Re: OKAY...LETS STIR THE POST SOME
The NEC is vague intentionally to allow for local authority having jurisdiction the responsibility to interpret these rules. Normally, this interpretations would include or "favor " the accepted wiring practices of their jurisdiction. These interpretations still must assure that the intent of the code is fulfilled. The real problem is that too many AHJ's do not understand the theory behind the rule when making the interpretations. Also pressure from electricians who say we have been doing it that way for thirty years and never had a problem.
Service grounding theory, or ahead of the main grounding, is simple. There is no OCD to operate, thus the term unprotected conductors. In the case of a ground fault in the wiring method, only two things can happen. First, the arcing fault can burn itself into a short circuit and then cause enough current to flow and hopefully operate any OCD on the primary side of the supply transformer. Second, the arcing fault can burn itself clear. Both cases have a very bad word in them, burn. By reducing the distance inside a building a set of unprotected conductors can be run helps reduce the risk if and when a ground fault occurs.
I don't have a problem at my house, my water bede is directly above the service conductors and when they start burning and it gets to the bed, enough water is present to put the fire out! (tongue in cheek)
