EMT as Bonding Conductor

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karn

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i just finished watching the mike holt bonding and grounding dvd set, it was interesting to discover you are not required by code to pull a ground wire in conduits to bond metal boxes and devices,, just curious as to if anyone actually uses this practice, and if its something you are likely to get away with on inspections?
 
karn said:
i just finished watching the mike holt bonding and grounding dvd set, it was interesting to discover you are not required by code to pull a ground wire in conduits to bond metal boxes and devices,, just curious as to if anyone actually uses this practice, and if its something you are likely to get away with on inspections?
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Absolutely. I generally don't run a wire egc. For surface work with raised covers with dimpled corners I don't use a bonding jumper to the device either. I don't see people using redundant circuit breakers or putting things on gfci that don't require it :?:
 
Agreed. It was actually difficult for me to start doing so because I was union-trained and those commercial job specs all required the green wire EGC in all conduits and devices all directly grounded with green wire, too. I've actually pulled green wire into a conduit on a job where I had fully intended not to, just because I was so in the habit.
 
one of the many code differences..lol... not required by NEC but required for low voltage or any systems where I have metal boxes in Jamaica... Jamaica wants all metal boxes bonded to main ground point even if cover plate is non conductive and there is no ability to touch the box... yet they do not require gfci... or afci...
 
I also use the conduit as an EGC. Properly-assembles conduit of the size required for a given circuit size conducts better than the EGC that would be required for that circuit.
 
I do if outside (required in WA). Also may if I am reusing an existing pipe and the workmanship is questionable. Just did a job where I reused a bunch of 3/4 emt runs. Tightened locknuts and couplings where needed, added some straps where needed, didn't pull a green.
 
karn said:
i just finished watching the mike holt bonding and grounding dvd set, it was interesting to discover you are not required by code to pull a ground wire in conduits to bond metal boxes and devices,, just curious as to if anyone actually uses this practice, and if its something you are likely to get away with on inspections?
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Have you read 250.118? There is no reason not to use metallic conduit and tubing as an EGC, in fact metallic raceways are in most cases the better of the two options.

Roger
 
We don't pull in a wire type EGC when using EMT or RMC unless the building owner is paying for it. FMC is a different story.
 
Around here(S. Illinois/MO) most new commercial construction jobs spec. out pulling a green ground wire in conduit even though it’s not required. Personally, I prefer to pull one as well. You never know, down the road, if the ground path through the conduit will be compromised.


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In the seventies, it was never done, anywhere. Now, almost all specs call for the green wire. I just bid it with a ground wire and forget about the good old days of pipe and wire.
 
Gary11734 said:
In the seventies, it was never done, anywhere. Now, almost all specs call for the green wire. I just bid it with a ground wire and forget about the good old days of pipe and wire.
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In a typical modern office building or warehouse (IN MY AREA) almost everything is metallic, EMT, MC, studs, water pipe, sprinkler, ducts, the support structure with concrete floors that darn near everything is anchored to. It is almost impossible to not have a ground path. and while I know a ground in the proximity of the current carrying conductors that may fault is preferred hard to imagine an open ground or no ground path.
 
brian john said:
In a typical modern office building or warehouse (IN MY AREA) almost everything is metallic, EMT, MC, studs, water pipe, sprinkler, ducts, the support structure with concrete floors that darn near everything is anchored to. It is almost impossible to not have a ground path. and while I know a ground in the proximity of the current carrying conductors that may fault is preferred hard to imagine an open ground or no ground path.
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I do/did 98% public work. They started putting the ground wire in the schools with EMT or rigid pipe, then the hospitals, then the airport, then WWTP and now I just bid it with one if it has one or not. I had an engineer that used to show all conduit in rigid for bidding. I said, why do you do that? He said, if he screwed up anywhere in his design he would let the electrical contractor change to PVC and get a credit to cover other potential change orders. He would over engineer the design up front. I like that guy!
 
I just read a specification US Government for a replacement service.

The Enclosure shall be NEMA 3R, Stainless Steel, with hot-dipped galvanized and painted Gray. We have sent in an RFI.
 
brian john said:
I just read a specification US Government for a replacement service.

The Enclosure shall be NEMA 3R, Stainless Steel, with hot-dipped galvanized and painted Gray. We have sent in an RFI.
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That reminds me of the (insert ethnicity of your choice here) athlete who won an Olympic gold medal and was so proud that he had it bronzed.
 
In Oregon we are required to pull an equipment grounding conductor in EMT on rooftops. In Washington it is required in all wet locations. Theses are amendments to the NEC.
 
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