Inspector Grounding demand

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kid_stevens

Senior Member
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Been working on an accessory building (residential 540 sq ft). It has a 100 amp sub panel and the inspector says that two ground rods 8 feet long 6 + feet apart are not legal and that I have to use a 20ft UFER or modified ground ring. All of these types of grounding are in the same place in the book but no where I can I find why I must use the UFER or Ring over the rods.

Any help would be appreciated, please.
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
Sounds like a local issue. Ask him for code # he is using
What he might be after is if this was concrete floor and had rebar that you should have used it as it was available.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
250.50 requires that you use all electrodes listed in 250.52(A)(1) thru (A)(7) IF they are present. If a CEE is present at the building and a means was not provided to connect to it, most inspection agencies have adopted requirements to address that omission. Requirements for additional ground rods, modified ground rings and other requirements are common when the CEE was not made available.
Our State (TN) has adopted a procedure to use when the CEE was inadvertently not connected.
 

kid_stevens

Senior Member
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Found it state wide if they do not tie to the rebar in the foundation when built then 20ft of # 2 bare must be bonded to the panel plus any other types I might have installed
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
No you wouldn't.

Change "floor" to "footing" or "foundation" then you have a different story.

Also delete "if available". If it is "present" you have to use it.

My thinking in saying floor is assuming it is concrete that it also has footing , here we often have this http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/envir...ome_invasion/Monolithic+Slab+Construction.htm

If we are handed the job after it is poured then it is not available without chiping it free and that causes others issues. Sounds like OP has this problem.
 

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
My thinking in saying floor is assuming it is concrete that it also has footing , here we often have this http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/envir...ome_invasion/Monolithic+Slab+Construction.htm

If we are handed the job after it is poured then it is not available without chiping it free and that causes others issues. Sounds like OP has this problem.

Whatever constuction methods you use aside, a floor is not a footing or foundation. That should be made clear for those reading this.

The NEC does not care if it is available or not, if it is present you have to use it.
 

kid_stevens

Senior Member
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Here most floors are the foundation SLAB or the many dirt floors (packed adobe mud or caliche mud). I told the General that I should have been called before the slab was poured. Then I would have had the rebar wired together and the service would have risen through slab instead of on the outside. I also would not have been caught off guard as I come from the commercial side where rebar grounding is common.
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
Here most floors are the foundation SLAB or the many dirt floors (packed adobe mud or caliche mud). I told the General that I should have been called before the slab was poured. Then I would have had the rebar wired together and the service would have risen through slab instead of on the outside. I also would not have been caught off guard as I come from the commercial side where rebar grounding is common.

And as a GC he should know that. I would bill him for the extra cost.
 
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