The electrical outlets in my basement don‘t have grounds built in, so i have to use an adapter to plug in my electronics, I was wondering if it was ok to run the ground wire to the copper water pipes in my basement.
Pipes should be grounded but used as a ground, people have been known to get an electrical shock. The purpose of a ground is to protect the person from becoming part of the electric circuit, your electronics do know the differance, For safety I encourage you to instal GFI's near any water source and outside outlets.
Len B has the best answer. You need to run a wire (the same size as the neutral and hot) preferably green from the panel ground/neutral bar. You can also tap off of another outlet or box that is close by that has a ground in it already. The exsisting ground wire must be the same size or bigger then the wire you need for the outlet. If your outlets in your basement are in metal pipe and in a metal box, you can take a wire from the back of the box to the outlet using a green ground screw. BUT only if the pipe extends back to the panel box or another grounded junction box. Not advisable to use the water pipe however if you are sure the pipe will never be disconnected or changed to plastic and the pipe is bonded(grounded) to the panel ground it will work. But I advise upgrading the wiring on the home. DO NOT drive a seperate ground rod for the outlets. The ground must have a path back to the neutral bar in the main panel.
The national electric code states that all conductors of a circuit must be run together. Why not rewire the receptacle outlets with new wire with a ground and three prong receptacles? In any case, you want to run the ground to the electric panel and ground it to the ground buss with the other grounds. Not to water pipes or ground rods. A ground needs to be a low impedance path back to the source. The earth is not a low impedance path.
