EGC
- Thread starter pedro1200
- Start date
Master Nater
Member
- Location
- Midwest
- Occupation
- Electrical Magician
because we "bond" and "ground." we do them at the same time, and they are both important, for separate reasons.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
An Equipment Grounding Conductor is for clearing a fault. A bonding conductor could be for anything.
Master Nater
Member
- Location
- Midwest
- Occupation
- Electrical Magician
Grounding Conductor, Equipment (EGC). - A conductor path(s) that is part of an effective ground-fault current path and connects normally non-current carrying metal part of equipment together and to the system grounded conductor, or to the grounding electrode conductor, or both.
it's more than just a wire bonding conductor. it's the entire equipotential bonded system, including conduits and other metal framework.
it's more than just a wire bonding conductor. it's the entire equipotential bonded system, including conduits and other metal framework.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Equipment bonding conductor is really the correct term....I proposed that a number of cycles ago, and a majority of Code Making Panel 5 approved that change, however it takes a 2/3s majority to change the code and the vote was one vote short of being 2/3s. The Canadian Code does use the term equipment bonding conductor and not equipment grounding conductor.
The word grounding in the existing term is the reason many think you can just connect it to earth and it will be safe.
The word grounding in the existing term is the reason many think you can just connect it to earth and it will be safe.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
The reason so many think ground = safe is all emphasis put on "grounding" things. You can't splice a grounding electrode conductor. Specs still call out for ground rods for street lights. Highly paid engineers want you to drive ground rods in the shape of a triangle. The NEC tells us you have to try and drive a ground rod straight down and see if something stops it before you can drive it at an angle. I see ground rods installed at the stupidest places like a 500V DC EV fast charger.
You want people to stop thinking grounding is so safe more holy than baptizing babies get rid of all the foolish requirements associated with it.
Strathead
Senior Member
- Location
- Ocala, Florida, USA
- Occupation
- Electrician/Estimator/Project Manager/Superintendent
Yeah, but the ground or earth is probably the least consequential component in the entire system. "Ground-fault" itself is a term that is rarely the case. It is usually a grounded conductor fault and ultimately, even when the fault is to the earth its final destination is the grounded conductor.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician (retired)
As Don said EBG is a more correct term but there has probably been 100's of Public Inputs and old Proposals to change it which have all been rejected. This seems to be one time where the CMP's don't want to reinvent the wheel when they actually should.
- Location
- Tennessee NEC:2017
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrician
FCC
Fault Clearing Conductor
Fault Clearing Conductor
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
In ground pools require bonding conductors that are not required to be EGC. Cell sites have gobs and gobs of bonding conductors on every piece of metal equipment on the site. FAA requires an extra bonding conductors on the outside of every run of flexible conduit. While all of them may wind up as part of a fault clearing path none of them are part of the NEC requirements for Equipment Grounding Conductors.
Thats pretty good I like that one.
I think the IEC term changed from Protective Earth to Protective Conductor but is still abbreviated PE
IEC 60050 - International Electrotechnical Vocabulary:
Definition: Protective Conductor: conductor provided for purposes of electrical safety ...
IEV 195-02-09
Greentagger
Senior Member
- Location
- Texas
- Occupation
- Master Electrician, Electrical Inspector
GECs may be spliced in certain conditions and by specific means.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
- Occupation
- Electrician
It is puzzling why the NFPA (CMP's, whatever) are so steadfast in their reluctance to correct the grossly incorrect grounding stuff in the code. Changing EGC to EBC might help with grounding myths but there is s while bunch of other stuff that needs to change too.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
The least important conductor in the whole electrical system has the most restrictive rules about splices.
Master Nater
Member
- Location
- Midwest
- Occupation
- Electrical Magician
you mean the least-appreciated conductor. feel free to disocnnect your house from the earth, and you'll quickly learn it's importance.
be sure to go out and disconnect the ground rod connection from your transformer as well.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
Change one term in the code and all the myths, misunderstandings, and electrical injuries go away. It's easy. You can't see that? I mean it makes so much sense.
Don't feel bad. I don't get it either.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
No. I mean the least important. There are houses lacking earth connections everywhere and no one is aware of it. Life is not impacted in any way.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
what do you think will happen? Connection to earth is not really important for the safety of the electrical system.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
There was intense discussion on replacing EGC with EBC, but once that discussion was finished, they did not want to revisit it again...in fact one of the negative voters on my proposal came back the next cycle and said he changed his mind, but the rest of the panel said that ship had already sailed. If he would have voted for my proposal, that would have given panel 5 the 2/3s majority needed to make the change.
Most changes happen because of submissions to make a change by the public...very few originate from the code making panel members. The system is open to submit Public Inputs for changes that will appear in the 2029 code until April 9th. So if you see things that need changing, you need to submit a PI.