Forums New posts Search forums. What's new New posts. Log in Register. Search titles only. Search Advanced search…. New posts. Search forums. Log in. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Thread starter dielectricunion Start date May 23, Location Bloomington IN.
I'm getting very confused after running into what I believe to be a totally sketchy and incorrect installation of a subpanel on a residential property.
Electrician says it is grounded because he drove a ground rod. Is this acceptable? My understanding of the code says no. My understanding of the way electrical systems works says no.
I've found several things "online" that say I am wrong, including "ask the electrician". Installing a Sub Panel for a Detached Building Do I need to run a ground wire for a amp sub panel that is feet away from the main panel?
There needs to be a 4 wire feeder, using a ground rod to provide equipment grounding is extremely dangerous. Older installations prior to the NEC allowed 3 wire feeders but the neutral was bonded to provide equipment grounding. The electrician who just installed the whole thing says he always does this on pools and even if there was an inspection no permits they would definitely pass Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Look at An equipment grounding conductor, #3 feeder wire free download described in The equipment grounding conductor shall be used for grounding or bonding of equipment, structures, or frames required to be grounded or bonded.
The equipment grounding conductor shall be sized in accordance with Any installed grounded conductor shall not be connected to the equipment grounding conductor or to the grounding electrode s.
Click to expand Not incorrectly bonding the grounds and neutrals is even more dangerous than bonding them would be. Ask him what will happen if a hot wire accidentally touches what should be a grounded surface? Hint: "The breaker will trip" is NOT correct; the earth is not capable of passing enough current.
Location NoDak. The question now become, how does a HO convince the hired "electrician" that his installation is not code compliant I find it scary that this electrician is wiring pools. Location Fl Occupation Electrician. Little Bill Moderator Staff member. Even scarier is apparently no inspector is catching it. That's if a permit is even pulled! Little Bill said:. #3 feeder wire free download recommended abandoning the buried SEU triplex and running a new 2" conduit with 4 wire but basically said we'd prefer not to be involved in that pool situation.
They hired a 3rd electrical contractor to finish that up. They agreed that it needed a ground but said there's no reason it needed to be in conduit.
Their fix was running a 6 solid bare wire all the way from the cabana sub panel with the feeder. This was #3 feeder wire free download copper buried under ground for over 60 feet.
Isn't that going to degrade? I know it's common to have a bare copper GEC running a short length around ground level to the rod but this seems lime it should have been insulated single conductor rated for direct burial. Maybe I should be happy we didn't have to deal with it and stop criticizing everyone! You can run a solid copper conductor for the EGC but it must be in the same trench as the feeder conductors. Bare copper conductors are permitted to the buried in the earth.
So for this installation you would #3 feeder wire free download to dig up the entire run of the 3 wire feeder and lay the EGC in the same trench for it to be code complaint. You also said a amp sub-panel with 2 aluminum, 2 Al is only good for 90 amps. All conductors of the same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductor and #3 feeder wire free download equipment grounding conductors shall be installed in the same raceway or cable or shall be installed in close proximity in the same trench.
The electrode in the ground does 'ground' the subpanel. However the soil is not an effective fault current path. An EGC must be run with the circuit it protects, so at a minimum the triplex needs to be dug up to install the required and missing EGC.
At which point I personally would go with the conduit install. The one situation where this is compliant if it is a A feeder coming off of a A service, since the feeder conductors do not need to be larger than the service conductors. This site is run by a guy who is running somewhat of a miseducation business. He #3 feeder wire free download instructs people to do what I saw on this job. He claims to be a licensed electrician and educator for #3 feeder wire free download years.
Location NE Nebraska. Cow Senior Member. Location Eastern Oregon Occupation Electrician. We recommended abandoning the buried SEU triplex. I emailed him telling him he needs to #3 feeder wire free download that ASAP. I know this is a old post but I really never understood that. I know that if a 2 AL is feeding a amp sub panel that supplies the entire load of a dwelling it's acceptable because of the diversity. And if you feed a amp sub panel from a main amp panel then the feeders doesn't need to be any larger than the service conductors.
But you still could possibly have 99 amps on the 2 AL feeding the sub panel. You must log in or register to reply here.
