Originally Posted By: fbartlo
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be a good grounding electrode conection for the panel. I would have had to tear into walls and/or break up concrete to find out visually.
The only way I could think to test the integrity of the ground would involve disconnecting the ground wire and testing the voltage between a hot wire in the panel and the disconnected ground wire, which I was obviously loath to do, even if the owner had OK'd it.
Aside from a few miswired outlets (non-grounded 3-hole, reversed polarity, etc.), the system was working fine, old as it was.
On my report I intend to state that there may or may not be a good ground for the panel, and recommend evaluation by an electrician to determine the status of the panel grounding.
The client and owner wanted me to diagnose the situation, but I essentially told them I don't dismantle working equipment.
Any other ideas or recommendations on how to handle this sort of thing?
Is there a simple way to test it without disconnecting wires in the panel?
How would an electrician test it?
Do any of you have any brief, plain English wording you use in reports to describe why the panel grounding is important?