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Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.
The simple answer is...YOU SHOULD BOND THE NEUTRAL BUS-BAR TO THE SERVICE PANEL.
Your question makes a mistake common even among electricians. You do not GROUND the neutral bus to the panel. You BOND the neutral bus to the panel. The term "ground" or "grounding" is often applied to "bonding" but bonding serves a different purpose than grounding.
To make things more complicated, the rules do not require that you bond the neutral bus to the panel. The rules require that both the neutral bus at the service and any panel be bonded to ground. The panels are bonded to ground usually by direct connection, meaning the ground bars are directly connected to their panels. So for smaller systems the simplest method to bond the neutral bus at the service is to make a direct connection between it and the panel. For larger systems you must use a conductor of an appropriate size to bond the neutral bus to the grounding electrode conductor.
I know this may be confusing but that is the reason that grounding and bonding take up more pages in the NEC than any other topics.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
What else can I help you with?
Why do you isolate the neutral?
If you are working with a sub panel, there are a few reasons to isolate the neutral. Firstly, currents will then return to the main panel and service ground.
Can the bare grounded neutral conductor of a service be buried directly in the ground?
A bare grounded neutral should never get close to the ground if it is wired properly. When the neutral leaves the meter base it is in conduit and should enter into the distribution panel where it connects to the neutral buss. It is at this junction that the copper ground wire is connected after coming from the outside ground rod or ground plate which ever grounding system was used.
Can you tie the neutral wire on a sub feed to another panel to the main neutral lug?
No, the neutral wires from different panels should not be tied together at the main neutral lug. Each panel should have its own separate neutral connection to the main service panel to ensure proper grounding and to prevent potential hazards such as ground faults. Mixing neutral wiring from different panels can cause electrical imbalances and safety issues.
How do you know what wire is ground on 200 amp service?
On a 200 amp or any size service the ground wire is easily identified. Look in the distribution panel for the neutral bus bar. This is where the service neutral (white wire) is connected to the distribution panel. There you will see a bare copper wire connected to the same neutral bar. This is the ground wire that is connected to the ground rods out side of the house.
Are the neutral and ground bonded in a sub-panel of an out building?
No, in a sub-panel of an outbuilding, the neutral and ground should be kept separate and not bonded together. This is to prevent the potential for ground loops and to ensure proper functioning of the grounding system.
Where is the only place the neutral and ground wires can be on the same buss bar?
The main electric panel is where neutral is bonded to ground. There is usually a screw or strap that connects the two so the same type panel could be used as a subpanel and have the neutral and ground unbonded in subpanel.
Do you need a grounding rod at a subpanel on a detached building?
Yes. The panel must be grounded with its own grounding rod. The ground will not be provided with the feeders to the panel, these will only contain your phase wires and neutral. Also make sure that any subpanel installed does not have the neutral bonded to ground. This should only be done at the main panel where the electrical utility service is connected.
Can you crimp copper grounding electrode to aluminum neutral of service entrance?
You should not have to crimp the copper grounding electrical wire to the aluminium service neutral. There is only one place where these two wires should meet. In the service distribution panel there is a neutral block where the two wires are connected. There are individual terminal points in the block. Tighten the ground rod wire under one of these points and place the incoming service neutral under another point in the same block. In this same block there will be a machine screw that bonds the neutral block to the distribution panel's enclosure.
What is an electrode conductor?
It is the conductor that is used in service distribution panels that bonds the distribution panel's neutral bus bar to the ground electrode (rod). This brings all of the distribution panel neutrals that are connected to the same supply system to the same potential, that being zero. Should a supply service neutral open this ground wire will maintain the systems integrity until repairs can be made.
How do you ground a 100 amp service panel?
In the service distribution panel there are termination points at the top of the panel. Two of the utilities "hot" conductors terminate on the main breaker. The neutral utility termination point is on a terminal block usually off to the side near the main hot terminations. It is in this neutral termination block where the system ground connects from the ground rods to the distribution panel. For a 100 amp panel the wire size will be a #6 bare copper conductor.
Is the neutral wire consider a hot wire?
Neutral is neither Hot nor ground. Neutral is the return wire for electrical service. It is a requirement , by law, that the Neutral Wire Feed into an electrical service box (main panel) be BONDED to the box and the Earth ground. Thie effectively makes the neutral in circuits out of the service panel equal to ground. But as it enters the service panel from the utility and meter pan, it is not ground. <<>> The only time that the neutral can have voltage on it is if it gets disconnected from the distribution point. Then the voltage that is supplied to the load will continue through the load and stop at the disconnection point. If you touch the uninsulated part of the neutral wire and touch any grounded equipment at the same time your body will act as a conductor for the load circuit. You will receive a nasty shock. This scenario is the only time that the neutral is "hot".
Can neutral and ground wires be connected to the same buss bar in a service panel?
No, neutral and ground wires should be kept separate in a service panel to prevent any potential safety hazards and ensure proper grounding. The neutral wires connect to the neutral bus bar, while the ground wires connect to the ground bus bar. Mixing them on the same bus bar can create potential electrical hazards.
