Extending #4 ground wire?

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tbakelis

Senior Member
I'm relocating a 200 Amp service because of the back of a house getting bumped out. I've always been under the assumption that the ground wire has to be unslpliced from the main to the ground rod by the water main.

My question is... Is there any exception where you are allowed to splice the ground wire in order to extend it?

Thanks
 

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
I'm relocating a 200 Amp service because of the back of a house getting bumped out. I've always been under the assumption that the ground wire has to be unslpliced from the main to the ground rod by the water main.

My question is... Is there any exception where you are allowed to splice the ground wire in order to extend it?

Thanks

(C) Continuous. Except as provided in 250.30(A)(5) and
(A)(6), 250.30(B)(1), and 250.68(C), grounding electrode
conductor(s) shall be installed in one continuous length
without a splice or joint. If necessary, splices or connections
shall be made as permitted in (1) through (4):
(1) Splicing of the wire-type grounding electrode conductor
shall be permitted only by irreversible compressiontype
connectors listed as grounding and bonding equipment
or by the exothermic welding process.
(2) Sections of busbars shall be permitted to be connected
together to form a grounding electrode conductor.
(3) Bolted, riveted, or welded connections of structural
metal frames of buildings or structures.
(4) Threaded, welded, brazed, soldered or bolted-flange
connections of metal water piping.


(3) Connections to an aluminum or copper busbar not less
than 6 mm ? 50 mm (1⁄4 in. ? 2 in.). The busbar shall be
securely fastened and shall be installed in an accessible
location. Connections shall be made by a listed connector
or by the exothermic welding process. If aluminum
busbars are used, the installation shall comply with
250.64(A).
 

Fulthrotl

~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
I'm relocating a 200 Amp service because of the back of a house getting bumped out. I've always been under the assumption that the ground wire has to be unslpliced from the main to the ground rod by the water main.

My question is... Is there any exception where you are allowed to splice the ground wire in order to extend it?

Thanks

cadweld, dude.

they make 1-shots if you don't have molds, and don't want to buy them.
i know they have them for #6... dunno about other sizes.

while i'm not pimping these guys, they have a larger inventory of cadweld
than the manufacturer. i've never needed something that they didn't have
on the shelf

http://www.maydaygrounding.com

hypress butt splices are also acceptable, but not every inspector will be
good with them... i have also discovered of late that they are checking
to see if you used the right die by the witness mark left on the hypress.
chalk it up to all the $30 harbor freight crimpers.
 
Last edited:

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
Yes you can extend it if your splice is as per Mikes code section in post #3. Sometimes it might be easier to run a new GEC or bonding jumper then to get involved with irreversible splicing or cadwelding.
 
Last edited:

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Install a new GEC to the CEE in the addition and install a bonding jumper to what is existing, maybe?

Only one electrode needs a GEC run to it, the other electrodes present only need bonding jumpers to connect them. Bonding jumpers do not have to have irreversible connections
 

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
Install a new GEC to the CEE in the addition and install a bonding jumper to what is existing, maybe?

Only one electrode needs a GEC run to it, the other electrodes present only need bonding jumpers to connect them. Bonding jumpers do not have to have irreversible connections

You could have multiple GECs so be careful not to think that only one needs to be continuous.

Grounding Electrode Conductor. A conductor used to
connect the system grounded conductor or the equipment to
a grounding electrode or to a point on the grounding electrode
system.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
You could have multiple GECs so be careful not to think that only one needs to be continuous.

Grounding Electrode Conductor. A conductor used to
connect the system grounded conductor or the equipment to
a grounding electrode or to a point on the grounding electrode
system.

Unless things have changed, I'm pretty sure you can have multiple grounding electrodes but only are required one grounding electrode conductor, connections to electrodes not connected to the GEC are bonding jumpers. They still need sized to 250.66.

Now you can not hit a ground rod with a #6 and then continue on to a water pipe with a larger conductor, but you can hit a water pipe with a #2 and continue on to a ground rod with a #6.
 

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
Unless things have changed, I'm pretty sure you can have multiple grounding electrodes but only are required one grounding electrode conductor, connections to electrodes not connected to the GEC are bonding jumpers. They still need sized to 250.66.

Now you can not hit a ground rod with a #6 and then continue on to a water pipe with a larger conductor, but you can hit a water pipe with a #2 and continue on to a ground rod with a #6.

Yes. All I said was that you could have more than one. Just didn't want anyone to think that only one ever exists.
 
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