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Grounding Questions

6K views 61 replies 10 participants last post by  Dante711 
#1 ·
Hey everyone I am new here and I figured I would sign up to learn some more about electrical work as I am pursuing an interest in getting an electrical license. First off let me start by saying I do have familiarity with electrical panels and HVAC work and have done several different jobs handling live circuits. I am very safe about it and my questions are only to help me grasp a firm understanding of how things work instead of trying to do my own project currently with a possible hazard. Basically I would like to know some more about grounding the meter box and main panels. I am going to spell out what I think is correct and if someone could just tell me if I am right or wrong or any other helpful advice that is correct and by code only.

From what I understand when you install say a 200 amp service in a home you must ground the entire system with 2 ground rods spaced 6 feet apart and must be 8 feet long with a maximum of 6" showing out of the ground. When the power company runs the service cable into the meter from a typical overhead service there is 2 hot wires and a neutral. The 2 neutral lugs in the meter are attached to the box itself for grounding purposes, is this correct? To correctly ground this meter it is my understanding that you will have a lug inside the meter for a ground connection which you will put a #6 solid copper wire unspliced from that lug in the meter down to a ground rod and from there to another ground rod with correct clamps being used. I know depending upon manufacturers I have found all kinds of panels that didnt have all the essential grounding kits with it and some must be bought separately. Does this apply for meters also? I dont really have much time spent inside a meter box and the last time was several years ago so I cant remember if there are lugs for grounding or not. I read on some forum of a guy suggesting hooking the #6 with the neutral on the load side on the same lug, is that ever done because that doesnt seem right to me at all. So if you do not ground at the meter and ground at the main panel how would you go about doing this? I am a little confused to which cable to run from the meter to the main panel in certain circumstances whether it be SEU or SER, how do you know what to run and also where would you hook the #6 copper in the main panel to ground efficiently? Sorry for so many questions but the NEC is very direct but can be hard to interpret and navigate at times so I wanted to get some professional opinions with someone I can talk to. Thanks for any response, I am sure i'll have some more questions later on but I really want to understanding these grounding principles first.
 
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#45 ·
alright im pretty sure i have a definite understanding of when to use 3 or 4 conductor cables and how they hook up. i just got home so i will find out why you need to hook the #6 bare ground to the neutral bar instead of the ground bar now..i know the specifications from when you actually bring the wire to the ground but am definitely not sure about the end inside the panel but i will do my best to find that out. thanks
 
#46 ·
ok i have an answer! im going to say it must be attached to the neutral bar because it is the way for electricity to go back to its source. By putting it on the neutral bar you limit alot of other connections for the electricity to return if there should ever be any type of issue. it would be the most sensible and direct area to do it. but all in all the electricity must go back to its source at the transformer and so forth. is that right?
 
#47 ·
The neutral provides the return current path to the transformer. In normal operation of residential power there is no current (or voltage) in the ground wires. In fact, at the main panel, all the grounds and neutrals are tied together. But there it is, that big piece of bare copper, connecting the neutral bar to earth, but wait, that neutral bar is connected to the transformer center tap and case:eek:
 
#48 ·
so just to hear a definite answer, my answer was right, correct? ill tell you it seems like alot of these principles would contradict themselves at face value until you really get down to detail and think about it in a deeper perspective. i feel like i have made a little progress today despite everything that has happened. there are plenty of people out there that can wire anything you ask them to but do not understand at all what is going on. i do not want to be one of these people and i do have some knowledge about how things work past the main breaker but like i have said before this area was really where i didnt get much experience so this is pretty much new to me, at least alot of the principles we have discussed. im sure knowing these basic concepts will help me to make more sense of other things i already knew or partially understood.
 
#49 ·
The GEC and ground rod(s) are there to help dissipate voltage transients i.e. lightning strikes.
Think about this. You wire up a 20 amp circuit with 6 receptacles and bring that 12-2 into the panel and end up connecting the ground wire to the same bar as the neutral wire. The path back to the transformer is the neutral wire not the ground rod. There is another role of the ground system, it earth references the house electrical.
 
#51 ·
Sounds to me like the guy is ambitious and is probably building his own house somewhere in a rural area where inspections may be lax. Probably trying to bootleg his panel and meter and doesn't really know how and you guys are showing him how to be dishonest and circumvent the rules and regulations. He'll be gone when he gets enough answers to finally turn his lights on.
 
#52 ·
are you kidding me man?? please keep it moving and dont post here if thats what you have to say. i dont know of many people even building houses where im at which used to be one of the fastest growing counties just a few years ago much less a 20 year old building a house! my money goes towards college and my bills, the last thing im interested in is building a house. i am genuinely here for knowledge, if i wanted to know how to rig a meter and main panel i could get that info easily from a variety of sources. some people amaze me.
 
#54 ·
definitely not. i dont care if you want to believe me or not but what you are suggesting is way out of line really. think what you want but im trying to get this thread on the topic of electrical grounding and other applications so i can learn.
 
#57 ·
i will find the answer to those questions later today, i have to go into work now and will be there for awhile but i will figure it out. and as far as the out of line goes..i actually appreciate someone showing me the so called "rough" way to explain things because that is all i have ever had to deal with when i worked for my uncle. he definitely made sure i knew if wasnt for the faint of heart. however there comes a point where it kind of seemed like it was intentional rather than for good reasoning, maybe it was the fact so many people were being that way but it could be viewed as being a little harsh. nevertheless before another debate occurs i dont care, im just glad that the thread has gone back to an actual relevant topic and id like it to stay there.
 
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