My understanding is that if the water pipe is ferrous metal for a certain length into the soil - I think 10 or 15 ft. - then it is an NEC compliant grounding electrode.
Not the easiest thing to confirm on a retrofit. If we can't find an existing ground-rod we drive one ourselves. Andrew Truitt Standard Solar Inc. On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 11:00 PM, Nick Soleil <[email protected]>wrote: > The primary reason to ground water pipes is to provide a path to ground > in case an ungrounded conductor shorts out against water pipes or equipment > in a water system. Have you ever been shocked by touching a sink, instant > shower heater in Central America, or touching water in a poorly wired > house? It is not so uncommon for a person to become the shortest path to > ground. It is good practice to bond the water system to the grounding > electrode or other grounding conductor. > > Nick Soleil > Project Manager > Advanced Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC > PO Box 657 > Petaluma, CA 94953 > Cell: 707-321-2937 > Office: 707-789-9537 > Fax: 707-769-9037 > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Ryan LeBlanc <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Wed, January 6, 2010 3:00:45 PM > > *Subject:* [RE-wrenches] Water Pipes as Grounding Electrodes > > I've had so much conflicting input on the points of Grounding Water pipes > or > using them as Grounding Electrodes for systems in places like New York and > San Francisco. > > Could someone be kind enough to set me straight on the intentions, > functions > and applications of this? > > Ryan J. LeBlanc > NABCEPT Certified Solar PV Installer > Cell: 707.591.1950 > Direct: 707.536.9839 > [email protected] > http://www.NaturalEnergyWorks.com > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Home Power magazine > > List Address: [email protected] > > Options & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List-Archive: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out participant bios: > www.members.re-wrenches.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > List sponsored by Home Power magazine > > List Address: [email protected] > > Options & settings: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List-Archive: > http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org > > List rules & etiquette: > www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm > > Check out participant bios: > www.members.re-wrenches.org > > > -- "Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an enormous fusion reactor safely banked a few million miles from us. It delivers more than we could ever use in just about 8 minutes. And it's wireless!" ~William McDonough
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