I wouldn't have focused on these details, save for one set of circumstances ...
Back in the 60's we were happy with any sort of wire going to a ground rod. Them a series of pictures in the IAEI News led to ever-increasing wire sizes.
The problem? Damage from lawn mowers and weed-whackers. Until, ultimately, many places started requiring the EGC be #4 solid wire.
Then, all of a sudden, it was noticed in many places that the wires were missing. It was speculated that, at some unknown time, some unknown person had salvaged the copper. Sound familiar? So, the solution was to now require the wire to be run in conduit.
Well, inflation is hard on all. The copper thief lobby, feeling the pinch of higher living expenses in this down economy, was successful in requiring that we now have TWO ground rods- meaning more copper wire to steal. This helps offset the loss of opportunity as folks switch to concealed UFER electrodes.
(Believe the last paragraph, and I'll tell you another one!
)
In a related development, the code whizards suddenly discovered that folks have telephones in their homes, and that the phone system needs a ground attachment. It is only pure irony that this discovery was made at a time when folks are 'cutting the cord' with the traditional phone system, opting for cell phones alone. Well, there's still cable and dish TV - oops, there's Netflix and Redbox. OK, there's internet service - oops, some places are installing community-wide wireless access.
So, now we are required to furnish some means to ground these auxilliary wires. Most of the available gizmos attach to the #4 EGC .... that's inaccessible, since it's in pipe. If the wire is accessable to the phone guy, it's available to the thief.
I'd say 'just stub out a short piece of wire for the LV guys,' except I am not really looking forward to buying a 'Kenny clamp.'
http://kennyclamp.com/ .
Have we gone full circle .... or painted ourselves into a corner?
