I had an electrician come in and install a new sub panel in my house and wire up my kitchen. When he finished, I took it from there. Now that I have the rest of the house wired, its time to connect it all to the sub panel. Both the neutral bus bar and the ground bus bar (2 separate buses) seem to be connected by a copper rod going across the sub panel. What's confusing me is that I've noticed the electrician didn't keep the ground and neutral wires separate when he hooked them up to the buses. They are all mixed together. Most of the grounds and the neutrals are both on the neutral bus bar. When an inspector came in to inspect some framing, he pointed out that they were mixed and that won't pass. When I asked the electrician, he said that they both get connected anyway, so it doesn't matter. Now I find myself in a pickle. Is there anyone out there that can help me out? Thanks

The inspector is correct, the electrician is incorrect, and is not knowledgeable about the grounded conductor (neutral) and the equipment ground conductor, and that plus the job did not pass inspection means he does not get paid.

Who is the permittee on this job?

If your electrician does not or cannot correct the job, keep some of the money you were to give him to hire another electrician that knows what he is doing and can come out to fix the problem. He should need to get his own permit,seems silly for such a small portion of the job, but to limit his permit to the actual work he has to do of separating the neutrals and grounds ,and insulating and isolating the neutral bar from the equipment ground.

Ask the inspector how you can have another electrician fix the first electricians screw up.