pasadena_commut
DIY
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Short version: does code specify a minimum distance from the panel to the first grounding rod, and if so, what is that distance?
Long version:
Our house (built in the late 1950's) has an electrical system which is grounded to the water system. There is a grounding cable that runs straight down from the panel and clamps onto a galvanized pipe that comes through the wall there and connects to some sprinkler valves. That isn't really the ground though as there are no more than 5 ft. of galvanized pipe in the ground there. The actual ground is on the other side of the house where the galvanized pipe comes out of the house, down into the dirt and runs from there 50' or so out to the curb.
We need to replace the line from the house to the curb soon, and the galvanized pipe will eventually become PEX, so the current grounding system isn't going to cut it going forward. I want to add a second ground to that panel by attaching it to two 8' grounding rods, with heavy copper wire going from the panel, to the first rod, then more than 6' to a second rod. (Because no way am I going to try to do the specified resistance test for a single rod.) The existing ground wire would remain for now, to continue grounding the galvanized (until it becomes PEX).
What I'm trying to determine is if code requires the first rod to be within a minimum distance of the panel. The first "convenient" place to drive in a rod is about 6' to the right of the existing grounding point. This would be in California, and some of the information relative to this put up by various cities is a little odd. For instance:
says:
The ground rod must be within the first five feet of water piping into the building.
which makes very little sense if the water piping in the house is plastic and the entrance for that water is all the way across the house from the panel.
Thanks.
Long version:
Our house (built in the late 1950's) has an electrical system which is grounded to the water system. There is a grounding cable that runs straight down from the panel and clamps onto a galvanized pipe that comes through the wall there and connects to some sprinkler valves. That isn't really the ground though as there are no more than 5 ft. of galvanized pipe in the ground there. The actual ground is on the other side of the house where the galvanized pipe comes out of the house, down into the dirt and runs from there 50' or so out to the curb.
We need to replace the line from the house to the curb soon, and the galvanized pipe will eventually become PEX, so the current grounding system isn't going to cut it going forward. I want to add a second ground to that panel by attaching it to two 8' grounding rods, with heavy copper wire going from the panel, to the first rod, then more than 6' to a second rod. (Because no way am I going to try to do the specified resistance test for a single rod.) The existing ground wire would remain for now, to continue grounding the galvanized (until it becomes PEX).
What I'm trying to determine is if code requires the first rod to be within a minimum distance of the panel. The first "convenient" place to drive in a rod is about 6' to the right of the existing grounding point. This would be in California, and some of the information relative to this put up by various cities is a little odd. For instance:
says:
The ground rod must be within the first five feet of water piping into the building.
which makes very little sense if the water piping in the house is plastic and the entrance for that water is all the way across the house from the panel.
Thanks.
