Posted: 4/22/2013 10:33:31 PM EDT
|
So I am having my electrical service upgraded to 200 amps and conduit run for a new shop that I am planning to build.
The electrician is a adding an exterior meter panel, so the new main breaker will be outside, next to the meter. One 100 amp breaker will lead to the exsisting interior pannel and one 100 amp breaker will be for the new shop that I plan to build. Two 20 amp double pole breakers will be installed for two new 230V outlets in my existing garage. So I get a call from the guy today and he tells me that the existing electrical service (installed in 1974) was never grounded properly (no ground rods). Two new ground rods were installed and the new main panel was grounded. In addtion, he tells me that the hot and cold pipes on my water heater need to be bonded together and ground wire run back to the new main panel. I was told that the setup would not pass inspection without this. Now, I have seen hot and cold pipes in many commercial instalations bonded togther, but never in a home setup. My home has steel piping. Is this required by code? Kind of find it odd that an electrical inspector would be sniffing around my electric water heater, when all that was changed out was my main panel. The original panel has the inspectors sticker from 1974...kind of find it odd that it passed inspection without being grounded? Perhaps they thought the steel conduit leading from the meter base was suficient back then? Maybe it was just a lazy inspector? |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
he tells me that the hot and cold pipes on my water heater need to be bonded together and ground wire run back to the new main panel. I was told that the setup would not pass inspection without this. Wat? 
I've seen this in commercial setups...but I don't recall seeing a separate ground wire... Never seen this setup on a household water heater....at least not on a house I've lived in. Is there an electricain in the house? |
I don't have a current NEC in front of me, but I believe its 250-80 that states that Metal Water Piping shall be bonded to grounded service conductor or electrode. Other metal piping (gas) is conditional. I can look this up tomorrow at work for more accurate info. 
|
|
250.50. Yes. If it is there, it needs to be part of the grounding electrode system.
250.52(A)(1)is specific to water pipes. 250.50 All grounding electrodes described in 250.52(a)(1)-(A)(7) that are present at each building or structure being served shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system. |
