Nate Nagel wrote:

Charlie Morgan wrote:

On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 16:42:17 -0500, "RBM" rbm2(remove

wrote:


Let me clarify. You can connect it to your main cold water pipe
within five feet of where it enters the building. You can also
connect it to the fuse box or anything that is grounding the fuse box



No you can't. Bad advice.

CWM


Well, the water pipe should be bonded; it just shouldn't be used as a
primary ground. I agree, the correct method would be to use grounding
stakes (several) and ground the panel that way and then bond the water
pipe to the panel (as well as installing bonding jumpers around the
meter and the HWH)

nate

If talking about grounding electrodes, a water pipe with at least 10
foot of metal in contact with the earth has been required for a long
time to be part of the grounding electrode system. Particularly with a
municipal metal water supply system, the water service pipe will have a
much lower resistance to ground than ground rods, which are
"supplemental" electrodes (required only because a metal water service
may become plastic in the future). Mentioned somewhere in this thread, a
concrete encased electrode (Ufer ground) is now required in new
construction that has footings, and is used in place of a ground rod.

--
bud--