Question about Bonding Structural steel

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JJWalecka

JJWalecka

Senior Member
Location
New England
When bonding Structural Steel does the steel have to be vertical. I understand that the lowest path of resistance is best. Does the code require that the vertical steel of the structure be used and does the steel have to be part of the main structure? I have ssen the roof structural "pearling" used. Thank you for your time and effort.

Justin W.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Justin, are you asking about the steel being part of the GES or are you asking about bonding the steel. See 250.104(C) for the latter and 250.50 through 250.70 for the GES.

Roger
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

I'm pretty sure the proper term is "purlins," not pearling. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I have this thing about technical correctness. :roll:
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Speaking of structural steel,The county we are now doing most of our work in is scrambling to figure out hot to bond the footer steel.In October they sent a letter to all contractors stating that a bent ufer steel 20 ft long will no longer be accepted as of 1/1 05,Until then we tied with an acorn or a j weaver to this bent ufer steel.Then the letter came out,no more ufer steel.# 4 bare CU tied to a 20 ft. piece of footer steel signed off by the building inspector when slab inspection was done.Oh and the kicker is the slab chair rails are the only contact with actual earth ;) 4 ft apart so there are 3 actual contacts with an actual ground path ;)
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Originally posted by allenwayne:
i have always thought that a grounding conductor had to be an irreversible connection.But the county is allowing 2 acorns on a ground rodthen hit the service meter ;)
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Allen, what the heck are you talking about? Why is it a violation to use acorn clamps? Can you cite a code article instead of talking nonsense? Where does the code require the connection to be irreversible?
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Originally posted by peter d:
Allen, what the heck are you talking about? Why is it a violation to use acorn clamps? Can you cite a code article instead of talking nonsense? Where does the code require the connection to be irreversible?
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Peter, don't hold your breath waiting for Allen to provide a code article. ;)

Roger
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Peter D,

"Purlins" not "pearling's" Thank you. My question is regarding the defintion of structural steel. Would the purlings be an approved grounding electrode or does the vertical structural steel that derives from the ground to a main beam. the purlin is welded from the main beam to support the roof decking. Forgive my ignorance I can't think of any other way to explain the structural steel.
Article 250.104 (C) Structural Steel describes the structural steel as- Exposed structural steel that is interconnected to form a steel building frame... Would the purlin be considered as part of the building frame. Thank you for your input.

Justin W.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

allenwayne, why do you always seem to try to turn this into inspector bashing, the question had nothing to do with your inspector problems,


as far as the question look at 250.104 (C)
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Justin the NEC does not spell it out.

IMO purlins are structural steel and would be acceptable.

[ April 02, 2005, 07:37 PM: Message edited by: iwire ]
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

I won't Roger. I think I speak for a lot of people that are getting sick of all this hearsay.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Roger, Peter D, Allenwayne, MPD Thanks for the input. Iwire thank you once again.

Justin W.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Justin no problem.

Keep in mind that my answer was just an opinion and the local inspector may have a different opinion.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Iwire,

I haven't had an issue with an inspector about the installation to the purling, to date. I enjoy getting feedback from the Forum periodically. Thank you.

Justin W.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

We have connected services and local disconnect switches to the horizontal steel beams the keep the GEC short. Any reasonably sized steel beam will outperform a 3/0 or 4/0 copper wire.

Halex makes a grounding clamp for attaching copper wire to rebar. It has a layin lug so that the copper wire can run unbroken to additional lugs including a ground rod driven underneath the footer. You might also in the future run your #4 out of the service switch, loop wire unbroken through the rebar clamp, then go up the other side of the wall to the meter socket to protect the meter against lightning. Milbank does make an insulated neutral kit for their meter sockets for an application where the meter has separate neutral and equipment grounding wires.

Recently, NSI came out with a similar rebar clamp.

Also, if your service is over 200 amps you should seriously think about using more than 20 feet of wire and a larger wire size than #4. The first time I wired a 400 amp residential service I use two 200 amp service circuit breakers and two #4 copper wires 20 feet long each in the footer. The 2 footer grounds ran in opposite directions. This got me out of a crimped tap and I used a split bolt to bond the two #4 wires together. Essentially, this was grounded as two 200 amp services sharing the same meter.
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

I have a building that is 150 ft long. The electrical service is on one end and the metal water service is on the other.

Can I come out of the electrical service and hit the building steel go to the other end of the building and come off the building steel and hit the water service? Would this be the correct way to connect my grounding electrode conductor?
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Originally posted by jwelectric:
I have a building that is 150 ft long. The electrical service is on one end and the metal water service is on the other.

Can I come out of the electrical service and hit the building steel go to the other end of the building and come off the building steel and hit the water service?
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Sure you can and I have done it, a great money saver.

Originally posted by jwelectric:
Would this be the correct way to connect my grounding electrode conductor?
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Correct?

I would not use the word correct.

I would say it is one of many code compliant methods to connect the grounding electrodes together into a grounding electrode system. ;)
 
Re: Question about Bonding Structural steel

Only the grounding electrode conductor has to be continuous.

The conductor(s) bonding one or more electrodes together are bonding jumpers. :)
 
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