Breaker box main ground help
 

writes:

My main grounding wires from the breaker box has 2, one side of the
panel goes outside to a grounding rod. The other side is a thick cable
that runs about 60 feet to the in coming water line. But the water is
copper but the line it connects to going through the wall is plastic
is the really grounding anything? A friend said the water in the line
is giving it a ground. So is it ok like this or should if have been
done another way? The house is 2 years old.

I think what's going in here is simply:

The rod is providing your system ground.

The bonding to the pipe system is simply a code requirement I _think_.
The pipe connection isn't to benefit the electrical system, it may
simply be making sure the copper piping system in your home is safe to
touch and at 0V potential. That is, the pipes are earthed by way of
your breaker panel on the way to the grounding rod.

A proper electrician of course will know much more on this subject.
Hopefully one will chime in here.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Breaker box main ground help
 

(Todd H.) writes:

writes:

My main grounding wires from the breaker box has 2, one side of the
panel goes outside to a grounding rod. The other side is a thick cable
that runs about 60 feet to the in coming water line. But the water is
copper but the line it connects to going through the wall is plastic
is the really grounding anything? A friend said the water in the line
is giving it a ground. So is it ok like this or should if have been
done another way? The house is 2 years old.

I think what's going in here is simply:

The rod is providing your system ground.

The bonding to the pipe system is simply a code requirement I _think_.
The pipe connection isn't to benefit the electrical system, it may
simply be making sure the copper piping system in your home is safe to
touch and at 0V potential. That is, the pipes are earthed by way of
your breaker panel on the way to the grounding rod.

A proper electrician of course will know much more on this subject.
Hopefully one will chime in here.

Oh, and yer friend can be made fun of if you wish. Tap water isn't
gonna ground sh*t. There's not much in the way of ions in tap water
to conduct electricity. 65kOhm/meter is the resistivity of the tap
water in a 2cm pipe. So it might be a ground, but it's a really
really bad one.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Breaker box main ground help
 

On 28 Sep 2006 00:58:23 -0500, (Todd H.) wrote:

(Todd H.) writes:

writes:

My main grounding wires from the breaker box has 2, one side of the
panel goes outside to a grounding rod. The other side is a thick cable
that runs about 60 feet to the in coming water line. But the water is
copper but the line it connects to going through the wall is plastic
is the really grounding anything? A friend said the water in the line
is giving it a ground. So is it ok like this or should if have been
done another way? The house is 2 years old.

I think what's going in here is simply:

The rod is providing your system ground.

The bonding to the pipe system is simply a code requirement I _think_.
The pipe connection isn't to benefit the electrical system, it may
simply be making sure the copper piping system in your home is safe to
touch and at 0V potential. That is, the pipes are earthed by way of
your breaker panel on the way to the grounding rod.

A proper electrician of course will know much more on this subject.
Hopefully one will chime in here.

Oh, and yer friend can be made fun of if you wish. Tap water isn't
gonna ground sh*t. There's not much in the way of ions in tap water
to conduct electricity. 65kOhm/meter is the resistivity of the tap
water in a 2cm pipe. So it might be a ground, but it's a really
really bad one.

Best Regards,

Todd, I read your statement and doubted it enough to jump up and grab
my ohmmeter and headed to the kitchen.

You are right in saying that tap water isn't gonna ground sh*t.
My tap water is an extremely poor ground compared to your figures.

One meter of my tap water in a 1/4 in plastic tube is way over a meg.

I learn something every day.

Breaker box main ground help
 

Todd H. wrote:
(Todd H.) writes:

writes:

My main grounding wires from the breaker box has 2, one side of the
panel goes outside to a grounding rod. The other side is a thick cable
that runs about 60 feet to the in coming water line. But the water is
copper but the line it connects to going through the wall is plastic
is the really grounding anything? A friend said the water in the line
is giving it a ground. So is it ok like this or should if have been
done another way? The house is 2 years old.

I think what's going in here is simply:

The rod is providing your system ground.

The bonding to the pipe system is simply a code requirement I _think_.
The pipe connection isn't to benefit the electrical system, it may
simply be making sure the copper piping system in your home is safe to
touch and at 0V potential. That is, the pipes are earthed by way of
your breaker panel on the way to the grounding rod.

A proper electrician of course will know much more on this subject.
Hopefully one will chime in here.

Oh, and yer friend can be made fun of if you wish. Tap water isn't
gonna ground sh*t. There's not much in the way of ions in tap water
to conduct electricity. 65kOhm/meter is the resistivity of the tap
water in a 2cm pipe. So it might be a ground, but it's a really
really bad one.

Best Regards,
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Water!! isn't a good conducter???? Then why do they say don't stand in
it when working with electricity?.

Breaker box main ground help
 

Jack wrote:

Water!! isn't a good conducter???? Then why do they say don't stand
in
it when working with electricity?.

Pure water is virtually an insulator. I don't know why the amorphous "they"
say "don't stand in it."

Breaker box main ground help
 

On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:32:18 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

Jack wrote:

Water!! isn't a good conducter???? Then why do they say don't stand
in
it when working with electricity?.

Pure water is virtually an insulator. I don't know why the amorphous "they"
say "don't stand in it."


Because the water that you stand in isn't pure, and dirty water
is a fairly good conductor, and wet feet and wet concrete are good
conductors.

Breaker box main ground help
 

Goedjn wrote:

On Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:32:18 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:


Jack wrote:

Water!! isn't a good conducter???? Then why do they say don't stand
in
it when working with electricity?.

Pure water is virtually an insulator. I don't know why the amorphous "they"
say "don't stand in it."



Because the water that you stand in isn't pure, and dirty water
is a fairly good conductor, and wet feet and wet concrete are good
conductors.


And very little current is required for electrocution, IIRC about 100mA.
It is not too hard to get that thorugh relatively high resistance water.
Even easier to get enough current for a good shock. GFCIs trip at 5mA.

Earthing a service could involve thousands of amps.

bud--

Breaker box main ground help
 

HeyBub wrote:
Jack wrote:

Water!! isn't a good conducter???? Then why do they say don't stand
in
it when working with electricity?.

Pure water is virtually an insulator. I don't know why the amorphous "they"
say "don't stand in it."


Water!! isn't a good conducter???? Then why do they say don't stand in
it when working with electricity?.

Ah.....good question

the reason to avoid water / wetness when working with electricity is
that water / moisture GREATLY reduces the resistance of skin (shoes,
etc).

If you've got a sensitive ohm meter you can test dry skin vs wet
skin......the difference is amazing.

cheers
Bob