Residential Electrical Panel Grounding Requirements

Grounding of the electr ical service at the main water line must be within the first 5 of water piping into the building.

Residential electrical panel grounding requirements.

Grounding shall consist of a continuous grounding electrode conductor run from the panel to a grounding electrode. Concrete encased electrode footing rebar c. Most local codes are based on the national electrical code nec a document that lays out required practices for all aspects of residential and commercial electrical. Electrical codes are in place to protect you the homeowner.

1 a grounding electrode system shall bond to one of the following items if they are available 2003 irc e3508 1. According to the national electrical code or nec a ground system should have a grounding resistance of 25 ohms or less. Although the piping system is bonded to the ground through your main electrical service panel the panel grounding and the piping bonding are unrelated when it comes to function. These general guidelines will give you the basics of what electrical inspectors are looking for when they review both remodeling projects and new installations.

For this discussion we will be referring to a residential home where a 120 240 volt single phase 200 amp electrical supply from a cooperative transformer is delivered. Wide three feet deep and six feet eight inches high in the national electric code. Second the main electrical panel must be grounded to a grounding electrode such as a ground rod or rods driven into the earth near the foundation of your house. Here s a good rule of thumb.

These clearances are designed to protect the person working on the panel. Residential electrical code examples for grounding. If you can t park a refrigerator in front of the panel you don t have enough working space. A residential grounding electrode is an 8 foot length of copper rod driven into the ground outside the home and connected to the neutral side of the main panel with a copper cable.

The grounding wire that runs from your electrical panel to grounding electrode helps even out voltage increases that often occur because of lightning and. Achieving this may require more than one ground rod. The various types of grounding electrodes the systems that have to be bonded and a thorough discussion on why bonding is performed. Metal underground water pipe unless it is further than five feet from the building b.