Splice the water ground

[Irving LaRue]

I’ve got a customer who has an aluminum water ground wire attached to a copper water pipe over his water heater. The water heater is about 20 feet away from his water main shut off. It’s my understanding that the ground must extend within 5 feet of the water main, preferably the supply side. What would be a code satisfying answer to this customer’s issue?

Do I need to run a new copper grounding wire to the panel? Could I just run a separate jumper wire? Would I need to splice the jumper to his grounding wire that goes to the panel?

My master always likes to run a new ground wire in a situation like this. He says the ground must be continuous from the water main to the panel. What are your thoughts?

 

[ptonsparky]

Guessing you are doing a service upgrade. I would run new to the incoming water line as you have indicated and your master prefers. See 250.53.

 

[augie47]

Do you know if the water line qualifies as a grounding elcectrode (10' of metallic line in contact with the dirt) or is just the interior line metallic ?

 

[Irving LaRue]

Do you know if the water line qualifies as a grounding elcectrode (10' of metallic line in contact with the dirt) or is just the interior line metallic ?

It counts as grounding, not just bonding. The water line, going out as far as I can see it (which I assume is to the street) is copper pipe.

This is not for a service upgrade. It’s actually a panel change someone else did for the homeowner which the grounding wasn’t updated. The aluminum ground wire attached to the pipe above the water heater is original with the house. I noticed it when I was at the house and the homeowner would like it addressed. I was hoping I could do a bonding jumper to avoid drywall damage and extra cost.

 

[ptonsparky]

That could very well have been an acceptable installation at the time it was made. Codes have changed. You would now need to supplement the pipe with two rods.

 

[Electromatic]

If the aluminum is sized properly for the service GEC, you could splice onto with with an irreversible method and extend it to the first 5' of the pipe. If you extend it with copper, make sure the connection method you use is also rated for copper and aluminum and/or copper to aluminum.

 

[infinity]

Do I need to run a new copper grounding wire to the panel? Could I just run a separate jumper wire? Would I need to splice the jumper to his grounding wire that goes to the panel?

Let's start with some terminology, your "grounding wire" is called a GEC or grounding electrode conductor. The "jumper" would be an extension of the GEC which can be spliced (contrary to what your master said) if you use an irreversible splicing method such as a crimp. What size is the existing aluminum GEC and what size are the service conductors?

 

[roger]

Irving, where is your supervisor on this project?

 

[Irving LaRue]

Well, turns out the company sent somebody else to handle the issue. They ran an extension of the existing aluminum wire and sliced it together with a new copper wire. I’m not sure what kind of connector they used, but this is the final result.

 

[Irving LaRue]

Here

 

[Irving LaRue]

That could very well have been an acceptable installation at the time it was made. Codes have changed. You would now need to supplement the pipe with two rods.

We installed a bare #6 copper wire with 2 ground rods.

 

[letgomywago]

Well that's most certainly not an irreversible splices. That's a dual rated splice reducer with set screws.

 

[Irving LaRue]

Well that's most certainly not an irreversible splices. That's a dual rated splice reducer with set screws.

I’m curious how code defines an “irreversible splice”. I guess anything with a set screw is not irreversible.

I wasn’t the one who ended up performing the installation, so I wouldn’t have done it that way. I was planning to use one of these, which I’m assuming wouldn’t fit the definition of “irreversible splice” and wouldn’t bring it to code.

 

[LarryFine]

An irreversible splice would be one that must be cut or otherwise destroyed to be disconnected, not one that could be loosened with tools.

 

[infinity]

I wasn’t the one who ended up performing the installation, so I wouldn’t have done it that way. I was planning to use one of these, which I’m assuming wouldn’t fit the definition of “irreversible splice” and wouldn’t bring it to code.

That splice connector in the photo is not irreversible. A while back I thought that someone posted a type of connector that had shear heads on the bolts that cannot be removed after tightening.