House ground wire at main water inlet


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Old 11-24-20, 03:18 PM
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House ground wire at main water inlet

My house's ground wire connecting to the copper water pipe is in the way of where I'd like to build some shelving. Would it be ok for me to just loosen the clamps to the pipe and rotate so that the wire is on the other side of the pipe? I'm not going to electrocute myself or anything, am I? Or do I need to cut the power while I do this?



 
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Old 11-24-20, 03:33 PM
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Suggest getting a set of car jumper cables. Connect one black clip to somewhere else on the pipe and connect the other black clip to the clamp.

Now you can loosen and reposition the clamp. When done, remove the jumper cable.

It is possible for some current to be flowing on that ground wire and into the pipe and out underground. The jumper wire will prevent a startling spark.

Current might originate at a neighbor's house so switching off your own power is not foolproof.
 
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Old 11-24-20, 03:48 PM
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Thanks Allan, appreciate the reply. I have cables, but just a thought here...there are actually two clamps, the upper one is partly cut out of the picture. If I do them one at a time, leaving one tight on the pipe while moving the other, could I do without the cables?
 
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Old 11-24-20, 05:17 PM
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Loosening one at a time would be safe as long as at least one was attached.

Question.... how close to the pipe are you building the shelves ?
I hope you're not blockading the pipe in place. Access for future service is required.
 
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Old 11-24-20, 06:41 PM
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I'll leave about a foot between the shelving and the pipe, but the ground wire bows out 15" from the pipe. I don't want the shelving right up against the wire either, so swinging it around to the other side will make clearance for everything.
 
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Old 11-24-20, 07:15 PM
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OK, mission accomplished, no sparking! That thick wire didn't want to twist at one attachment point all at once, so had to go back and forth, loosening and tightening between the two clamps, going about 60° at a time to get it swung around the full 180°. Thanks for the help!
 
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Old 11-24-20, 07:25 PM
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You could have just moved the clamps further apart or even cable tied the wire to the pipe.
 
 

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