Grounding of two prong system. - ECN Electrical Forums

What are your thoughts on this?
Customer wants me to provide grounding for the two prong receptacles. i highly suggest running two bare copper under the house and tie each grounding conductor from each receptacle to that. He says my plumbing is copper i want you to tie on to that. I really do not like that route because i do not know what will happen to the plumbing after i leave.

Please give me your thoughts. would you use the plumbing to provide grounding for the receptacles?

Thanks
Edward

The code allows you to replace ungrounded receptacles with a GFI. Going to the copper plumbing pipe is a violation.

Thanks dmattox.
I know about the GFCI replacement. But i personally do not like GFCI look all over the house. Can you reference the nec section on the violation if bonded plumbing is being used. So i will learn.

Thanks

Here are your options for adding a grounding conductor to the circuits.

Quote

250.130(C) Nongrounding Receptacle Replacement or Branch Circuit Extensions. The equipment grounding conductor of a grounding-type receptacle or a branch-circuit extension shall be permitted to be connected to any of the following:

(1)Any accessible point on the grounding electrode system as described in 250.50

(2)Any accessible point on the grounding electrode conductor

(3)The equipment grounding terminal bar within the enclosure where the branch circuit for the receptacle or branch circuit originates

(4)For grounded systems, the grounded service conductor within the service equipment enclosure

(5)For ungrounded systems, the grounding terminal bar within the service equipment enclosure

250.130(C)(1) allows the connection to the water pipe however it would have to be within 5' of the point of entrance per 250.52(A)(1).

To help educate your customer, you might add that grounding to the water pipes _used_ to be allowed (the 5 foot restriction that iwire mentions is relatively new), but because of the very real chance that plastic pipe will be used in modern repairs, water pipes can now only be used in 5 foot section described.

You also may want to consider that running a new equipment grounding conductor is nearly as much effort as running new romex over the same distance, and given that this is old work, probably a T+M job. I'd strongly consider estimating the cost difference between running new ground conductors versus simply running new circuits.

-Jon