Best way to Ground/bond the Electrodes

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

pkelectrical

Member
Location
NJ
Here is a drawing of the house from the bird's eye view. There is a crawl space and the electric panel is located on first floor, everything else is in the crawl space.

2014-12-03 14.15.54.jpg

The orange is ground, I didnt have green marker.

My question is, where the concrete-encased GEC should go? to the panel or to the water pipe. The water pipe comes out of the ground by the panel and goes all the way to the other side (back of the house) to the water meter. Installing the GEC from the foundation to the panel would require cutting sheetrock, so I rather not do it.
250.68C1 lets me connect the CE GEC to the water pipe, the only problem I have with this that as you see on the picture the water ground is ran across the house to the water meter so thats 30 feet of length.

My other question is: Instead of the existing water meter ground going all the way to the meter and back to the panel, over 30 feet length, is it better to just install a jumper between the water meter and then install a GEC from where the water pipe comes from the ground to the panel as per 250.68C1 and 250.64C4.
 
Last edited:
The concrete encased electrode should go to the service equipment. Either the main panel or the meter if power company allows. The water pipe needs to be bonding or connected to the grounding electrode system.
 
If the water pipe has 10' or more of metallic pipe in contact with the earth then your grounding electrode conductor must connect within 5 feet of where the pipe enters the building. Where is the concrete encased electrode in relation to the water main?
 
Dennis Alwon said:
If the water pipe has 10' or more of metallic pipe in contact with the earth then your grounding electrode conductor must connect within 5 feet of where the pipe enters the building. Where is the concrete encased electrode in relation to the water main?
Click to expand...

It is right next to it. The ground for water pipe goes from the panel to the water meter
 
pkelectrical said:
It is right next to it. The ground for water pipe goes from the panel to the water meter
Click to expand...


IMO, the concrete encased electrode needs to go to the panel not the water pipe. Now, you could take the concrete encased electrode and leave it as a continuous run from the concrete encased electrode thru a clamp on the water pipe back to the panel and leave it continuous.
 
Provided the water pipe is a grounding electrode you could attach the ufer ground to it.

NEC 2014
250.66 (C) Grounding Electrode Connections. Grounding electrode conductors and bonding jumpers shall be permitted to be connected at the following locations and used to extend the connection to an electrode(s):
(1) Interior metal water piping located not more than 1.52 m (5 ft) from the point of entrance to the building shall be
permitted to be used as a conductor to interconnect electrodes that are part of the grounding electrode system.

Exception: In industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings or structures, if conditions of maintenance and supervision ensure that only qualified persons service the installation, interior metal water piping located more than 1.52 m (5 ft) from the point of entrance to the building shall be permitted as a bonding conductor to interconnect electrodes that are part of the grounding electrode system, or as a grounding electrode conductor, if the entire length, other than short sections passing perpendicularly through walls, floors, or ceilings, of the interior metal water pipe that is being used for the conductor is exposed.
 
Let me start with apologizing for my typo. It is 250.68 Grounding Electrode Conductor and Bonding Jumper Connection to Grounding Electrodes not 250.66 and this is the same section that allows you to use building steel to interconnect grounding electrodes. This is not considered a joint or splice as listed in 250.64 but a method of connecting electrodes together.
 
Last edited:
RICK NAPIER said:
Let me start with apologizing for my typo. It is 250.68 Grounding Electrode Conductor and Bonding Jumper Connection to Grounding Electrodes not 250.66 and this is the same section that allows you to use building steel to interconnect grounding electrodes. This is not considered a joint or splice as listed in 250.64 but a method of connecting electrodes together.
Click to expand...

Yep. I still hope some one would answer my 2nd question.
My other question is: Instead of the existing water meter ground going all the way to the meter and back to the panel, over 30 feet length, is it better to just install a jumper between the water meter and then install a GEC from where the water pipe comes from the ground to the panel as per 250.68C1 and 250.64C4
 
pkelectrical said:
Yep. I still hope some one would answer my 2nd question.
My other question is: Instead of the existing water meter ground going all the way to the meter and back to the panel, over 30 feet length, is it better to just install a jumper between the water meter and then install a GEC from where the water pipe comes from the ground to the panel as per 250.68C1 and 250.64C4
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top