Home > categories > Minerals & Metallurgy > Copper Pipes > electric is ground to my copper pipes i want to go with plastic pipes?
Question:

electric is ground to my copper pipes i want to go with plastic pipes?

i updated my electric box it is ground with a copper wire going outside and to the water meter can i reroute my ground wire to either one thanks

Answer:

in pa the meter needs grounded on both sides i did mine on the adapters, and ground rods outside
u definitly need to drive a ground rod outside by the meter if you don't already have one. one rod will will work just fine. take a number 6 bare copper wire from the rod to your ground bar in the panel. also, where your water line comes into the house? is that going to be plastic as well? if you are just changing the water lines in the house to plastic but the main coming in is going to remain copper, you should run a ground wire from your panel to that as well. if not a ground rod outside will do.
Depending upon the age of your home you should also have a copper wire going from the meter base to a driven grounding electrode in the earth near the meter base. Water pipe grounding is in addition to the grounding electrode. If you are replacing all of the pipe in your house with plastic it will not have to be grounded. However if you are leaving any copper pipe in the house or buried in the earth coming to the house it needs to be bonded to the panel. If you have no driven grounding electrode it can be an 8 ft. 5/8 inch thick galvanized rod or copper rod if you choose and can be driven at a 45 degree to 90 degree angle. Any less angle and it will not meet code. The grounding electrode conductor must be continuous and not spliced between the meter base and the connection to the ground rod (electrode) The connection at the electrode must be made with a suitable grounding clamp that is rated for direct ground burial. Do not enclose the conductor in metal pipe going down the wall to the rod or you will open other codes requirements. You may enlcose it in PVC electrical conduit with causing other codes issue to arise. The NEC requires at least a #6 AWG grounding electrode conductor but most power companies in the US require you to upsize it to a # 4 AWG

Share to: