Electrician: Help connecting a 240 line to service panel

[Gardens Keeper]

I am connecting some 10/3 from a AL/CU Nema 14-30R 30 Amp 125/250v, 3 prong, 4 wire to a service panel. Black wire and Red wire go to the double 30 amp breaker and the ground (covered in paper no plastic cover) goes ? and the neutral wire (covered in white plastic) goes?

The panel is slightly older. Usually there is a separate ground bar and neutral bar. On this panel there are 2 bars, but they are stacked like stairs. One is lower one is higher. Both seem to be the same deal though as both have neutral and ground wires running to them. There are two places where wires go in intervals on the bar. There is a large circular hole and a smaller circular hole for wires to go in. The previous electrician it seems connected the neutral in the wide hole and the ground directly next to it on the same bar in the smaller hole (although this seems to vary so it makes me wonder if it matter which one goes into which hole at all). I just want to make sure that my ground (covered in paper no plastic cover) and neutral wire (covered in white plastic) are properly connected.

Does it matter which one goes to which hole? They are all on the same bar.I am used to the newer panels so I just want to make 200% sure that I am not messing anything up. I don't like to chance electricity....

I would post pictures but I cannot find my USB connector to my camera let me know if pictures are a must and I will order a replacement part. I really need this hooked up today though.

 

[Gardens Keeper]

This is connecting to a main panel btw not a sub panel.

 

[Gardens Keeper]

Ok, from my reading I am used to connecting to sub panels where there must be a separate neutral and ground bar. On the main panel they are on one bar and this is fine, but only for the main panel, because if you did this on a sub panel you would:

When you tie neutral to earth ground in a subpanel, you're created a potential parallel path for current to return via earth (ground) - so in the event of a fault, your ground conductor has assumed the role of the return path for current and now everything that you've grounded (sub-panel, appliances, metal fixtures, etc) to that sub-panel is now hot.

All it takes is a preexisting fault, one rainstorm, or wet feet, whatever... and you touching something energized - and you're doing the 60 cycle shuffle.

 

[Wendull C.]

Your exactly right about separate lug bars for neutral and ground wires on a sub panel. If it is the main panel like you said already then they can go to the same bar like you described the rest doing. In a main panel the reason to add another bar is more lug room ime. They can go to any lug hole that will accomadat their size.