Additional grounding to water main, is this auxiliary electrode?

[cppoly]

If there's several locations that refer to installing a grounding conductor to the street side of a water main, is this considered an auxiliary grounding electrode?

For instance I see this connection for IT room grounding buss bars that call for a direct location to the water main.

 

[david]

Metallic water pipe w/ 10 ft. contact in soil is a required grounding electrode. However can no longer be the sole grounding electrode for a buildings electrical system, it must be supplemented by an additional grounding electrode

 

[jaggedben]

If there's several locations that refer to installing a grounding conductor to the street side of a water main, is this considered an auxiliary grounding electrode?

For instance I see this connection for IT room grounding buss bars that call for a direct location to the water main.

It is not an auxiliary electrode if it's something like the water main that already exists and is required to be used as an electrode for the premises power supply.

Systems that aren't the premises power supply (e.g. IT equipment) shouldn't be calling for connection to a specific electrode like the water main. They should simply call for connection to the 'premises grounding electrode system'. You should interpret the water main requirement as meaning the same.

Last but hardly least, there should be something called an 'intersystem bonding termination' for the premises, for all these other systems that are not the main power supply but that call for connection to ground. See 250.94 for requirements. Many residences don't have this installed but in a facility that has an IT room you would hope that those who installed and inspected the service did it right. Terminals should be provided for all these systems that require connection to ground, and that's where all these systems that call for grounding connections should be connected.

 

[infinity]

If there's several locations that refer to installing a grounding conductor to the street side of a water main, is this considered an auxiliary grounding electrode?

For instance I see this connection for IT room grounding buss bars that call for a direct location to the water main.

I agree with Jag it's not an auxiliary electrode and as far as I know the connection to the water pipe for an IT room equipment ground isn't in the NEC.

 

[cppoly]

Is this type of grounding connection to a water main OK or does the NEC not allow it and is there an actual term for this (i.e., auxiliary electrode - even though this is not what it is)?

I don't think this would fall under intersystem bonding since this a tenant fitout in a huge multitenant building where the service to the building could be over 700 feet away.