installing breaker in sub panel

[jvtran]

Ok, I had an electrician install a subpanel off my main panel. He took out two 15 amp breakers and moved that over to the subpanel. He then installed a 100 amp double pole in the slot that previously housed the two 15 amp breakers on the main panel. He then brought the two hots and Neutral from Main to Sub accordingly.

When he rerouted the wires that belong to the two 15 amp breakers from the main panel to the sub panel, he connected the two hots to the breaker and the neutrals to the Neutral Buss bar. He then connected the ground to ground buss bar and REMOVED the bonding strap.

I thought all was ok but then I realized that when I add a circuit breaker to this subpanel, the neutral will be ok because it is tied to the main panel neutral but the ground will not be tied to anything and just floating.

Is this correct? let me know if I need to send pic

-James

[HayZee518]

You mentioned that the bare grounds were connected to the ground - I would assume the electrician installed an auxillary ground bar which is fastend to the enclosure case inside. If not then I would again assume he used some lugs which are in turn fastened to the case metal inside the panel.
If he didn't install a ground bus bar with screws for wires, I'd get him back over there pronto and install it.
Also you mention what cable he supplied the sub panel with - Two hots and a neutral?? He should have pulled in a four wire - two hots, a neutral and a ground conductor. If the sub panel is any distance away then a ground rod should have been driven and the ground bonded to this ground rod. If the sub is just of the main panel, then a bond, using metal nipples and lock nuts may be sufficient. If it's pvc then an additional ground wire is necessary to bond the case (enclosure) to the main panel.

[jvtran]

Ah, i think you hit the nail on the head. the sub panel is right next to the main panel and is connector via metal conduit and metal nipples.

Now that i look at it again, the sub panel is getting its case ground via the attached conduit.

And yes, this sub panel does have a buss bar for ground wire termination.

thanks

[Kidd6488]

I had an experience that wasn't so pretty... Our contractor had supplied the wire for the electrcians to use when installing our subpanel. Sure, it was #2, but 3 conductor (2 hots w/ the ground all spread around them) So after they wired it up, we told him to shove it, and ripped that out, and Did our own with 2-2-2-4.....

~Jonathon Reinhart