Code Question

I jjust failed a service upgrade inspection and I need some opinions. The service went from 100 amps to 200. The existing grounded electrode conductor goes directly to a driven ground rod using number 6 copper and aanother ground wire using 4 aluminum goes to the water pipe. the water pipe goes to a meter and is connected to PVC pipe that goes into the concrete basement floor. The AHJ wants the wire going to the water pipe to be sized according to 250-66 because he states that the water pipe is a grounding electrode and the rod is a supplemental ground. He also wants a jumper around the water meter. My contention is that according to 250-52 the water pipe is not an electrode unless it is in contact with the earth for 10 feet. I considered the ground rod the grounding electrode and used and the water pipe as stated in 250-104. Not that it matters since it is an easy fix and he is the AHJ, but I would like to know where if at all I went wrong. Thanks for any and all replies. Tom

Reply to
Tom
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Well, I'm not the most expert on NEC (there are some here that should be able to help you). But I more or less agree with you. First, the water meter should *always* be jumpered. You never know when a replacement will be installed, or what sort of changes a plumber may put in (and it's a pretty easy thing to do). Second, if you have PVC water main to your house, I can't see how it can be considered a ground of any kind. So don't you need a second grounding rod?

If you have copper pipes in the house, and PVC supply, then the connection from the copper pipe to the service panel ground is really more of a 'bonding jumper' isn't it? Just 'bonding' all the metal piping in the house to earth?

daestrom

Reply to
daestrom

Where I live water pipes are bonded cause there is almost no metallic systems left in the ground. That even includes the gas piping. Most new homes are all plastic piping for water and say so on the service. They do not even bother to bond the metallic entry piping anymore.

Changing a service where I live you would need 2 ground rods connected properly.

From what you said there is plastic between the house and the underground piping. Sort a defeats the meter jumpers does it not. If I understand what your saying correctly.

Appears to me that you had an inspection that did not see all of the situation.

I agree with you up to a point. I would have called ya on the second ground rod. Which is a biggie here now. Unless of course you provide testing of the rod and it is under 25 ohms. I try to maintain everything I do at under 5 ohms.

Reply to
SQLit

As you can tell there are other meanings for "AHJ", especially the "AH" part. IMHO you are right but I am not the AHJ there. Does your state require licensing for inspectors?

You should jumper the meter with nylon rope to bond the plastic pipe.

Reply to
gfretwell

ROFLMAO!!!!

daestrom

Reply to
daestrom

I remember hearing kids talk about jump rope, but now I know what it REALLY means!

Reply to
BFoelsch

Yes they do New jersey. He was very nice about it but could not really answer my qustions about why he required what he did.

Reply to
Tom

That's funny, but you still must bond the plumbing system with conductor sized according to

250-66. In most areas that can be done anywhere in the cold water plumbing system. Here they require everything the OP was - in case the polyethylene water service is ever replaced by copper.

I remember a job where the customer was getting zapped everytime he touched his kitchen sink or got out of his bath tub. Turned out someone had used SEU to feed a JennAir; the braided EGC was connected to the ground bus in the panel which hade been converted into a subpanel from a main. Whoever did the change over removed the main bonding jumper screw from the former main panel. However, they never ran a separate EGC to the new main. With the 120volt JennAir exhaust blower on (which didn't work for obvious reasons) there would be 120v on every metallic part in the plumbing system. This could've easily killed someone. The AHJ requirement in the OP's case would've prevented the shock hazard

Reply to
Paul S.

Here's my guess: The inspector is looking for 2 electrodes, and finds them, by *your* interpretation, because there is only 1 ground rod. The logic is: had you decided that the water pipe was not an electrode, you would have driven another rod, or proved 25 ohms or less from the existing rod (250.56)

Ed

Reply to
ehsjr

just out of curiousity.

why would you care if your ground resistance exceeds 5 ohms and why would you bother to test it to find out in the first place?

just pound two rods and be done with it.

Reply to
petersonra

Hei,

I thought you need to spent 20K to get less then 1 ohm resistance.

tks

magic

Reply to
magic

LMAO

Reply to
Chris

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