Jimmie D wrote:

"Bud--" wrote in message
...

Jimmie D wrote:

"Thomas Horne" wrote in message
link.net...

And my point is that your opinion does not jibe with the National
Electric Code.
--
Tom Horne


Please Tom, tell me in what way that the grounding system should be
sufficent on its own and not having to rely on the plumbing to provide
grounding for an electrical system in violation of the NEC.

In violation of the NEC?? Underground metal water pipe was a required
electrode in the oldest NEC I have, 1968, and I think it has been required
since shortly after Columbus ‘discovered America’.



Also please tell me how you intend to prevent the scenario I discribed
where the ground system was completely disconnected from the home when
the well's metal plumbing was replaced with plastic.


My point exactly, and who is going to replace the pipe, definately not an
electrician that will make sure the ground system is maintained.


No one needs to replace the pipe. The system has a "supplemental"
electrode - that is why the "supplemental" electrode is REQUIRED. The
effectiveness of the grounding electrode system is reduced to what you
wanted without the water pipe. With ground rods for the "supplemental"
electrode that effectiveness is rather low. With a "concrete encased"
electrode now generally required, the effectiveness is pretty good.

--
bud--



For that very reason the NEC requires a “supplemental” electrode. As the
“NEC Handbook” makes clear, the supplemental electrode is not required
because metal water pipe is a bad electrode, only because it may be
replaced in the future by plastic.

The supplemental electrode was commonly one or two ground rods. Rods are a
little better than nothing - a rod-to-earth resistance of 25 ohms is
considered acceptable, or install 2 and resistance doesn’t matter. With a
supplemental rod, if an underground metal water pipe is replaced with
plastic a good grounding electrode system becomes a poor system.

The 2005 NEC generally requires adding a “concrete encased electrode” in
new construction . This is actually a decent electrode.