ground electrode

[petersonra]

2 questions

1] Place yourself in county that does not have a building department and no inspections are done by the state. . Do you believe that 250.56 void ?

2] 250.56 does not state who should test but the supplemental/information 80.13(15) does state who is responsible for documentation. . Does 80.13(15) mean anything to you ?

If the NEC has been adopted, all of it that has been adopted is in effect. it still does not mean that you have to test to prove you are in compliance.

I don't beleive anything in article 80 is enforcable.

 

[petersonra]

IBC 109.5 states in part that "...It shall be the duty of the permit holder to provide access to and means for inspections of such work that are required by this code."

IBC 2701.1 (as amended by the state of Utah) requires that "Electrical components, equipment and systems shall be designed and constructed in accordance with the provisions of the National Electrical Code". The unamended IBC references the ICC Electrical Code, which in turn, I understand, references the National Electrical Code.

Taking these two sections together, in order to comply with the IBC, the permit holder needs to provide means to a) determine that a single ground rod has a resistance of 25 ohms or less, or b) verify that a second rod has been driven.

if the inspector wants to come out and do the test, he is welcome to do so. There is both access and means available to him. This does not require the installer to do the actual test.

 

[roger]

I don't beleive anything in article 80 is enforcable.

I agree unless an area has specifically adopted it and I don't know of any area that has.

Roger

 

[petersonra]

The code has nothing to do with how inspections are handled.

Nowhere in the NEC will you find anything saying 'Let the inspector look at the job before the walls get closed'. But rest assured I would be on the hook for allowing work to proceed without inspections.




I simply do not agree with that, if that was true I could do a code compliant job and tell the sheetrocker to go ahead and rock as the inspector will have to prove I have a violation buried under the Sheetrock.

It just does not work that way.

Not the same thing. The ground rod is readily available for him to inspect to his heart's content. Something behind a closed up wall isn't.

 

[iwire]

Not the same thing. The ground rod is readily available for him to inspect to his heart's content. Something behind a closed up wall isn't.

The point remains, the NEC has nothing to do with the inspection process.

The inspection process is what the local area decides it is.

 

[dnem]

When you say "policy" is that an adopted exception to the NEC rule or just a break-room agreement amongst inspectors?

From what I'm told, we used to ask for the test but none ever came back over 25ohms so we stopped asking for it. . That happened before I got here. . The clay around here tends to be wet and soft. . We get alot of footer rebar and footer grounding, so a lone ground rod has become rare.

 

[dnem]

is anything in article 80 enforcable?

If your state [or local municipality] adopts the NEC without stipulations, then 90.3 would apply: "Annexes are not part of the requirements of this Code but are included for informational purposes only." . Just like the Handbook, it's there to help understand ambiguous wording or concepts.

So Article 80 is enforceable only if directly adopted.

 

[dnem]

if the inspector wants to come out and do the test, he is welcome to do so. There is both access and means available to him. This does not require the installer to do the actual test.

You didn't answer the questions.

 

[dnem]

The point remains, the NEC has nothing to do with the inspection process.

The inspection process is what the local area decides it is.

Sometime figuring out how to make your point is the most difficult.
Iwire hit the central point.

 

[roger]

If your state [or local municipality] adopts the NEC without stipulations, then 90.3 would apply: "Annexes are not part of the requirements of this Code but are included for informational purposes only." . Just like the Handbook, it's there to help understand ambiguous wording or concepts.

So Article 80 is enforceable only if directly adopted.

Article 80 in 2002, annex G in 2005, and annex H in 2008 all include the following

80.5 Adoption.
Article 80 shall not apply unless specifically adopted by the local jurisdiction adopting the National Electrical Code.

Roger

 

[Twoskinsoneman]

And what do you think this achieves at our low voltages?

Roger

Well I guess I would hope that with less resistance to earth, your potential damage to electronic equipment would be less.

I find myself struggling to remember back to Feb when I took the Mike Holt NEC change seminar. He had a great session on grounding. He explained about the dissipation of the energy created by a near by lightning strike.

Doesn't it seem to you also that the less resistance to earth the better when trying to create an equal potential and avoiding destructive current flow?