Hello,
First off thanks to all that post to this site. I have learned gobs of info from specific to just reading different codes issues when I had free time (probably should look into a life). First time post and a long one so my apologies.
We have a builder that has been a great customer for a long time that needed help on a problem with the home he built some 20 years ago. The home is on the side of a mountain in Colorado that is basically built on rock. Yesterday first AM I drove up there and after he fed me breakfast I started looking into IT. Seems he has been going thru water heating (two propane heaters) elements for the last five years, has used 3 different types of elements and has a water softener (very hard water) and RO system for drinking. His plumber told him that the problem might be electrolysis that was eating his elements, associate with grounding of water pipe. Well? 200amp 120/240v service with a meter and disco on a utility power pole about 250 feet from house. Feeder is 4-wire 250al and an equipment gnd of #2al and driven gnd rod, witch bonds to neutral entrance conductor at that location and floats from there to a 40space 200amp main lug (no main?) panel in his garage. No grounding electrode system at house witch used to be OK. The well that is supplying the house is poly pipe from crawl space, back to well head and as much as I would have liked to have driven a ground rod, it was more than I was prepared (solid rock everywhere) for. Carefully pulled off the equipment ground in panel while it was in series with digital amp meter with .02 current on that. All voltage readings were fine with as much load as I could find from house. I checked all connection and with the exception of a little loose, from time, saw nothing alarming. No evidence of any corrosion on copper water pipes in crawl space or anything else for that mater. Any help would be greatly appreciated. T. J.
First off thanks to all that post to this site. I have learned gobs of info from specific to just reading different codes issues when I had free time (probably should look into a life). First time post and a long one so my apologies.
We have a builder that has been a great customer for a long time that needed help on a problem with the home he built some 20 years ago. The home is on the side of a mountain in Colorado that is basically built on rock. Yesterday first AM I drove up there and after he fed me breakfast I started looking into IT. Seems he has been going thru water heating (two propane heaters) elements for the last five years, has used 3 different types of elements and has a water softener (very hard water) and RO system for drinking. His plumber told him that the problem might be electrolysis that was eating his elements, associate with grounding of water pipe. Well? 200amp 120/240v service with a meter and disco on a utility power pole about 250 feet from house. Feeder is 4-wire 250al and an equipment gnd of #2al and driven gnd rod, witch bonds to neutral entrance conductor at that location and floats from there to a 40space 200amp main lug (no main?) panel in his garage. No grounding electrode system at house witch used to be OK. The well that is supplying the house is poly pipe from crawl space, back to well head and as much as I would have liked to have driven a ground rod, it was more than I was prepared (solid rock everywhere) for. Carefully pulled off the equipment ground in panel while it was in series with digital amp meter with .02 current on that. All voltage readings were fine with as much load as I could find from house. I checked all connection and with the exception of a little loose, from time, saw nothing alarming. No evidence of any corrosion on copper water pipes in crawl space or anything else for that mater. Any help would be greatly appreciated. T. J.
