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I have an older GE PowerMark Load Center, circa 1987. It is the same panel being discussed here - this post has good pics of the panel and markings. (GE Powermark Electrical Panel - What Did the Last Guy Do?)

My problem is different than that poster; My neutral bar (all three levels) is full.

My grounds/neutrals are all mixed on the neutral bar. There is no standalone ground bar.

  1. I don't see anything on the panel marking allowing for doubling up equipment ground wires. In the previously mentioned thread, one contributor states that the panel may predate a doubling marking requirement, and suggests doubling up the grounding connectors. If doubling equipment grounds is permissible, I will probably just do some rearranging (making sure no neutrals and grounds are under the same screw) and call it good. Thoughts?

  2. While I could probably install a TGL2 kit (14 space grounding bar approved for the panel per labeling), I don't know if that will solve my problem completely, especially with any future additions. Any thoughts on putting in a larger ground bar e.g., GE TGK42 (42-space grounding bar for PowerMark Gold centers), and moving most of the grounds to that. I'd bond to the panel with 10/32 screws as suggested, and also a #8/#10 wire back to the neutral bar.

Panel

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  • I see Romex cables. Do they have ground wires in them? Where do they go? What does the (intricate) panel label have to say about more than 1 ground wire on a neutral bar screw?
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Oct 21, 2021 at 0:02
  • @Harper Correct, it's Romex. All cables have grounds. They land on the neutral bar second and third rows (hard to see in the picture, but under the row of 12 gauge neutrals). The panel label says nothing about doubling. The post I linked has better pictures of all of the paneling labels. Interestingly, later versions of the same panel seem to have marking that allows for doubling.
    – Dwayne Williams
    Oct 21, 2021 at 0:40
  • I see what looks like room for 1 new breaker. I see what appear to be 8 full size breakers. If the full size breakers are replaced with double stuffs and the new breaker is also a double stuff, that's only 9 more circuits with 9 neutrals. Why do you need more than the 14 neutral spaces afforded by the TGL2 kit?
    – FreeMan
    Oct 21, 2021 at 16:29
  • The picture is a little dated. Since it was taken, some additional circuits have been added and some of the full-heights have been subbed out for half-heights. While doing this work, I've also noticed that the previous homeowner (or electrician) doubled up a few of the grounds. I may need to add one more circuit, and I have some 15 amp full-height AFCI breakers which I plan to install. These have pigtails that must land on the neutral bar. Ideally, I'd be able to move most/all of the grounds to a dedicated ground bar (or ground bars), and use the neutral bar for...well...neutrals.
    – Dwayne Williams
    Oct 22, 2021 at 6:57

1 Answer 1

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If the panel labeling is silent on doubling ground wires, then

Accessory ground bar. Done & dusted!

The panel labeling will state a number of ground bar model numbers that will directly fit the panel (i.e. the sites are planned into the panel and the holes are pre-drilled).

In fact anyone's ground bar would suffice, but may require some drill & tap to mount it. If you are not using #10-32 screws to mount it, then you need to run a large fat copper wire between the accessory ground bar and the neutral bar.

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  • Yes, the panel lists the tgl2 ground bar accessory. Unfortunately, that ground bar has only 14 holes. Would there be any code issue in installing the larger ground bar I mentioned (GE TGK 42)? I would plan to run a wire back to the neutral bar regardless. I don't like the idea of relying on just two small screws for continuity.
    – Dwayne Williams
    Oct 21, 2021 at 1:00
  • Me neither. Check the documentation on that TGL2, it may allow 2 or 3 ground wires per screw. The panel probably has sites for multiples of them but yeah, you can use an unlisted ground bar if you run a ground wire. I mean an AHJ could kick up a fuss about it not being stated on the label, but that is vanishingly unlikely.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Oct 21, 2021 at 21:20
  • I will check the listing on the GE TGL2 ground bar. I ordered a couple of them as they were only a few dollars apiece. I think the panel only has pre-drilled space for one of them, but I won't know until I open it up again.
    – Dwayne Williams
    Oct 22, 2021 at 0:21

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