How are you grounding your Control Panel??

[quaboagbrewing]

This is a followup to an earlier post I had regarding grounding the actual brew panel. I have a jumper between the door and the main panel and I have a ground connection going between the panel ground screw and the terminal blocks that my element and main power ground to. My question is in regards to how folks are grounding the main panel. Are you coming attaching a ground wire from the panel to a grounding post? Hoping some folks may be able to share some pictures of this as I am not seeing any examples in the many control panel builds I have looked at. This is pretty much the final step before I have an electrician friend review my wiring and test fire this weekend. Thanks.

 

[homebrewdude76]

My main power feed has a ground wire, so mine is from the panel to the breaker box. I think you dont want a grounding post on this. Not how it is done.

 

[quaboagbrewing]

My main power feed has a ground wire, so mine is from the panel to the breaker box. I think you dont want a grounding post on this. Not how it is done.

OK. That pretty much answers my question then. My main power feed has a ground wire that connects to the breaker box where I have a GFCI breaker installed. I just wasn't sure if I needed some additional ground but sounds like I do not. Explains why i never see a ground wire coming directly off anyone's panels. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[homebrewdude76]

There is a code or something that states the main panel has the ground bar. Other sub panels ground back to the main panel only.

 

[homebrewdude76]

Do you also have grounds running to your element enclosures for your kettles?

 

[lschiavo]

It sounds like you are carrying the ground (equipment ground) with your feed to your brew panel. That is correct. At your control panel, you want to tie that to the control panel enclosure (if it's metal). A jumper to a hinged panel door is a very good idea. Any line voltage wiring leaving the control panel should also carry this ground. Element feeds should carry a ground and connect to the element enclosure and kettles. It you have a metal brew structure, it should also be connected to ground. Anything metal (with any possibility of being energized) within reach of your brewery should be solidly tied to ground. With that done and GFCI protection, you should be quite safe.

 

[GlenF]

So my panel door has a grounding bolt which I can attach my elements/ kettle grounds to. Then I can run a ground jumper to my power-in cable ground wire.
Wouldn't the metal hinges from the door to the main housing ground the rest of the panel then?

 

[doug293cz]

So my panel door has a grounding bolt which I can attach my elements/ kettle grounds to. Then I can run a ground jumper to my power-in cable ground wire.
Wouldn't the metal hinges from the door to the main housing ground the rest of the panel then?

You shouldn't depend on hinges to provide an adequate low resistance connection. You should have a ground lug on both the enclosure box and door. The lug must have metal to metal contact with the door/enclosure. Make sure there is no paint between the lug and the base metal.

Brew on

 

[GlenF]

Thanks!

 

[craigmw]

There is a code or something that states the main panel has the ground bar. Other sub panels ground back to the main panel only.

The bigger issue is that only the main panel should have the ground and neutral buses bonded together. Sub-panels should be fed both ground and neutrals on independent wires. If the sub-panel is on an outbuilding, I believe that the ground should also be tied into ground rods. I think this is location dependent though, so best to check with your local authorities. Regardless, the main point is that any sub-panel should NOT tie the ground bar into the neutral as this is only permissible at the main panel.