Actually Gary, thats exactly what you do.
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NEC article 250.112 (M) Metal Well Casings. Where a submersible pump is used in a metal well casing, the well casing shall be bonded to the pump circuit equipment grounding conductor.
This is only true if the underground pipe going from the well casing to the house was metal.
The reason why pumps and casings are required to be grounded now and not back in the day is safety. Gary, I think you are smart enough to understand that.
The reason it was even required is that pump guys would start the pump up out of the well for testing and guys were getting hurt/killed. So here we are today, and you still argue that its not needed.
Chris, argue? I made a statement. And why do you feel you have a need to keep talking down to me?
I'm pretty sure you've never worked on a well or submersible pump or you wouldn't be asking about the cable I mentioned.
It's been about 5 years since I read a code, that was just before I stopped well work, but what I recall about the need for 'grounding' to the casing was to provide the building a better ground and the gauge of the wire was stated which was IIRC at least #4 solid copper. So maybe something has been added since then or it wasn't the NEC I read but... The code also calls for the metal water line if this and if that, be used as the buildings ground electrode and yet now you say no grounding of the well casing IF the water line is metal. In a previous thread in another forum when we got into this subject you said the casing and the water in the well wasn't a good enough ground or the right ground. It seems you misstated that.
You go on about the safety, yet I have never heard of any driller or pump guy or plumber etc. being harmed, let alone killed, by running a pump test with the pump out of the well. So show me some evidence if you can; maybe you sparkies are starting to work on wells and got scared? And maybe explain why it took 30-40 years for the deaths and injuries to cause a rewrite of the grounding codes. Also, do you really think drillers and pump guys wouldn't experience or hear of the problem over that time and add the ground themselves since it could kill them? I don't.
I think the reason for the ground pig tail on pumps, and the code, may be that metal casing is on its way out and plastic is replacing it.
But anyway, how is this (two strands) of 12 to 8 gauge stranded ground wire supposed to be attached to the casing in a way that the conductivity will remain intact for decades? If you don't know, the casing is usually 3/16" or 1/4" mild steel that rusts readily in the enclosed humid environment inside the casing under the casing cap. How about on the outside since I'm not sure how you'd attach the ground (two strands remember) inside the round casing that has an ID of only 4"-6" with some being 8"?
Using the power cable out at the casing, to provide a temporary ground I've grounded my circuit breaker for my pump puller machine and any 3 wire pump control box to casings with a 1/4" self tapping metal screw after shinning up the outside of the casing but, without a serious effort, even if painted, it probably would not make a good ground after only a year. So how is this ground supposed to be attached and stay viable?
