Complicated and need answer

[Frank Magdefrau]

Originally Posted by wdecker

Doing a 4 unit, older rental unit, today.

(See http://www.nachi.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28565 for more "fun" details.)

Normal drop and a 4 meter box on the exterior. 4 SEs (NMT) going to the 4 panels under the back porch basement walkin.

1) Ground was taken from a water pipe that was on the downstream side of one of the 4 water heaters. Suretest had the ground impedance at the best recepticle at 7.3 ohms. The main water line was at the front of the building, some 45 feet away.
2) This "ground electrode condutor" entered the first panel and was connected to the neutral bus (Challanger, 100 amp panels).
3) The neutral bus was bonded to the panel enclosure with one of those little clips.
4) The three remaining panels had the neutral bus bonded to the panel boxes.
5) All the panels were connected with EMT, that was properly bonded to the panel boxes.

Was ground continuity proper? Where all the panels "service equipment"? Is the bonding of the panels, only through the EMT enough?

Sorry, no pictures. (Hey! Learn to be verbally decriptive.)

Comments?

Seems to me that proper continuity ground would only be on the main water line side. Yes to the rest of your questions.

[Richard L. Bennett]

Will

Once again is this how you would do it if you were the owner?

Workmanship, code, and the law of physic must all come into play

The impeadance issue and the "hot water" ground plus how it was wired (if I understand your words of wit) are not acceptible and that is my OPINION

It is a safety issue esp if someone changes out the hot water tank

Yes I understand that a ground will be supplied from hot to cold if some of the fixtures are supplied by metal pipes

A diagram and some pix would help just to make sure we are all on the same page

rlb