Capt Al's neighbor had the cable company do some work. The neighbor asked Al to look at it and see if it was OK.



What do you all think of this?

Code Compliant?

Professional?

Bob

From the '99 NEC (The current here in CA)
820-40 (b) Electrode. The grounding conductor shall be connected as follows.
1. To the nearest accessible location on the following:
a. The building or structure grounding electrode system as covered in Section 250-50
b. The grounded interior metal water piping system as covered in Section 250-104(a)
c. The power service accessible means external to enclosures as covered in Section 250-92(b)
d. The metallic power service raceway
e. The service equipment enclosure
f. The grounding electrode conductor or the grounding electrode conductor metal enclosure, or
g. To the grounding conductor or to the grounding electrode of a building or structure disconnecting means that is grounded to an electrode as covered in Section 250-32; or....

Sounds good so far, but 250-70 doesn't like that clamp.
3. For indoor telecommunications purposes only, a listed sheet metal strap-type ground clamp having a rigid metal base that seats on the electrode and having a strap of such material and dimensions that it is not likely to stretch during or after installation.

The Cu connection to the Al hub also is, I believe, a bust of 110-14, dissimilar metals

Code Compliant? I think not




[This message has been edited by electure (edited 04-09-2005).]

The 1/2" PVC in the first picture is protecting the GEC, which is connected to a ground rod. The cable guy did not run his ground wire to the nearest accessible location. I will be fixing this for my neighbor.

Al

as a public utility are they subject to NEC?

In a situation like this I once ran a small tail of #6 BC out of the bottom of the meter enclosure because I thought I had to make something available. The Poco inspector wanted it removed and accused me of drilling a hole for it too.

Bill

Bill that is too bad, I wonder what hazard the inspector saw in a grounded conductor?

This why some say no good deed goes unpunished.

Bob,

What made it worse was this was on a service upgrade and the Poco guy told the customer (I wasn't there) this was against code and I shouldn't have drilled a hole in the enclosure either, so you can imagine I got a call about it.

I explained to the customer the reason for the tail but told them I would come and remove it. (I asked if it seemed like the guy was drinking - I guess he's never seen the little KOs in the bottom of the enclosures).

Does anyone leave a tail like this?
I thought it (or something) was required per 250.94 in situations like the one pictured.

Bill

Bill what really makes the use of this clamp foolish, is the #6 GEC was exposed 12" below the cable splitter where it attached to a ground rod. The cable guy had to run more #10 to go to the meter hub and install his clamp.

The tail you ask about. I have never seen one at the meter, but have seen tails at the panel board for the cable & alarm guys to use.

Ah! The "Cable Guys!!"
I check grounding of the cable installer whenever I get the chance. It's doubly important with powered cable (<=150 v to grd) (From all those new meter pedestals on each street corner).
Sometimes I get the comment from the cable installers that their work is not my business; they don't need a permit. After I give the recalcitrant ones a WRITTEN correction notice (with a copy to the job super) I explain that they still need to comply with Code req. even without a permit, I WILL comment on unsafe installs (80.23, 110.3 #8), and that, if not remedied, they could be disconnected and/or their system powered down(80.13).
In their defense, most installers, when shown the importance of proper grounding, end up revising their work to passable levels.

I sat in parking lot having lunch one day next to a CATV contractor getting his butt reamed about grounding by his supervisor. As I'm chomping on my sandwich, I over-heard how the guy was doing it, and how the boss wanted it. The guy was split-bolting to the GEC, or lugging to the main panel, so I'm thinking "Mmmm - Ok". His boss, gets irrate, saying that its too much work, just go to the nearest water, or conduit, I'm thinking "Oh man..." They start debating it, so I pick up my code book and sort of hold in view of the window open to that section, as I chomp on my sandwich. "Fastest - Cheapest, end of story" he finished with as he wrapped up chewing this guy out. Anyway, I feel for poeple in situations like that, when they know better than the boss.

This one in the pic, is at least better than some of the alteratives

Bob,
The electrical contractor, not the cable company, is at fault here. The electrical contractor did not comply with 250.94.

Bill,
Look at FPN #1 to the above section.

Don

Don I do not know if the install was done by the cable company or a sub. Either can happens here.

Capt Al may know.

Bob

Bob,
It doesn't matter who did the cable installation. The electrical contractor did not provide the "accessible means external to enclosures for connecting intersystem bonding and grounding conductors" as required by 250.94.
Don

I have Never Liked those ground straps. they make them in copper and galvanized steel. I usually use a meter pan clamp as in this pic. http://www.tselectronic.com/thomandbetts/sc51_1.html?tse_Session=b5765e6ac0fc8d723bddf5608b15a05b
They Can be installed as so the meter cover can be removed.

Don right out of frame below the meter is an exposed EGC.

205.94(2)Exposed grounding electrode conductor.

But beyond that how would an EC know where the cable company will need this connection considering the electric service was installed years before cable TV was brought to the house?

Bob

My eyes aren't what they used to be...but is that ground strap wrapped around a plastig hub?

Don,

That was what I had in mind, but apparently it was a totally foreign concept to the Utility representative.

Bill

Bob,
I don't see any exposed GEC. It appears to be in PVC condiut to me. Around here when the GEC is in PVC, there is no exposed GEC as the PVC is terminated below grade.

This service look fairly new and the code rule requiring an accessbile intersystem grounding connection point has be in the code for 3 or 4 code cycles. The code section only requires that this connection point be provided at the service equipment and at the service disconnect. Maybe, it really isn't required at this location, because I don't think that the meter is service equipment.
Don

Don

Don, I'm the EC here. This service was installed last year. I did comply with 250.94 (2). There is a bare #6 AWG exposed at the ground rod. It does not terminate underground. I also got the blessing of the local AHJ.
The meter is not service equipment. At the disconnecting means for the service, there is also an exposed #6 AWG that the cable guy could have terminated his grounding conductor to.
Also this strap was installed by a sub for the cable company. My house was done by a cable company employee. There is no strap ground. He connected to the exposed GEC at the ground rod below the meter. There is quite a difference between cable employee and subcontractor grounding methods.

Al

Al,
Sorry, but the required accessible grounding point is not in the pictures that were posted, so how would anyone reading this thread be expected to know that an accessible point was available? As I told, Bob in an earlier post, that would not be the normal installation method here. The utility requires that the PVC for the GEC terminate below grade.
Don