Article 250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes

[jxofaltrds]

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more
grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be connected to
the equipment and shall not be required to comply with the electrode
bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the resistance
requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the
earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current
path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4). grounding conductors specified in 250.118

It appears that ?bonding? is not required other than by an EGC.

That said I believe that it is still a part of:
III. Grounding Electrode System and Grounding
Electrode Conductor

It has to be one of the electrodes permitted.
And does have to comply with:
250.52 Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Electrodes Permitted for Grounding.
Example if you use a ground rod.
(5) Rod and Pipe Electrodes. Rod and pipe electrodes shall
not be less than 2.44 m (8 ft) in length and shall consist of the
following materials.

250.53 Grounding Electrode System Installation.
Informational Note: See 547.9 and 547.10 for special
grounding and bonding requirements for agricultural
buildings.
(A) Rod, Pipe, and Plate Electrodes. Rod, pipe, and plate
electrodes shall meet the requirements of 250.53(A)(1)
through (A)(3).
(A)(2) exempt

(B) Electrode Spacing. Where more than one of the electrodes
of the type specified in 250.52(A)(5) or (A)(7) are
used, each electrode of one grounding system (including
that used for strike termination devices) shall not be less
than 1.83 m (6 ft) from any other electrode of another
grounding system. Two or more grounding electrodes that
are bonded together shall be considered a single grounding
electrode system.

250.66 Size of Alternating-Current Grounding Electrode
Conductor.
(A) Connections to Rod, Pipe, or Plate Electrodes.
Where the grounding electrode conductor is connected to
rod, pipe, or plate electrodes as permitted in 250.52(A)(5)
or (A)(7), that portion of the conductor that is the sole connection
to the grounding electrode shall not be required to be
larger than 6 AWG copper wire or 4 AWG aluminum wire.

250.68 Grounding Electrode Conductor and Bonding
Jumper Connection to Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Accessibility. All mechanical elements used to terminate
a grounding electrode conductor or bonding jumper to
a grounding electrode shall be accessible.

 

[iwire]

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more
grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be connected to
the equipment and shall not be required to comply with the electrode
bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the resistance
requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the
earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current
path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4). grounding conductors specified in 250.118

It appears that ?bonding? is not required other than by an EGC.

That said I believe that it is still a part of:
III. Grounding Electrode System and Grounding
Electrode Conductor

It has to be one of the electrodes permitted.
And does have to comply with:
250.52 Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Electrodes Permitted for Grounding.
Example if you use a ground rod.
(5) Rod and Pipe Electrodes. Rod and pipe electrodes shall
not be less than 2.44 m (8 ft) in length and shall consist of the
following materials.

250.53 Grounding Electrode System Installation.
Informational Note: See 547.9 and 547.10 for special
grounding and bonding requirements for agricultural
buildings.
(A) Rod, Pipe, and Plate Electrodes. Rod, pipe, and plate
electrodes shall meet the requirements of 250.53(A)(1)
through (A)(3).
(A)(2) exempt

(B) Electrode Spacing. Where more than one of the electrodes
of the type specified in 250.52(A)(5) or (A)(7) are
used, each electrode of one grounding system (including
that used for strike termination devices) shall not be less
than 1.83 m (6 ft) from any other electrode of another
grounding system. Two or more grounding electrodes that
are bonded together shall be considered a single grounding
electrode system.

250.66 Size of Alternating-Current Grounding Electrode
Conductor.
(A) Connections to Rod, Pipe, or Plate Electrodes.
Where the grounding electrode conductor is connected to
rod, pipe, or plate electrodes as permitted in 250.52(A)(5)
or (A)(7), that portion of the conductor that is the sole connection
to the grounding electrode shall not be required to be
larger than 6 AWG copper wire or 4 AWG aluminum wire.

250.68 Grounding Electrode Conductor and Bonding
Jumper Connection to Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Accessibility. All mechanical elements used to terminate
a grounding electrode conductor or bonding jumper to
a grounding electrode shall be accessible.

To each their own, in my opinion none of that applies to auxiliary electrodes.

 

[ActionDave]

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more
grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be connected to
the equipment and shall not be required to comply with the electrode
bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the resistance
requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the
earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current
path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4). grounding conductors specified in 250.118

It appears that ?bonding? is not required other than by an EGC.

That said I believe that it is still a part of:
III. Grounding Electrode System and Grounding
Electrode Conductor

It has to be one of the electrodes permitted.
And does have to comply with:
250.52 Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Electrodes Permitted for Grounding.
Example if you use a ground rod.
(5) Rod and Pipe Electrodes. Rod and pipe electrodes shall
not be less than 2.44 m (8 ft) in length and shall consist of the
following materials.

250.53 Grounding Electrode System Installation.
Informational Note: See 547.9 and 547.10 for special
grounding and bonding requirements for agricultural
buildings.
(A) Rod, Pipe, and Plate Electrodes. Rod, pipe, and plate
electrodes shall meet the requirements of 250.53(A)(1)
through (A)(3).
(A)(2) exempt

(B) Electrode Spacing. Where more than one of the electrodes
of the type specified in 250.52(A)(5) or (A)(7) are
used, each electrode of one grounding system (including
that used for strike termination devices) shall not be less
than 1.83 m (6 ft) from any other electrode of another
grounding system. Two or more grounding electrodes that
are bonded together shall be considered a single grounding
electrode system.

250.66 Size of Alternating-Current Grounding Electrode
Conductor.
(A) Connections to Rod, Pipe, or Plate Electrodes.
Where the grounding electrode conductor is connected to
rod, pipe, or plate electrodes as permitted in 250.52(A)(5)
or (A)(7), that portion of the conductor that is the sole connection
to the grounding electrode shall not be required to be
larger than 6 AWG copper wire or 4 AWG aluminum wire.

250.68 Grounding Electrode Conductor and Bonding
Jumper Connection to Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Accessibility. All mechanical elements used to terminate
a grounding electrode conductor or bonding jumper to
a grounding electrode shall be accessible.

There is a whole lot of words in between but it looks like you are using 250.54 to say that you need to comply with 250.53. That's cool. Auxiliary grounding electrodes are one of the stupidest things ever. Fight them on every front till they are gone.

 

[jxofaltrds]

To each their own, in my opinion none of that applies to auxiliary electrodes.

Not even?

250.52 Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Electrodes Permitted for Grounding.

------------------------------------------------

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more
grounding electrodes

Grounding Electrode. A conducting object through which
a direct connection to earth is established.

------------------------------------------------

110.2 Approval. The conductors and equipment required or
permitted by this Code shall be acceptable only if approved.

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more
grounding electrodes shall be permitted

 

[infinity]

Mike Holt addressed this in a recent newsletter, here are some of his opinions:

Auxiliary electrodes are permitted, but they have no requirements since they serve no useful purpose related to electrical safety addressed by the NEC.

If an auxiliary electrode is installed, it?s not required to be bonded to the building grounding electrode system, required to have the grounding conductor sized to 250.66, or comply with the 25-ohm requirement of 250.53(A)(2) Ex

CAUTION: An auxiliary electrode typically serves no useful purpose, and in some cases it may actually cause equipment failures by providing a path for lightning to travel through electronic equipment.

DANGER: Because the contact resistance of an electrode to the earth is so great, very little fault current returns to the power supply if the earth is the only fault current return path. Result?the circuit overcurrent device won?t open and clear the ground fault, and all metal parts associated with the electrical installation, metal piping, and structural building steel will become and remain energized.

Article:

http://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters.php?action=display&letterID=1472

 

[ActionDave]

....250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes. One or more
grounding electrodes shall be permitted

Interesting... you highlighted the word "permitted" in red and left out the words "shall be" and never even got close to the "shall not" part......

Let's try it this way-

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes
One or more grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be
connected to the equipment grounding conductors specified
in 250.118 and
shall not be required to comply with the elec-
trode bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the
resistance requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the
earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current
path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4).

 

[jxofaltrds]

Mike Holt addressed this in a recent newsletter, here are some of his opinions:









Article:

http://www.mikeholt.com/newsletters.php?action=display&letterID=1472

Interesting... you highlighted the word "permitted" in red and left out the words "shall be" and never even got close to the "shall not" part......

Let's try it this way-

250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes
One or more grounding electrodes shall be permitted to be
connected to the equipment grounding conductors specified
in 250.118 and
shall not be required to comply with the elec-
trode bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the
resistance requirements of 250.53(A)(2) Exception, but the
earth shall not be used as an effective ground-fault current
path as specified in 250.4(A)(5) and 250.4(B)(4).

And these comments exempt other requirements how?

Again only exempt from the following two:

"shall not be required to comply with the electrode
bonding requirements of 250.50 or 250.53(C) or the resistance
requirements of 250.53(A)(2)"


I agree that they give you nothing but a warm fuzzy feeling.