I did a service last week (hadn't done one in 8 years prior) I had pounded in a ground rod by the meter and ran a ground wire into the meter. I was told to come back and run the wire inside a pipe and to pound the ground wire below grade.
Do you guys normally do this? I hope it doesn't sound like an amateur question.
If the grounding electrode conductor is #4 or smaller, it may require protection. See 250-64(b). If the ground rod was an 8' rod, it must be completely below grade. See 250-52(c). If you didn't drive 2 rods or use a ground resistance tester to verify compliance with 250-56, the inspector should have also told you to add a second ground rod.
Don(resqcapt19)
electricj:
We are required to run all the grounding conducctors to the disconnect.
For 100 amp service I use a no. 6 bare copper and all it has to do is follow the contour of the building. In fact for any ground rod use no.6, this is in the code.
To the water line thats different No.6 for 100 and 150 amp service and No.4 for a 200 amp service, etc
And of course bury the ground rods spaced at least 6 feet apart.
Electricj, don't feel bad my inspector gigged me on that too. Just all at once he got real picky on the rod being below grade. Also I use PVC conduit so there is no need to bond the wire to the conduit. It all happened after he came back from a seminar on grounding.
spkjpr - Should I just run the pvc out of the meter and then straight into the earth and then let the wire stay underground until it connects to the ground rod? Or would I need to run the pvc (underground) right up to the ground rod?
Thanks for all the replies -- I guess in the future I should also pound down 2 ground rods.
Electricj, I run the conduit to ground level out of the meter base then run the ground wire under the soil to the rod. This seems to be accepted here and protects and hides the ground wire. Hope this helps. We are also required to put in 2 ground rods no closer than 6 ft and they must be bonded together.
When you drive your rods below grade, be sure to use connectors with "DB" (direct burial) ratings, or use exothermic welding.
It's always a good idea to install two ground rods. It's the maximum number required for a service. However, is it a<b> NEC</b> requirement if only one has a resistance to ground of 25 ohms or less? I am aware that a Power Company can mandate two.
Frank,
250-56 requires a second rod if the first one is ovr 25 ohms.
Don(resqcapt19)
I was red tagged recently in a jurisdiction where I don't work often for running the GEC (bare #6 copper)from the GE, through the neutral lug "bullseye", then through the grounding bushing on the 1 1/4" pipe, and then on into the panel with the service conductors, to the ground bar. His beef was that the bare copper was too close to live lugs. He required me to pull the GEC out of the neutral lug and run an insulated #6 jumper from the grounding bushing to the neutral lug "bullseye". Everywhere else that I work inspectors demand that the GEC be unbroken and continous per code. What do you think. Comments will be appreciated. I have been a long time reader and I enjoy everyone's comments. This is my first reply. I am going to try to participate often.
We must have some lax inspectors here or you have some stringent ones. All that is required from us is to drive one ground rod and # 6 bare (exposed) to the disconnect or panel (never the meter socket) is all that is needed on a 200 amp service.
Wirewrestler, I'm having trouble picturing your intallation.
running the GEC from the GE, through the neutral lug "bullseye", then through the grounding bushing
What type of enclosure is the neutral lug bullseye in?
In answer to your question, here in northern Illinois we call the small or auxillary lug on the side of the neutral lug in the meter socket the "bullseye". (It may be that other power companys don't require this lug on meter sockets, I don't know.) Most jurisdictions where I work require that the Grounding Electrode Conductor be bonded to the neutral conductor at that point and no other and, since it must be continous, that requires that the GEC be looped up through this lug. From that connection in the meter socket the neutral and ground never meet. What this inspector didn't like was that the GEC I used was bare and he thought that it too close to the ungrounded conductors. What puzzles me is that everywhere else I work inspectors demand that the GEC be routed as I described. I hope that this helps answer your question.
Duke power made it a requirement to drive ground rod below grade, also, no ifs,ands,buts
about it. a service man fell off of a ladder making the service hot ,the ladder fell and man had accident on the rod . think he lost one of his eyes and received stitches. Lost Time Accident. sounds like a good idea to go below grade .
WR, thats why i was confused. here on the left coast the utilities don't let me put anything in the meter can except the ugc's and gc. i land the gec in the enclosure with the main service disconnect on the gc bar, then run the gec unspliced either exposed on, or inside the wall, without conduit usually, to the ufer clamp or looped through the first g-rod clamp to the second g-rod clamp. i have been told that i can run 2 separate unspliced gec's, one to each of the 2 g-rods, instead of using one gec looped through to both, but don't know if that's true ?
In two services I just did the inspector made me remove the single gec that was looped through the first rod and then to the second, and put in two gecs (one to each rod).
What is the right way? Me and the inspector were both reading the same code and both thinking we were right in the way it was supposed to be done.
still learning, but this is what i understood, 250-64(c) says the gec shall be installed in one continuous length without a splice or joint.
250-52 and 250-58 calls it "bonding" between the two electode rods, it says ge's "that are effectively bonded together" are considered a single ge system, but i don't see anything that specifies the route between two rods. looks like it could go from rod to rod directly, or from rod to panel bus to rod indirectly like your inspector wanted. but it does seem to imply bonding from rod to rod, and it also states specifically, and other places implies, that it is a "single" gec, thats why i loop through one to the next. they ought to use pictures, it wouldn't take much, theres not that many ways it can be done.