So, I've mentioned in a few other messages that I've got a big project on my hands. I though I'd provide a few photos for your enjoyment/horror.

Here's the main fuse panel in the house:



Lovely, isn't it? Most of the installed fuses were 30A too. On 14ga wire... There's a sub-panel in the second story that makes this look wonderful, but I don't have a photo of that uploaded yet.

Here's the junction where the electric cooktop and wall-mounted over split off of the 50A 240V circuit.



Those balls of tape were *not* covering wire nuts. The wires were simply twisted together and taped over (and over and over and over). The wires were also of various gauges, 6, 8 and 10 ga (and this was a 50A circuit).

Most of the house was wired with K&T, with a grand total of one grounded receptacle in the whole house (the kitchen, which was good, but it was one of the 30A 14ga circuits too...)

Right now the entire existing wiring infrastructure has been disconnected from the main panel, and the 50A fuse that used to feed the 240V oven circuit is now feeding a temporaty sub panel that houses 4 20-AMp 110 circuits, each connected to a GFCI outlet. This is all of the power in the house currently.



The panel was done with outdoor rated stuff because the service will have to be disconnected during the framing of our addition, and if I end up putting together an outdoor temporary service, I didn't want to do things twice. This way I just add an outdoor rated 100A breaker and ditch the 6-3 that feeds the sub-panel right now.

Should you care to peruse our photo collection and see the overall scope of what we're dealing with, you can view the whole photo album here

 

Nice pictures, looks like you really have your work cut out for you!

Should be a real nice place when all is said and done.

 

Did I say that there was one grounded outlet?

I take that back. Yesterday, while cutting out the old plumbing lines, I realized that the sole ground in the house was a 12ga wire run from the panel to the cold line on the kitchen sink, which besides being a rather small pipe, was at the very end of the entire plumbing system, with the maximum distance (and therefore highest resistance) of any point. There also was no jumper to bond across the electronic water meter.

There was a wire running outside that I was making the (admittedly foolish) assumption went to a ground rod. Nope. Just "grounded" the mast and weatherhead.

Even though all the remaining electrical in the house is GFCI protected, and temporary, I ran a new ground wire directly to the supply side of the incoming water line.

Given that the phone service and cable TV service (both aerial), were grounded to the masthead, I'd bet a pretty nasty voltage could (and did) build up on the "ground" wire and plumbing systems during storms.

I think I'm going to go check the grounding on my current (but 1920's vintage) house too. (even though the entire service was redone about 7 years ago by an extremely respected electricial service company).

 

Vector

I feel your pain. I'm starting out on a huge project myself. I'm putting everthing together now. I will post soon.

 

Wow!!!! you certainly have some work on to do.Good luck ,be careful you never know what you'll run into in your situation.

 

According to the NEC no other "equipment" should use the electrical service equipment as a grounding means.You may want to have that changed.

 

Well, we've torn out so much of the house that there really aren't any places left for ugly surprises to pop out of. Mostly the house is sound, but when previous owners (over the last 100+ years) made "repairs" they really just covered things up, rather than fix them.

Our mantra is "we're just replacing all of it anyhow"

Only big issue I have with the house right now is the lack of a footing under the main load-bearing wall in the basement and the removal of a secondary load-bearing wall that has resulted in about a 5-6" sag in the middle, that has had some "creative" work done to minimize it's effects (with poor results). But that's for a different forum

I don't doubt that at all, but could you specify the article that's defined under? I've worked on a lot of houses in this area, and every last once I've ever seen has the cable TV grounded to the electrical service.

 

Hi vector unless someone beats me to it I will get back to you ASAP

 

Art.230-28......"Only power servicedrop conductors shall be permitted to be attached to a service mast" You also cannot ground communications equip. to the electric meter or service panel but I didnt find the article in the code.