I’m in installing a meter socket and 30 amp fused safety switch where I’m only using one leg of service. I got 3- wire 120/240 service entrance which connect to my meter socket black and red to there designated spot, the meter says to land the neural ground to a 2 hole grounded lug in the meter panel. My safety switch is connected with, chase nipple under my meter. I ran a 8’ ground rod below my Safety switch, (this is all on a pole).
Can I run my 6awg solid ground from ground rod through bottom of Safety switch to a chair lug then run a insulated 6awg to the meter lug where the service entrance grounded neural is?
My equipment is coming into Safety switch 120v black to its spot. Now the Safety switch has a neutral bus with green screw; do I need to ground that bus?
My white to that neutral bus and green ground wire also with green screw inserted or a separate ground bus is needed, and is there a neutral that comes down from meter to Safety switch or not?
Best Answer
This can be confusing when first dealing with panels.
How main panels work
The utility supplies only 2 hots and a neutral. That is coming from the meter.
Your main service panel supplies 1-2 hots, neutral and safety ground to all circuits.
Where does safety ground come from? From a local pair of ground rods.
There is also a Neutral-Ground equipotential bond inside the main service panel, which bonds neutral and ground. In an ideal world, these are on two separate buses, connected by a thick wire you can put a clamp meter around. However, it is perfectly acceptable to use one bus-bar for both inside the main panel only.
This disconnect switch is functioning as your main panel
So it needs to be wired like a main panel.
This will be where the ground rods attach, and this is where the neural-ground bond must be. As such, you can simply put all neutrals and grounds on the same bar. Everywhere else, they must be separate.