Unable to confirm proper ground..

[gmathias]

An unusually high number of homes that I have seen over the last month or so have a grounding electrode that exits the foundation and enters the earth. No stake...No anything. I don't know if this is a part of a Ufer ground or some other system that I can not determine. I indicate "unable to confirm proper grounding" on my reports, but I wish I could provide a better statement. Any suggestions

[smcarthur]

The photo is kinda small, but that looks like a regular 8' driven ground rod. Or is it rebar from the foundation? Hard to tell from the photo.

[Greg Fretwell]

The rod may be driven below grade. That is OK

[gmathias]

Sorry about the size of the pic. There is a 4 awg copper wire going into the earth. Yes, it's probably attached to a rod somewhere, but I dug down about 6 to 8 inches and didn't find a rod.

[smcarthur]

That looks like a water pipe clamp. If so, to what is it attached?

[gmathias]

The wire enters the earth, no clamp, no stake.

[Paul W. Abernathy]

Are you able to find the other end of it into the ground....some mistake the # 4 in 20' lengths as a proper grounding method.....while it would be in the foundation of concrete....not in the ground itself.

So I would say what you have listed on your reports based on the lack of information is about all you can put at this time.

[Joseph Hagarty]

Not Inspected / (followed by a description of the limitation)

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

I have found on more than one occasion, the conductor going into the soil without any kind of rod or clamp, Period. Also routinely find the "water pipe" clamp is completely disentagrated or only small pieces left, or extremely corroded because the "Weaver" clamp is not made for burial or wet enviroment.

[gmathias]

What do you report when you see the ground wire entering the ground? Do you recommend evaluation by an electrician?

[smcarthur]

Since the ground rod is driven before the landscaping is completed, it may be that the ground rod was buried below the finished grade by several feet of soil.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

I tug real hard on the conductor. If it can't be pulled up, I assume it's attached to a buried ground rod.

When I can't confirm a ground, I say: "We could not determine the point at which the panel is grounded. Typically, this ground is to a driven ground rod, a water pipe located at the main, at a water heater, or to a hose bib, but we could not find it at any of these locations. Therefore, it should be traced by an electrician or the panel should be regrounded."

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

"We could not determine the point at which the panel is grounded. Typically, this ground is to a driven ground rod, a water pipe located at the main, at a water heater, or to a hose bib, but we could not find it at any of these locations. Therefore, it should be traced by an electrician or the panel should be regrounded."

I'm not sure if this is a real issue or no big deal, but I would consider re-wording this. An attachment to a ground rod or metallic water pipe at the main would be a grounding electrode (although neither actually "ground" the panel).
The connections at a water heater, hose bib, or anywhere other than the water main are simply the water bond. Again, this does not serve to ground anything.

I know it is just semantics, and most homeowners have no clue, but it is technically incorrect.

[Doug Edwards, CMI]

kind of like "outlet" and "receptacle"

[Speedy Petey]

Originally Posted by dedwards

kind of like "outlet" and "receptacle"

True, but a little more important.