Ground Rod Questions - summary ?

OK, I followed the grounding thread as best I could through the stack of code quotes. From what I can tell, my panel, phone NIDs, and Cable TV are not properly grounded right now.

First, the Panel ground is an insulated 10G that runs 30 to 35 feet through to a water pipe. It's a BX armored wire and is clamped at the box although I don't think they used a BX clamp. The telco NID's are clamped to the armored cable (not the conductor) a few inches from the panel. The Cable TV ground wire runs (outside) a foot or so to the house mounted meter box where it is attached to a screw on the box.

So, can one of you Guru's tell me if this is right ? I'm thinking that I need to drive a ground rod directly outside the house from the panel and rerun the panel ground direct to the rod. I think I also need to run 10G direct from each telco NID (there are two) to the same rod. I also need to run a 10G from the Cable line to the same rod. Is this right ?

What gauge should the panel ground be ? I have 100amp service. Should it be armored ? It will need to drop a couple of feet down the foundation to reach the ground rod so should I run plastic conduit or similar for it to run through ? Or is there a type of wire that is OK outside exposed to the light ? Lastly, what type of clamp should I get to attach the telco and cable grounds to the rod ?

Thanks, Bob

Reply to
'nuther Bob
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If that water pipe is there, you MUST use it as your ground. You need to have a second ground in addition to this, and that would be the rod by your panel. You can add as many more electrodes as you want to. If you plan to make the pipe from the street plastic some time, then sinking two ground rods now by the panel would be good planning.

No, they can all share a common electrode or GEC.

Yes, 6 feet or more.

Yes. But these need to be green insulated and solid wire will be better to terminate with.

They can be combined. But does this one conduit terminate where you need it to terminate? If your phone NID and cable box are inside, you can just run #10 wires from your panel grounding bus directly to each box. Grounding wires can terminate at any place in the service grounding system -- the neutral conductor, the neutral bus, the service equipment cabinets and conduits, the electrode,...

-- Mark Kent, WA

Reply to
Mark or Sue

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