Ah, well shoot. Sorry to everyone for getting worked up. Sorry George. But maybe you could go ahead and answer my technical questions. Especially… how are residential systems always grounded, even when no grounding components are installed? Tell us how an inspector should describe a home with no grounding components at all as a grounded system. And tell us how when the inspector who gets sued after putting into his report what you recommend, how you’re going to be there in court to explain your theory to everyone.
So George,
Maybe you could explain that?
The system is grounded at the utility transformer whether or not any grounding components exist at the panel in the home. That’s what George is referencing, all residential systems are grounded. So even if there were no grounding electrodes in the house the system is still grounded. The most important component in the house panel is the main bonding jumper (MBJ) that connects all of the electrical system’s metal components directly the the neutral.
Similar to this although many systems use only 4 wires with the neutral being shared on the primary and secondary.
I understand that Robert.
My objection is that a lot of new guys read these threads and although we want inspectors to understand how electrons actually move through a home system, we don’t want new inspectors describing homes with no grounding components at all as grounded systems, implying that the home has a grounding electrode connected to the service, connected to all the devices, the neutral at the sub panel and everything bonded together like one big happy family.
George has been an electrical instructor for InterNACHI, he’s widely respected and I thought his statement was out of line and counter-productive. But maybe I was too.
No problem. I was merely answering your previous question about the system. You are certainly correct that it is possible that the equipment in the house is missing grounding components but the system which originates at the utility supply is always grounded. I believe that George was making that point.
1 Like