No Equipment Grounding Conductor

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tufaraway

Member
Location
Wilmington, NC
Occupation
Building Inspector
Homeowner has an existing wood-framed shed with panel fed by house service panel installed in 1996 with no ECG. There is a ground rod driven at the shed. Shed panel has a main, and neutral and ground are bonded together. Shed panel serves lights, recepts, and a 230 VAC shallow well pump.
Owner is adding GFCI receptacles for pond pumps off shed panel and I'm not clear if there is an "existing" hazard here.
 
In 1996 that was a legal installation as long as there was not a second metallic conductive path back to the house.

Roger
 
roger said:
In 1996 that was a legal installation as long as there was not a second metallic conductive path back to the house.

Roger
Click to expand...
No metallic path. So, short of adding a washer or oven, no hidden "existing" hazard? Pond water, plus shallow well sprinkler pump, plus outdoor recepts had me doubting myself. I like to understand the danger that caused the code change (2008 I believe), so I'm not just spouting code.
 
Agreeing with the responses above, and just adding...

If this is about work that is being inspected, it would be useful to have permit approvals from 1996. I had one project go through total redesign because the AHJ would not approve changes to the existing installation without those records.

Otherwise, aside from inspection and approval issues there is nothing to fix. The neutral-ground bond is key. I saw an installation once that lacked an EGC and neutral and ground were not bonded at the panel. That was hazardous.
 
jaggedben said:
If this is about work that is being inspected, it would be useful to have permit approvals from 1996. I had one project go through total redesign because the AHJ would not approve changes to the existing installation without those records.
Click to expand...
Why on Earth wouldn't the AHJ have direct access to those records???
 
LarryFine said:
Why on Earth wouldn't the AHJ have direct access to those records???
Click to expand...

From 1996? Before everything was online? In my experience this is going to be really spotty from AHJ to AHJ whether they have the records or anybody who is going to look for them for you. Also if electrical was included as part of a larger project you might need a detailed job card and not just a record that a permit was pulled. Depending on the project it might not be worth the time to track this stuff down. Besides that, don't make the assumption that there actually was a permit and inspection in the first place.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top