Advice on Grounding


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Old 06-09-05, 11:39 PM
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Question Advice on Grounding

I'm building a shed that will be located on a concrete pad in the South corner of my property. The shed will be around 100 feet away from the house. I have installed a 1-inch conduit underground that will carry 12-2 gauge conductor (one line/circuit) to the shed, where I will install two florescent lights, one GFCI exterior outlet, and perhaps two interior GFCI outlets. The line will come from the breaker box in my house, and be connected to a 20-amp breaker.

My question is: because of the distance, do I need to install a separate grounding rod ajacent to the shed, and ground at that point, or will the ground from the main box be sufficient?

Thanks!
 
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Old 06-10-05, 03:55 AM
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The distance has nothing to do with it. Since you are only running one circuit to the shed, no ground rod is required.
 
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Old 06-10-05, 07:33 AM
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Originally Posted by rdn2113
I have installed a 1-inch conduit underground that will carry 12-2 gauge conductor (one line/circuit) to the shed
Be sure to use wire that is rated for wet conditions. 12/2 NM Romex cable is not acceptable in underground conduit; it will rot. Some people would say that 12/2 UF cable would be okay in conduit, but you would be best with individual conductor THWN rated wire.
 
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Old 06-10-05, 10:13 PM
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Thanks for the responses.

My research shows that UF cable in properly sized conduit underground is equally acceptable as THHN/THWN. Is this correct? I don't want to do this wrong.
 
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Old 06-11-05, 03:39 AM
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There is much disagreement over whether UF cable can be used in conduit. The ultimate answer is with the inspector. Some will say yes, others will say no. If using UF you don't really need the conduit anyway.
 
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Old 06-11-05, 10:18 PM
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thanks Racraft.

I spoke with a good friend of mine who is co-owner of an electrical contracting business here in my town. He told me that inspectors here are OK with UF in conduit provided the conduit is sufficiently sized. He suggested a 1" conduit for a single 12/2 cable.

He also reminded me that I didn't need the conduit for UF cable. My primary reason is to provide added protection for the cable from critters and digging accidents.

Thanks again!

rn
 
 

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