Okay im doing a 200 amp service change.
(1)Does my ground have go from the panel to the main water line then to my ground rod or can i save some money and start with the ground rod first ? Considering prices are so high for coppper i dont want to back track my ground and use another 50 ft...

Did you bid too low?.

Don't you run a seperate ground from the panel to each? You only need #6 to the rod, and you need #4 for the waterpipe.

I totally agree with je1ff. #6 wire to the ground rods and # 4 to the water pipe with proper clamps to jump the meter. Have never seen it done any other way. Years ago they just ran it to the water meter but not today.

Where 2 rods are required, would it be NEC compliant to run 2 GEC's from the main bus, one to each rod?

You can run a propper sized (largest required for the sevice) GEC to the first electrode and use jumpers to bond all the rest together.



Although it is okay to run a seperate GEC to each GE it is not necessary, see 250.50

Roger

Nice drawing Roger. May I add the word "Interior" to the blue colored note? 250.52

[This message has been edited by macmikeman (edited 06-01-2006).]

For what it's worth our local POCO requires a separate GEC to each rod.

Bill

Thanks Mike, but I can't take the credit, the drawing is out of the handbook.

As Bill points out, sometimes there are rules outside of the NEC or local electrical codes that we must follow.

Roger

I tend to disagree with the handbook drawing in this instance. The last sentance of 250.53(D)(2) states that a supplemental electrode must be bonded to:
1) The GEC,
2) The service nuetral,
3) The service conduit, or
4) A grounded service enclosure.

One of the electrodes in the handbook drawing MUST be called a supplement, and bonding the supplemntal electrode to the water pipe is not one of the 4 options listed above, as per 250.53(D)(2).