this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2026
26 points (96.4% liked)

Electricians

623 readers
1 users here now

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

The white ground is going out to the pole and the green one is my grounding rod, should the green one not be bonded to the pannel not the bus bar?

Note not an electrician, but my copper water lines feel live and a few switches in my house give us shocks

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] LemminNewbie@lemmy.today 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (6 children)

Not if this is the first disconnecting means after your meter. The green screw is bonding the bus bar to the panel and makes the neutral have a potential equal to that of the ground, so it is a 'return' path for the split phases to get 120V rather than the full 240V single phase that's coming from the utility. If this isn't the first panel after your meter you would isolate the neutrals from the ground/panel so you don't create parallel paths for the electricity to flow during a lightning surge. https://imgur.com/a/zVSkSug

Let me also say that messing with your own house wiring the danger is not electrocuting yourself. There's just not enough voltage to likely do that. The danger is making an improper connection that causes a fire and that's why you should get a professional if you're unsure and don't understand the risks involved.

[–] Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (4 children)

I must disagree with the not elextrocuting yourself".

120v with 50a+ service (200 is common these days) is plenty to kill you, especially a novice.

[–] LemminNewbie@lemmy.today 1 points 3 months ago

Of course it's plenty under the right conditions but it's very easy to use insulated tools or gloves and not be at any risk of shock. Or you can work with the power shut off at the transformer or get the meter pulled. On the other hand you might not know you've created a situation that will burn down your house until way later and it's too late. I've touched a 120v leg on a 200a bus by accident and barely felt a tingle in that situation. The expertise is not in trying to not be shocked because that's the obvious risk. The less obvious risk is dying in a house fire because of an arcing connection somewhere that doesn't cause a breaker or fuse to trip.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)