What happens if the copper conductor used for bonding panelboards is not continuous?

The concern with a non-continuous copper conductor for bonding panelboards primarily revolves around safety and effectiveness in grounding practices. A continuous grounding conductor is essential to ensure that all parts of the electrical system are effectively bonded together, allowing any fault currents to accurately and safely flow to ground. When the conductor is not continuous, there is a risk that fault currents may not travel as intended, which can lead to unsafe conditions such as electric shock or fire hazards.

Safety regulations emphasize the importance of maintaining a continuous path in grounding systems. Interruptions can create points of high resistance or even entirely open circuits, defeating the purpose of bonding, which is to ensure safety and reliability in electrical installations. Consequently, this lack of continuity compromises the safety standards required by electrical codes. Therefore, it is not permissible for the bonding conductor to be discontinuous, aligning with safety regulations that necessitate a continuous ground path to maintain the integrity of the electrical system.