Isaiah
Senior Member
- Location
- Baton Rouge
- Occupation
- Electrical Inspector
Can anyone out there give me an accurate description of what defines a "structure served"?
Sure: "That which is built or constructed, other than equipment." (Article 100 definition.) It would include buildings, garages, carports, sheds, permanently installed canopies, yurts, cell phone towers, light poles, and one particular bus I know of that has had its wheels removed, sits on a street corner, has had cooking equipment brought in, and serves the best halibut and chips I have ever had. Not all of these things will have electricity at all, and not all that do have electricity will require a grounding electrode system.
I listed light poles as fitting in the definition of "structure." But a light pole does not need a ground rod, so long as it has a properly installed EGC. That is what I meant by the sentence you quoted.
Either. It doesn't matter. Look at the exception to 250.32(A).I was not aware of that. Are you talking about wooden light poles or steel?
Either. It doesn't matter. Look at the exception to 250.32(A).
Keep in mind, however, that any number of engineers (sadly, as I must admit), inspectors, and tenants tend to expect there to be a ground rod at all light poles. Many standard design drawings show the ground rod. Several years ago, an "owner's representative," who was an EE, told me to add a ground rod to my design drawings. I pointed out that it was not required and that it can have no impact whatsoever on safety. His reply: "Yea, I know. But I want it anyway." I think there is a general fear that if a person receives a shock from touching a light pole that did not have a ground rod, the blame will come back to the engineer or the electrical contractor for failure to add the ground rod. The fact, and I do mean FACT, that had a ground rod been present the person would still have received the shock, does not seem to be able to break through their preconceived (and inaccurate) notions of how electricity works.