Ari wrote:

Ari wrote:
There is a very large copper wire already going to ground on the
city water meter, can I attach other wires to this large ground
wire since it goes to a true ground?
Yes you can. That is a "grounding electrode conductor", and it is
connected to the panel ground. Get a big copper split-bolt
connector and use it to fasten your new grounding wires to that big
wire..


Thanks Bob!

Any caveats to using the big bus wire as a ground? For instance, the
wire is copper, multi-stranded and appears to be 1/4 inch in
diameter, or slightly larger. Do I have to worry about the current
carrying capacity of that large gauge wire if it is hooked up to many
outlets??? For instance, if the large bus wire is capable of
carrying 100 amps, do I need to insure that no more than 5 20 amp
outlets are grounded through that wire???

No, you don't care about the current capacity of that wire.

I did find 2 of the recently upgraded GFI outlets that were grounded
to the copper plumbing and thought I'd better ask on here! Such a
shame, the large copper grounding wire that runs to the water meter
ground is right next to the copper plumbing lines! It would have been
so easy to connect those grounds to the copper wire!!!! I have no
idea why the previous owner used the copper plumbing with the large
cooper ground wire running so close.

That was common practice 30 years ago. (I'm guessing about the "30"
part, but it's good guess, and a ballpark figure anyway.)

Does the 'ground' truely have to go to the ground in the panel?
Shouldn't any dedicated ground source be just as goodas the panel
ground (such as a ground rod driven in hte ground)?
It has to be electrically equivalent to the panel ground, not "just
as good". IIRC, the panel itself, a grounding electrode conductor
(big wire connecting the panel to a ground electrode), and the
metal service raceway (conduit feeding the main panel, assuming
it's metal conduit) are all OK places to connect your equipment
grounding wires.


OK, now that you mention it, there is some nearby wiring that was
part of an addition they did just before deciding to sell the house.
The new wiring is all metal conduit protected. Is the metal conduit
of the newer wiring ok to use as a ground for the nearby legacy
outlets? Or, do I have to run a ground wire inside a junction box and
connect my ground wire to the existing ground in the conduit junction
box?

No. The metal conduit is probably a good enough ground for the circuits
that run in it (or it might not if it wasn't installed well.) It's not
good enough for grounding additional circuits.

BTW, you don't really have to ground *everything*. I live in a 60
year-old house where all the basement wiring is grounded and none of the
upstairs is grounded. I've been adding grounds over the years when I
need one or when it's convenient because of another repair that I'm
doing. I'm trying to get one or two properly-grounded outlets in each
room. Think about it; do you really need a ground when you plug in your
clock radio or a lamp? Of course not. But you want someplace to plug
in your grounded vacuum cleaner (etc.) occasionally.

Bob