GE electrical sub panel

Aug 29, 2009 4 Replies

I bought a 100 amp, 12 space main breaker GE load center for my detached garage project. Inside the cabinet it said this: "Suitable for service equipment with main breaker or when not more than 6 disconnect means are provided, and when not used as a lighting and appliance branch circuit panel."



Mine has a main breaker but is it saying I cant put a lighting circuit on it???



The groud bus is bonded to the cabinet from the factory. The panel came with a green screw to bond the neutral but I dont believe I use that in a sub panel for a detached building, right?



Thanks for all your help!


You can ignore that, it doesn't apply to your situation. In a nutshell it's saying that you can use it to feed other breaker panels as long as it is not also being used as a breaker panel. No you do not bond the neutral and ground together in a sub-panel.

Can't remember - is this a detached garage. That adds some requirements.

Oh, you cleverly concealed "detached garage" in your question.

For a detached building you also need an earthing electrode connected to the ground bus. This is typically a ground rod and often 2 rods are used (basically because rods suck).

There also has to be a ground wire to the ground bar, coming from the house.

================= For amusement of anyone interested, *prior* to the 2008 NEC you could also connect the detached building with no source ground wire (and other things you couldn't have) with just 2 hots and a neutral. The garage panel was wired like a service - neutral bonded to ground bar, and earthing electrodes.

All that is saying is that the "6 disconnect" rule does not apply to lighting and appliance boards. (it is 2 then) Since the OP has a main disco none of this applies.

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