Residential Electrical Panel Grounding Requirements

Residential electrical code examples for grounding.

Residential electrical panel grounding requirements. Achieving this may require more than one ground rod. The grounding wire that runs from your electrical panel to grounding electrode helps even out voltage increases that often occur because of lightning and. If you can t park a refrigerator in front of the panel you don t have enough working space. Its job is to.

According to the national electrical code or nec a ground system should have a grounding resistance of 25 ohms or less. Concrete encased electrode footing rebar c. 1 a grounding electrode system shall bond to one of the following items if they are available 2003 irc e3508 1. These clearances are designed to protect the person working on the panel.

Metal underground water pipe unless it is further than five feet from the building b. 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. A premise s electrical service shall be connected to a grounding electrode system consisting of a metal underground water pipe in direct contact with earth for 10 feet or more if available on the premises and a supplemental electrode a rod pipe or plate electrode an additional electrode shall supplement the buried water pipe electrode. Grounding shall consist of a continuous grounding electrode conductor run from the panel to a grounding electrode.

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. 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. 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. A service panel requires a working clearance that s 30 in.

The various types of grounding electrodes the systems that have to be bonded and a thorough discussion on why bonding is performed. Here s a good rule of thumb. Electrical codes are in place to protect you the homeowner. Wide three feet deep and six feet eight inches high in the national electric code.