ground rod location ?

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stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
belcastroelectric said:
i did screw that up . im trying to see if i have to move the ground rods or just run the gec to the meter/breaker


IMO, the ground rods are fine, but you just cannot land the GEC in the sub-panel, so it really makes no sense to put them in the basement, unless of course you already put them in... ;) :grin:
 

SiddMartin

Senior Member
Location
PA
ultramegabob said:
I cant give you a code reference, but I think they are "supposed" to be located beyond the overhang of the building so they are in soil that will be more likely to become damp.

never heard that, but will keep that in mind. I had an inspector tell me once that if you increase the 2nd grod to 10-15' away from the first it gives you 40% better ground. Don't know an EC willin to pay for the cu if its not nec req. though
 

rustyryan34

Member
Is that true? I thought the resistence of the ground was at its most at 6 feet? So that having your rods 6 feet apart would give it a 3 foot circle of open ground around it, do you keep you ground rods tight to the building or do you put them out 3 foot?
 

crossman

Senior Member
Location
Southeast Texas
On the "below permanent moisture level" issue. A ground rod driven through the basement floor is going to be literally further below the moisture level than a rod driven out in the yard, regardless of how dry the dirt is under the basement slab.

Notice it says "below the moisture level", not "in the moisture level".
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
crossman said:
On the "below permanent moisture level" issue. A ground rod driven through the basement floor is going to be literally further below the moisture level than a rod driven out in the yard, regardless of how dry the dirt is under the basement slab.

Notice it says "below the moisture level", not "in the moisture level".


I agree. I dug a hole in my basement for a sewer ejector pit and it filled up with water in about 15 hours. A hole a ground level might never fill up without a rain storm.
 

steelersman

Senior Member
Location
Lake Ridge, VA
maybe because for most homes anyway the main disconnect is inside the main panel (main breaker). I've personally never driven them inside the basement but that's not such a bad idea in my opinion. They would be out of the weather.
 

steelersman

Senior Member
Location
Lake Ridge, VA
every house I've been a part of wiring has the gec landed right in the loadcenter since that is where the main disconnect is. The only time I have ever seen a main disconnect switch on the outside seperate from the load center is if the SEC is not located within 5 feet inside the home from the meter and I've never seen that on any new homes.
 

quogueelectric

Senior Member
Location
new york
I wouldnt want to be your insurance co when you drill the hole to drive the ground rod and the basement fills up with 3ft of groundwater. By me the groundwater is so high that if you drain an inground pool they often pop out of the ground like a boat.
 

electricalperson

Senior Member
Location
massachusetts
quogueelectric said:
I wouldnt want to be your insurance co when you drill the hole to drive the ground rod and the basement fills up with 3ft of groundwater. By me the groundwater is so high that if you drain an inground pool they often pop out of the ground like a boat.
drilling through basement floors doesnt seem like a good idea to me either. i install all my ground rods outside. couple services we didnt even need ground rods due to the copper waterline coming in.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
quogueelectric said:
I wouldnt want to be your insurance co when you drill the hole to drive the ground rod and the basement fills up with 3ft of groundwater.

If the water level is 3' above the basement floor it will already be letting water in, a new hole is not going to change things. The slab floor is not water tight to the walls.


By me the groundwater is so high that if you drain an in ground pool they often pop out of the ground like a boat.

I agree and by the same method if the water level was above the basement slab and the slab was water tight to the foundation then the slab would likely lift in the middle and crack, water pressure is relentless.
 

stickboy1375

Senior Member
Location
Litchfield, CT
quogueelectric said:
I wouldnt want to be your insurance co when you drill the hole to drive the ground rod and the basement fills up with 3ft of groundwater. By me the groundwater is so high that if you drain an inground pool they often pop out of the ground like a boat.


Ever hear of Hydrostatic Pressure? A drilled hole is nothing.
 

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
stickboy1375 said:
Ever hear of Hydrostatic Pressure? A drilled hole is nothing.


Yes it cracked the floor in my last house and during bouts of heavy rain water would shoot up 3" like a fountain from points in the crack.
 

brian john

Senior Member
Location
Leesburg, VA
THe city cam by and installed sidewalks, turning my yard into a swimming pool. I did loads of work to overcome this, including tons of dirt, grading, downspouts to the street (core drilled the curb), sump pumps. BUT when it rained hard the sewer would add to the situation and back up.
 

steelersman

Senior Member
Location
Lake Ridge, VA
electricalperson said:
drilling through basement floors doesnt seem like a good idea to me either. i install all my ground rods outside. couple services we didnt even need ground rods due to the copper waterline coming in.
what did you use for your secondary ground then?
 
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