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leibold
MVM
join:2002-07-09
Sunnyvale, CA
Netgear CG3000DCR
ZyXEL P-663HN-51

leibold to Jack_in_VA

MVM

to Jack_in_VA

Re: Bare ground need conduit ??

said by Jack_in_VA:

But the inspector also made the electrician install a parallel ground rod 5 ft from the original and tie the two together with (NOT ONE) but 2 #6 bare copper conductors.

He wasn't German by any chance ? It does sound like the German Engineering approach of precisely determining the safety requirements and then doubling everything anyway

In case anybody is wondering, in many areas it is now required to have a minimum of two grounding electrodes (the buried water supply line is often counted as one of them) however the two ground rods Jack mentions only count as one since they are too close together (only 5ft apart).
tomupnorth
join:2005-01-14
UpperMidwest

tomupnorth

Member

said by leibold:

In case anybody is wondering, in many areas it is now required to have a minimum of two grounding electrodes (the buried water supply line is often counted as one of them)

In the TX countryside there are no metal water pipes underground, and the "soil" itself is mostly rock, such that it's difficult even to get a ground rod driven-in. There are wires alongside every power pole fwiw, that get buried with the pole--I suppose that's SOP everywhere.

So for all the controversy here about "to add a ground or not" I'm inclined to err on the side of "ground wherever you can".

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

Jack_in_VA

Premium Member

said by tomupnorth:

said by leibold:

In case anybody is wondering, in many areas it is now required to have a minimum of two grounding electrodes (the buried water supply line is often counted as one of them)

In the TX countryside there are no metal water pipes underground, and the "soil" itself is mostly rock, such that it's difficult even to get a ground rod driven-in. There are wires alongside every power pole fwiw, that get buried with the pole--I suppose that's SOP everywhere.

So for all the controversy here about "to add a ground or not" I'm inclined to err on the side of "ground wherever you can".

Even if it sets up a very dangerous "difference of potential" by improper bonding of the grounds by some people installing them that really don't have the knowledge of what they are doing? The "more ground rods the better" is not necessarily correct.
tomupnorth
join:2005-01-14
UpperMidwest

tomupnorth

Member

Yeah, but it's clear from this thread that there is no "correct" afaict.


alkizmo
join:2007-06-25
Pierrefonds, QC

alkizmo

Member

said by tomupnorth:

Yeah, but it's clear from this thread that there is no "correct" afaict.

Yes there is a "incorrect" because there IS a "correct" way to put in grounding electrodes.

If the military can ground their portable electrical equipment in the mountains, then I'm sure you can get a good ground in rocky soil in Texas.

You might not be able to get a ground rod in, but you could get several ground plates in there, or a ground grid. It just requires heavy machinery instead of a sledge hammer.

Then as Jack_in_VA said, it's also about properly bonding the electrodes together, which a weekend warrior who doesn't understand the difference between grounding and bonding might horribly screw up.

I'm not an electrician, but I'm pretty handy, yet when it comes to grounding, I still err on the side of caution and get validation from the pros.

I mean, just look at this thing (That's just 1 out of 12 pages).
»ecmweb.com/bonding-amp-g ··· art-1-12
It's a LOT of stuff to understand.
tomupnorth
join:2005-01-14
UpperMidwest

1 edit

tomupnorth

Member

said by alkizmo:

I'm not an electrician, but I'm pretty handy, yet when it comes to grounding, I still err on the side of caution and get validation from the pros.

I mean, just look at this thing (That's just 1 out of 12 pages).
»ecmweb.com/bonding-amp-g ··· art-1-12
It's a LOT of stuff to understand.

And I only "worked with" electricians and electrickery for some years, thus knowing just enough to be dangerous.



What a great link, thanks; I have bookmarked it and will study thoroughly at another time when my brain is at 100%. Early Xmas morning here and I'm a little bleary-eyed.

Happy holidays everyone!
tomupnorth

tomupnorth to alkizmo

Member

to alkizmo
said by alkizmo:

I mean, just look at this thing (That's just 1 out of 12 pages).
»ecmweb.com/bonding-amp-g ··· art-1-12
It's a LOT of stuff to understand.

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie brother--I've only Skimmed it (not yet Studied it) and so far all I've gotten out of it is that you can't count on Earth Ground for a "return path", and (I think) also that while it Used To Be that a remote building didn't need a ground rod, now it is recommended to have a ground rod In Addition to a ground Conductor/Wire back to the service panel.

Gonna read it again (and again) but it does make my brain hurt...