I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.

drb wrote in message ...
I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.



It is probably a #6 or #4 stranded or solid copper wire. You can use
stranded or solid bare or insulated. The stranded is easier to work with.
It cannot be spliced through conventional means. You should just install a
new wire. If you use insulated wire, wrap the entire length with green
electrical tape to identify it as a grounding conductor. I have had to
replace a few grounding conductors over the years because people thought
that they were cutting into their cable TV wire.

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.



It is probably a #6 or #4 stranded or solid copper wire. You can use
stranded or solid bare or insulated. The stranded is easier to work with.
It cannot be spliced through conventional means. You should just install a
new wire. If you use insulated wire, wrap the entire length with green
electrical tape to identify it as a grounding conductor. I have had to
replace a few grounding conductors over the years because people thought
that they were cutting into their cable TV wire.


Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.

drb wrote in message ...
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.



It is probably a #6 or #4 stranded or solid copper wire. You can use
stranded or solid bare or insulated. The stranded is easier to work with.
It cannot be spliced through conventional means. You should just install
a
new wire. If you use insulated wire, wrap the entire length with green
electrical tape to identify it as a grounding conductor. I have had to
replace a few grounding conductors over the years because people thought
that they were cutting into their cable TV wire.


Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.



A split bolt connector is NOT an acceptable means to splice a grounding
conductor to a ground rod. You can rent a crimper and make a permanent
irreversible splice that way or buy an exothermic welding kit to weld the
wire together. The best way to go is to replace the wire altogether. Also
#6 is the minimum code approved size for a ground rod wire. Please stop
getting your advice from Home Depot.

drb wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"



Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.

Contrary to bigbox marketing it is a good idea to get your help
elsewhere. Using a split bolt is totally unacceptable according to the
NEC.

250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation.

(C) Continuous Run. The grounding electrode conductor, which runs to any
convenient grounding electrode [250.64(F)], must not be spliced, except
as permitted in (1) through (3): Figure 250€“112

(1) Splicing is permitted by irreversible compression-type connectors
listed for grounding or by exothermic welding.
(2) Sections of busbars can be connected together to form a grounding
electrode conductor.
(3) Bonding and grounding electrode conductors are permitted to
terminate to a busbar that is sized not smaller than 1�„4 x 2 in., and
the busbar must be securely fastened in place at an accessible location.
Connections must be made by a listed connector or by the exothermic
welding process. Figure 250€“113

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:48:33 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.



It is probably a #6 or #4 stranded or solid copper wire. You can use
stranded or solid bare or insulated. The stranded is easier to work with.
It cannot be spliced through conventional means. You should just install
a
new wire. If you use insulated wire, wrap the entire length with green
electrical tape to identify it as a grounding conductor. I have had to
replace a few grounding conductors over the years because people thought
that they were cutting into their cable TV wire.


Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.



A split bolt connector is NOT an acceptable means to splice a grounding
conductor to a ground rod. You can rent a crimper and make a permanent
irreversible splice that way or buy an exothermic welding kit to weld the
wire together. The best way to go is to replace the wire altogether. Also
#6 is the minimum code approved size for a ground rod wire. Please stop
getting your advice from Home Depot.


Is the #6 go by any other name or nomenclature? I saw something like
AWG wire but not sure how this relates here. I may reconsider tho I
made the repair earlier today. Thanks.

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:14:39 -0500, George
wrote:

drb wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"



Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.

Contrary to bigbox marketing it is a good idea to get your help
elsewhere. Using a split bolt is totally unacceptable according to the
NEC.

250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation.

(C) Continuous Run. The grounding electrode conductor, which runs to any
convenient grounding electrode [250.64(F)], must not be spliced, except
as permitted in (1) through (3): Figure 250–112

(1) Splicing is permitted by irreversible compression-type connectors
listed for grounding or by exothermic welding.
(2) Sections of busbars can be connected together to form a grounding
electrode conductor.
(3) Bonding and grounding electrode conductors are permitted to
terminate to a busbar that is sized not smaller than 1?4 x 2 in., and
the busbar must be securely fastened in place at an accessible location.
Connections must be made by a listed connector or by the exothermic
welding process. Figure 250–113


I'm no electrical engineer so I'm a bit at a loss to fully understand
all tho I understand some and it seems to be the same thing as the
other post John has said. I may have to reconsider what I did today
but I thank you for the informative reply (even if some is above
my head). Thank you.

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:36:02 -0600, drb wrote:

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:48:33 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.



It is probably a #6 or #4 stranded or solid copper wire. You can use
stranded or solid bare or insulated. The stranded is easier to work with.
It cannot be spliced through conventional means. You should just install
a
new wire. If you use insulated wire, wrap the entire length with green
electrical tape to identify it as a grounding conductor. I have had to
replace a few grounding conductors over the years because people thought
that they were cutting into their cable TV wire.


Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.



A split bolt connector is NOT an acceptable means to splice a grounding
conductor to a ground rod. You can rent a crimper and make a permanent
irreversible splice that way or buy an exothermic welding kit to weld the
wire together. The best way to go is to replace the wire altogether. Also
#6 is the minimum code approved size for a ground rod wire. Please stop
getting your advice from Home Depot.


Is the #6 go by any other name or nomenclature? I saw something like
AWG wire but not sure how this relates here. I may reconsider tho I
made the repair earlier today. Thanks.


AWG means American Wire Gauge. So AWG6 or 6AWG is number 6 wire in
North America. #6 is 0.162", or 4.11 mm, or 13.3 mm^2 elsewhere in the
world.

In Europe, wire sizes are expressed in cross sectional area in mm² and
also as the number of strands of wires of a diameter expressed in mm.
For example 7/0.2 means 7 strands of wire each 0.2mm diameter. This
example has a cross sectional area of 0.22mm². In America, the
commonest system is the AWG numbering scheme, where the numbers are
applied not only to individual strands but also to equivalent size
bunches of smaller strands. For example 24AWG could be made of 1
strands of 24AWG wire (1/24) or 7 strands of 32 AWG wire (7/32).


For a good AWG calculator see:
http://www.technick.net/public/code/...=util_awg_calc

I once went to a job site and offered a cold 12 pack to an electricen to
pull a new leg to my panel, maybe you can get lucky and get a ground
wire crimped on.
Jr




http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutc...oodWorkingPage

http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/CARWRECK

http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/BUGS

Or drill and run new ground,if that's legel for a home owner to do ?
Jr




http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutc...oodWorkingPage

http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/CARWRECK

http://community.webtv.net/awoodbutcher/BUGS

drb wrote:
On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:14:39 -0500, George
wrote:

drb wrote:
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"

Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.
Contrary to bigbox marketing it is a good idea to get your help
elsewhere. Using a split bolt is totally unacceptable according to the
NEC.

250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation.

(C) Continuous Run. The grounding electrode conductor, which runs to any
convenient grounding electrode [250.64(F)], must not be spliced, except
as permitted in (1) through (3): Figure 250–112

(1) Splicing is permitted by irreversible compression-type connectors
listed for grounding or by exothermic welding.
(2) Sections of busbars can be connected together to form a grounding
electrode conductor.
(3) Bonding and grounding electrode conductors are permitted to
terminate to a busbar that is sized not smaller than 1?4 x 2 in., and
the busbar must be securely fastened in place at an accessible location.
Connections must be made by a listed connector or by the exothermic
welding process. Figure 250–113


I'm no electrical engineer so I'm a bit at a loss to fully understand
all tho I understand some and it seems to be the same thing as the
other post John has said. I may have to reconsider what I did today
but I thank you for the informative reply (even if some is above
my head). Thank you.

This is just a set of rules that electricians follow. Essentially it is
saying the joint has to be permanent/irreversible. A split bolt is not
suitable. I quoted the whole subsection. 250.64 (C) (1) applies to what
you are doing.

As far as big box clerks knowing something there is a slight chance that
someone may be qualified. This is not bashing those folks because it is
just big box marketing to give customers the warm and fuzzies that all
of the slightly above minimum wage employees are "experts".

John Grabowski wrote:
drb wrote in message ...

I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.

A split bolt connector is NOT an acceptable means to splice a grounding
conductor to a ground rod. You can rent a crimper and make a permanent
irreversible splice that way or buy an exothermic welding kit to weld the
wire together. The best way to go is to replace the wire altogether. Also
#6 is the minimum code approved size for a ground rod wire. Please stop
getting your advice from Home Depot.

Never get advice from a Home Depot employee who is talkative or
cheerful, but the grumpy, reticent employees know what they're talking
about since they're usually licensed contractors working there
parttime.

On Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:38:24 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:36:02 -0600, drb wrote:

On Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:48:33 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:28:31 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:


drb wrote in message ...
I have a grounding cable coming out of the side of a brick house and
it can't be pulled thru to make any longer so I'm stuck with the
length provided. It detached from the grounding rod and appears now
to no longer be able to reach it. Can these cables be spliced so I
can extend them say another foot and with what? Any idea what type
cable these are or what do I call them if I buy in, say home depot?
Do I just call them a grounding cable or are there different types of
grounding cables? Meanwhile I'll google around. Appreciate the
replies.



It is probably a #6 or #4 stranded or solid copper wire. You can use
stranded or solid bare or insulated. The stranded is easier to work with.
It cannot be spliced through conventional means. You should just install
a
new wire. If you use insulated wire, wrap the entire length with green
electrical tape to identify it as a grounding conductor. I have had to
replace a few grounding conductors over the years because people thought
that they were cutting into their cable TV wire.


Thanks John. I called a local homedepot and they said #8 was the most
common around here because it's the most flexible compared to #6 or
#4. I know I have an insulated stranded wire. One person at a store
told me #8 is rated for 55 amp which I know the house has more amps so
I'm not sure how they design this ground wire. Two stores told me
that I can splice this stuff with a split bolt connector but I have no
idea what it is till I google it or go to the store. They said all it
takes is a screw driver to work on it.



A split bolt connector is NOT an acceptable means to splice a grounding
conductor to a ground rod. You can rent a crimper and make a permanent
irreversible splice that way or buy an exothermic welding kit to weld the
wire together. The best way to go is to replace the wire altogether. Also
#6 is the minimum code approved size for a ground rod wire. Please stop
getting your advice from Home Depot.


Is the #6 go by any other name or nomenclature? I saw something like
AWG wire but not sure how this relates here. I may reconsider tho I
made the repair earlier today. Thanks.


AWG means American Wire Gauge. So AWG6 or 6AWG is number 6 wire in
North America. #6 is 0.162", or 4.11 mm, or 13.3 mm^2 elsewhere in the
world.

In Europe, wire sizes are expressed in cross sectional area in mm² and
also as the number of strands of wires of a diameter expressed in mm.
For example 7/0.2 means 7 strands of wire each 0.2mm diameter. This
example has a cross sectional area of 0.22mm². In America, the
commonest system is the AWG numbering scheme, where the numbers are
applied not only to individual strands but also to equivalent size
bunches of smaller strands. For example 24AWG could be made of 1
strands of 24AWG wire (1/24) or 7 strands of 32 AWG wire (7/32).


For a good AWG calculator see:
http://www.technick.net/public/code/...=util_awg_calc

Thank you. Appreciate the good info