Electrical- Grounding, any cold water pipe OK or needs to be at entrance to house?
Hi,
I have installed a new electrical panel. I have it grounded to the grounding rod, but it also needs a second ground. Can I ground it to any cold water pipe, or does it need to be where the water enters the house? Thanks for your time.
pb4sc
I’m not an electrician, but please, only listen to advice that tells you to ground to a water pipe as well.. I’ve checked by reference book "The complete guide to home wiring" and it states you should always ground to a metal water pipe – in addition to the grounding rod. It doesn’t specify a location, nor does it explain the electrical theory, but it serves to provide an additional pathway for electrical current that is flowing haywire as a result of a short, etc. It, as well as a grounding rod (minimum 8 feet into the earth) will accomodate this power surge to prevent fire, damage, etc…
Also, it makes sense to ground the water pipe nearest the spot where the pipe decends into the ground. If you do so, I’d wrap another copper wire on the pipe before the meter box and position it into the earth. Just another means of drawing the current away from the meter box and potential damage to the meter.