Keeping GEC and Bonding Conductors Safe from Vandals

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inspectorsparky

inspectorsparky

Member
Location
Mansfield,TX
I would like to get some feedback on an issue we have in our city. Thieves are stealing the exposed GEC's from services on strip centers. I am reseaching the following for a proposal: With power company approval;
Typical service consists of a pad mount transformer feeding a tap can. In the tap can there is a neutral bar and three phase bars. I propose the the UFER, building steel, cold water and any other supplimentary grounding conductors for the shell building bond together on the neutral bar of the tap can. A bonding jumper will come off of the building steel and bond the copper cold water. This eliminates exposed GEC's on the exterior. The electrical contractors that come in and build individual services for lease spaces will then build their service, and have a choice of supplimentary grounding such as primary being a bonding jumper off of building steel and a secondary off of copper cold water sized according to Table 250.66. The contractor will then bond the neutral for his service at the disconnect as usual.
Are there cons to this method of installation? I cannot find it in violation of the NEC, and I do not feel this setup would cause a parallell path to ground if all GEC's are sized accoding to Table 250.66.
Thoughts?
 
480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Once it's installed, it's considered the owners' property. My contracts states the specifically. If it comes up missing, and change order is necessary to replace it. Job site security is also detailed in the contract as well.... and outside the scope of my work.
 
inspectorsparky

inspectorsparky

Member
Location
Mansfield,TX
barbeer said:
IMHO the POCO would not want ECs in their j-boxes or errant lightning strikes for that matter.
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Duly noted. Oncor, our POCO has approved this method in our area. Lightning (by the grace of God and electrical theory) should be dissapated into the ground via the path of least resistance which would be the GEC's going to the earth (slab, building steel in contact with the earth) would it not? I am not a professed lightning protection specialist, my good man.
 
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kirkpatrick88

Member
Location
Denver, Colorado
Copper thefts

Copper thefts

Here in Colorado, we have been having problems with the theft of copper ground bars on cellular towers and in public service electrical vaults. Sure creates quite the hazard for everybody. Anybody else having the same problems?
 
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elohr46

Senior Member
Location
square one
kirkpatrick88 said:
Here in Colorado, we have been having problems with the theft of copper ground bars on cellular towers and in public service electrical vaults. Sure creates quite the hazard for everybody. Anybody else having the same problems?
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Some cell tower contractors in my area are now using #4 solid tinned copper for their grounding/bonding. It looks like aluminum wire, so far the thieves are leaving it alone.
 
tom baker

tom baker

First Chief Moderator
Staff member
Location
Bremerton, Washington
elohr46 said:
Some cell tower contractors in my area are now using #4 solid tinned copper for their grounding/bonding. It looks like aluminum wire, so far the thieves are leaving it alone.
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Cell companies like the solid tinned as it holds up better in acid rain, the al look is a bonus.
 
wisp_engineer

wisp_engineer

Member
elohr46 said:
Some cell tower contractors in my area are now using #4 solid tinned copper for their grounding/bonding. It looks like aluminum wire, so far the thieves are leaving it alone.
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I've been designing all new construction sites with something similar.

The ring, EGB's, TGB's and what not are all done connected using solid tinned copper wire. At a minimum we must use #2 for this, but should it require larger wire I'd still specify tinned. You are right, they leave it alone.


Also, I spec tinned copper bars and tamper-resistant hardware. The tinned bar makes it look like it's not copper, and the tamper-resisant hardware is an allen screw with the pin in the center which prevents removal without the correct tool. One can also epoxy the center of the screw which makes it now impossible to remove.

In short, any copper exposed, is tinned.....
 
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