Service Entrance grounding

1

102 Inspector

Senior Member
Location
N/E Indiana
Occupation
Inspector- All facets
I have never seen this before and question application. "Electrician" installed meter base, new service conductor from weatherhead to line side, 3 wire. From load side of meter, a 4 wire cable was run to a load center. The grounded conductor and grounding electrode were bonded inside the meter base. A grounding lug was screwed to the meter base and then connected to 2-ground rods via a #4 bare copper conductor. I refused the installation based on 250.24(A)(1) and 250.8 of the 2008 NEC. Could this even be considered acceptable?Meter base ground.jpg
 
The bonding of the grounding electrode conductor is a violation. That needs to be connected to the terminal by the neutral or at least use the correct screw.

Also the 4 wire to the main panel is unnecessary but I don't think there is an issue with it. Also needs a bushing.
 
I wonder what the "Electrician" did with the ser aluminum bare wire? Did he separate the neutral and grounds? Either way disconnect the bare AL wire from the meter base and put the grounding electrode conductor in its place.

Make sure the inside panel has the neutral bonded to the can. Remove the bare AL in there also.
 
There is no separate EGC ahead of the enclosure with the main disconnect in it.

Any enclosure grounding or bonding is done by and to the neutral conductor.

The meter base is bonded to the neutral, and the panel is by the green screw.

The neutral can be bare; I also used the wires from SER because it looks better.

Example:

HousePanel2.jpg
 
Unfortunately, yes we are still under the 2008 in Indiana. This was a meter can change only due to extensive siding damage. Larryfine, the concern was that they wanted to use the 4-wire assembly to carry the grounding conductor from the meter can to the disconnecting means. That is what is concerning me. "Electrician agreed to re-do the installation.
 
102 Inspector said:
Unfortunately, yes we are still under the 2008 in Indiana. This was a meter can change only due to extensive siding damage. Larryfine, the concern was that they wanted to use the 4-wire assembly to carry the grounding conductor from the meter can to the disconnecting means. That is what is concerning me. "Electrician agreed to re-do the installation.
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He only needs to disconnect the bare wire and move the grounding electrode conductor. The neutral and ground are one and the same as the neutral is bonded to the can in the meter base and should also be bonded to the can in the main panel.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
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Also the 4 wire to the main panel is unnecessary but I don't think there is an issue with it. Also needs a bushing.
Click to expand...

I would probably consider it an objectionable current violation since the extra wire is neither necessary or permitted. Or I could call it a parallel conductors violation. This is assuming they are bonded to each other at the other end as well (which OP didn't actually say one way or the other.).
 
The homeowner indicated that the conductors were increased because he hopes to upgrade to a 200 amp service in the future. The existing service is 100 amp and definitely looked like it needed some attention. One problem at a time.
 
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