another grounding issue


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Old 05-02-18, 11:46 AM
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another grounding issue

something like this may have already been asked & answered. If it has, I apologize, but its pretty time-consuming to go back through all posts that has grounding in the title. This concerns the grounding of the main breaker panel. From what I've been able to determine, I have a ground at the meter or service entrance, a bare copper ground running through the outside wall conduit into the panel to a buss bar, and a ground wire that is bonded to the cold water supply. That's all I see. Is this enough, or should I put in a ground rod as well?
 
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Old 05-02-18, 02:04 PM
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At one time.... only the bond was required to the main water pipe.

You can add a ground rod. It gets connected to same place the bare ground is installed in the main panel. You can use solid or stranded green #8 THHN/THWN for a 100A service.
 
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Old 05-02-18, 02:51 PM
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Thanks. That was what I was thinking, but I didn't want to jump the gun on it until I found out more. Its a 200 amp service, though. Would 6 ga. solid be enough?
 
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Old 05-02-18, 03:08 PM
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Use #6 copper for the wire to the ground rod here. The maximum size ever required for the grounding electrode conductor to a rod is #6 copper either solid or stranded.
 
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Old 05-02-18, 03:11 PM
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It sounds like your socket is where the rod was driven instead of the panel. Can you post a picture ?
 

Last edited by pcboss; 05-02-18 at 06:02 PM.
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Old 05-02-18, 04:17 PM
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Talking

Not of the socket, no. Its locked shut by the utility company. But I think there must be a rod in the ground just below the meter next to the exterior wall. There's what appears to be an old 6 ga. Bare copper wire running directly from the meter enclosure straight into the ground. Cable, phone, and ac compressor have been bonded onto this ground.
 
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Old 05-02-18, 06:02 PM
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Sounds like your system does not need any changes.
 
 

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