I like to consult Mike Holt with these questions.:lightbulb:

In my endless pursuit I have come across many of his writings on all kinds of different setups but never anything like my setup. Trying to follow some of the post and threads that talk about electrical is almost impossible, for me anyway. I get lost when people start reciting this code or that and all the exceptions for this setup or you can do this if that is applied to NEC 2008 but that is only if....ect. My brain ends up in melt down leaving me more cornfused than before. I'll figure it out sooner or later. Thanks!