Building steel used as a conductor

[Smart $]

... Do you trust that the building steel will stay continuous?

It depends, in many existing buildings or buildings under construction you can clearly see the steel is continuous.

OTH there are buildings being remodeled that you may not be able to tell and in that case I would run a wire conductor.

I think he's questioning whether the structural framework will maintain its integrity after installation or stay intact through remodeling after having used it as an electrode. Say for example, one framing member meets the in-contact-with-earth requirement and it is on the other end of the building from where the system is bonded to structural steel.

 

[iwire]

I think he's questioning whether the structural framework will maintain its integrity after installation or stay intact through remodeling after having used it as an electrode. Say for example, one framing member meets the in-contact-with-earth requirement and it is on the other end of the building from where the system is bonded to structural steel.

My answer remains the same.

 

[IamJonscranium]

It depends, in many existing buildings or buildings under construction you can clearly see the steel is continuous.

OTH there are buildings being remodeled that you may not be able to tell and in that case I would run a wire conductor.

So what if you use the building steel as the electrode, then 10 years later they remodel...

Assuming you are on the project, do you run a new ground ring at that point? We don't use the building steel for the electrode because of this possibility, even though it may save money at first. I was curious as to what others do.

And yes, we connect the building steel to the GES.

 

[RICK NAPIER]

Any remoldeling job can mess with your electrode system, metal pipe replaced with plastic, outside trenching that cuts or digs up electrodes, removed walls, cut slabs. You can only deal with what you now have unless something looks particularly vulnerable.

 

[infinity]

So what if you use the building steel as the electrode, then 10 years later they remodel...

Assuming you are on the project, do you run a new ground ring at that point? We don't use the building steel for the electrode because of this possibility, even though it may save money at first. I was curious as to what others do.

And yes, we connect the building steel to the GES.

If the steel is an electrode when you're doing the construction then why not use it? As Rick mentioned anything can happen in the future.

 

[walton]

Back to the ground rod that was moved from the neutral bus to the ground bus. Why couldn't you call the rod Supplemental per 250.54 and it would not be required to comply with 250.50?