Neutral and Ground Branch Wires

Could you please look at the attached photo and tell me if the wires on the right are a ground and nuetral sharing a single screw on the bus bar and should this be called out? Keep in mind this house was built in 1996 and 408.21 from the NEC did not go into effect until 2002.

What does the label on the panel say about more than one conductor under a screw?

There was no label.

Although this was spelled out explicitly in the 2002 NEC the standard actually existed prior to 2002 in the form of 110.14(A) where terminals used for more than one conductor had to be listed as such. Usually this information can be found on the panel label. Chances are this was not permitted even prior to 2002.

Thanks for the info, very helpful.

As to whether or not you should call this out in your report I will leave that opinion to the HI’s on this forum.

See this Mike Holt Video … http://www.mikeholt.com/multimedia/NEC2002/408/408-21-Corp-LAN-smooth.ram

The requirement for one terminal per neutral wire has been around for a very long time. Prior to 2002 it was in UL 67 and should have been marked on the panel label.

It is a defect, but write this one up carefully (e.g. have an electrician check and separate the neutral wires as needed) as many electricians dont think it’s a big deal for panels installed prior to 2002.

In our area this was accepted practice until 2006 I believe, and I still see it in some counties for new construction. Double neutrals no, but one neutral and a ground yes. If the state electrical inspector said it was good then all I can would do was make note of it.

Thanks Robert.
Great PFD’s

Thanks Sean.
At Roy Cooke’s in April he had a live double tapped neutrals hooked up to a free standing exterior light fixture to explain the reasoning behind double tapped nutrals.
Evidence is everything.

What was the outcome of the double tapped neutrals when you tested it?

What was the outcome of the double tapped neutrals when you tested.
Dimming light. Resistance.
Back-flow.

Sorry Greg called away for a moment.
#1: Safety hazard’
#2: No double lugging of white wire ( neutral ) conductor.
#3: Following the white wires to the breaker or its entry point.
Recommend a licensed electrician.

It seems to me that I have explained this one before…many times. Remember guys, we have a great search feature on this site as most (if not all) of these topics have been talked about before. Just some good info for research…:wink: