Mr. Tarin I guess I'm not that good a joker:-) Bronx NY USA, at your service.
I like G.E for City use but Square D is right true for your Country Cabin setting.
Regarding the seperate Grounding Buss Bar and Wire attachment that is just about right & how I'd do it., the measure is up-to-code (actually read it somewhere in my NEC guidebook) we are in agreement.
The grounding conductor burried under the cabin sounds just about right as long you don't let anyone in the future go diggin for gold down there ruining the continuity of it. I'll check if other than purely electrode contact will hinder or reduce it's efficacy. I don't think we need or should bind the 2 seperate electrodes since it's more than 6ft from the
1st electode i am almost sure they should not coverge until the Buss Bar perhaps shy the width of the panel and up in two lengths of conduit to protect them from the Elements (PVC) up with scary Use/ID Tags or Proper Markings just in case someone gets by you and decides to mine anyway :-) ~ (I am guessing the Panel is already Installed somewhere near the Center of the Cabin?)
We could design a pattern prior to locating the electrodes so as to make a geometric array (even if partially under the soil) with respect to the layout of the Electrode/Conductors/Subpanel & Satelite Location. I don't think we should bond the Tel Co Box to your Electrical sys. {harmonics}.
I've never been out there. Attentively }:-{) Roy
From: the snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (tarin) ROY----> I'm using a "Square D" load center. According to my friend, the NEUTRAL is not bonded to the box. To bond it to the metal casing, I would have to utilize the green grounding screw provided with the setup. Since I don't want to do that, I simply leave that step out and buy a separate EQUIPMENT GROUNDING BAR and attach that to the inside of the box, thus grounding the enclosure, but not the NEUTRAL. THIS =3D ISOLATED NEUTRAL/GROUND. I then attach my bare grounds to the EQUIPMENT GROUNDING BAR and my white neutrals to the pre-existing neutral buss on the panel. Does this sound about right? Obviously, this is not to code, but I feel it is relatively safe. Don't you agree? In addition, since my satellite connection is on the opposite side of the house from the panel, I thought I might drive the second grounding rod there and bind the two rods beneath the house a run of about 24 ft. IF I bury this bare bonding cable about 2 ft deep, wouldn't that provide a better ground? P.S. Where are you? I want to know before I commit to a ticket. ;-) in article snipped-for-privacy@storefull-3251.bay.webtv.net, Roy Q.T. at snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote on 3/21/05 5:04 PM: So glad you met up with the right man. The lack of the 4th or ground conductor from the Service was the Main Idea & difficulty surrounding your Post. I am pleased he approve our remedy. Now; send me a 2way ticket & I'll help you install it };-) I can dream & joke a bit at the same time. Roy
From: the snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net (tarin) I just visited with our local inspector who been doin' this stuff for nigh on 40 years. He said that code NOW requires 4 wires. However, since I've known him for years, he gave me some advise "off the record". He concurred with what ROY has said: i.e., Bond the ground and neutral at the service entrance and isolate them at the subpanel. I now understand the reason for the 4th wire, but the chances are astronomical that the neutral will fail and if it should with an isolated ground, then everything will just go dead. Better that than being electrocuted by a suddenly hot ground. Thanks guys!!!
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D Thanks just the same John
So "by the book" (at least in Central VA - Dominion Power) you run the four wires. That said, I still find myself wondering what would be a better way (all things considered.) Personally, I like the idea of bonding the neutral where the "electric" enters the building. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= John A Rural Configuration is More Likely to not be "by the book" with Coded Amendments. =AE~>