Questions tagged [grounding]

Grounding (also called earthing) refers to the practice of providing an un-energized path back to the main neutral. This is done to allow any electrical faults to flow into that circuit, instead of anyone touching the fault. Use with the [electrical] tag.

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Telco ground: meter panel vs service panel

My meter panel connects to an exterior service panel on the back of my house via a short stretch of NM conduit. The service panel has my main breaker and ties neutral to a grounding wire bonded to a ...
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How should I connect ground wires for new ceiling fan?

I am replacing a ceiling fan in a house we just bought. The current box for the fan has 3 sets of wires coming into it, one for the switch and 2 for the outlets. However, the ground wires are were ...
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AFCI receptacles vs GFCI receptacles for non-grounded outlets

I'm replacing a few 2-prong receptacles in an old house, and all these outlets do not have ground wires. Cost for rewiring is too much and I'm thinking about using GFCI / AFCI receptacles instead. My ...
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What is the appropriate fitting to connect an armored cable to this stand-alone receptacle product?

I have a pre-existing #6-3 armored cable (without a separate ground conductor), as shown here: I am replacing the range this was connected to, and would like to provide a 4-wire connection via a 14-...
rhymes_with_dorange's user avatar
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Retrofit ground wire from water main ground

I am replacing an old oven. It is currently wired with 3 wire (AL SE cable) and has no dedicated ground run. I would like to install a proper 4 wire outlet for the new range. Am I allowed to use the ...
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Can I use the metal cladding of a cable as ground for this range installation?

I have a pre-existing #6-3 cable (without ground) with metal cladding on a 50-A two-pole circuit that was wired into a range. As shown in the photo, this cable has only black, red, and white ...
rhymes_with_dorange's user avatar
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Neutral and ground seperation at a sub-panel

Could someone explain to me why the neutral and ground bars are never bonded on a sub panel? It's my understanding that the reason they're separated is so that the current returning on the neutral ...
user0013's user avatar
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Grounding in 250v & 125v

My comment is more of a question regarding the mechanics of a problem I have. It is not theory or math. I have that down pretty good. Here is the problem: let's start at the power source. We have the ...
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GEC and NM cable through same hole?

I'm replacing old 240v wiring in our home and the grounding electrode conductor was put through the same hole in the stud as the 240v cable was. I am not wanting to drill any more holes in the studs ...
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Can I connect Ground from UPS outlet to another outlet which has no Ground?

Simplified situation: I live in a rented room. My room has two two outlets, namely Outlet A and Outlet B. Outlet A has connections only from main supply. It has no connection to UPS. And, it has two ...
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Grounded properly?

Hello all, I am adding a 240V outlet and am grounding the box. I would like to know if what I have done here will be okay upon inspection. Thank you, Ben
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Can I run a ground wire from a cheater plug to another 3-prong outlet to ground it?

I live in an old house with my parents (who are the homeowners), and have a problem where some of the electrical outlets in the oldest parts of the house have not been upgraded from two-prong to three-...
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earth ground for a pool at a divorced location

i am putting a service to a deck area for a new pool and pump, there is an earth ground copper covered rod buried 10 feet which is 25 feet from the underground pipe i am splicing into for the pool ...
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No ground bus in panel

Correct me if I’m wrong but there is no bus panel here. Working on a bath remodel and running new wires to two new breakers for new GFCI receptacle and one for heated floor. As this is main panel ...
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Grounding Rod Requirements

I live in Mason County, in Washington State. I am installing a 100amp RV pedestal (ground mounted). I am running 4/0,4/0,20 triplex direct bury cable (not sure if going in conduit or not yet)about ...
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Proper way to ground a 240v metal outlet box?

I am replacing the circuit to our stove and am doing the rough in currently. We may one day want a stove requiring more amperage than our current 40 amps and so I am replacing with 6-3 w/ground. I ...
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How can I easily verify that appliance housings are grounded properly?

I'm looking for an easy way to verify that the metal casing of appliances are grounded, such as a range, without needing to disconnect and pull them out. If I use a multimeter set to continuity and ...
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How do you properly use metal conduit as a ground?

I have read here that metal conduit can be used as the ground and you needn't then pull a separate ground wire: What are the NEC rules governing this? How do you avoid "weak ground" links ...
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Direct Burial Wire for 200 Amp Sub Panel from 200 Amp Main

I'm trying to get the right info to price out my project. I plan to install a 200 amp sub-panel in a shed with a 125 to 150 amp feeder breaker. The shed is about 180 feet away from the main panel. The ...
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What to do with ground wire in a double gang dimmer switch

I am replacing 1 of the 2 dimmer switches in a double gang box. I'm replacing the right switch in the picture. The new dimmer switch (Lutron smart switch) has 3 wires, which includes the ground wire. ...
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Handling electrical inside a galvanized pipe gazebo

I am constructing a gazebo on my flat roof deck out of 2" galvanized metal pipes and joints. I would like to attach a light fixture on one of the upper pipes. Can I pull electrical through the ...
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External light was not earthed properly

I have a 50W external light, installed on an outside wall, high on the wall. When touching it, I received an electrical shock. I cut the electricity, and opened up the electrical junction. I saw there ...
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In an old house, do I need a ground wire to install newer outlets, lights, and appliances? [duplicate]

If I have an old house, as in 80 years old (the wiring is newer than that), and it only has two wires, hot and neutral, no ground, can I connect newer things like ceiling fans or hanging lights? The ...
learntofix's user avatar
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Neutral-Ground bonding with generator (no utility power)

I've been doing plenty of searching around the internet, but cannot find anything for my specific scenario. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I would like to install a breaker panel at ...
Kaden Styer's user avatar
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Can I connect the supply ground wire to a fixture's ground wire with a wire nut

Supply has black, white and ground wires. Light fixture has black and white wires and a green screw for ground. Green screw connects to fixture itself. I cannot get the supply ground around the ...
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Multiple bulb pendant lamp, grounding wire for metal fixture

Hypothetically speaking, if a person is adding a ground wire to a 3 prong plug in pendant fixture with multiple bulbs in parallel and the body of the pendant is metal, does there need to be a ground ...
flitzanu's user avatar
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Two ground wires from fixture in instructions but only one unattached

I am currently installing an Artika 4-Pendant light fixture - Milton 4 but am running into issues while wiring it. In the instructions it indicates that "Connect the ground wire (G) to the two ...
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Can I safely deal with an open ground receptacle by replacing it with a GFCI?

I have found three receptacles in my home for which a three-light receptacle tester indicates open ground. Can I safely resolve this issue by replacing these receptacles with GFCI receptacles? Would ...
Matthew Bourque's user avatar
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1 answer
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Can I run an antenna ground conductor along the dirt?

I have a chimney mounted antenna and mast that I need to ground. It is about 20-30ft horizontally to the existing electrical service entrance ground rod, so I was planning on running a conductor down ...
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Why are ground wires sometimes not insulated?

I recently replaced a single AC dimmer light switch that was one of two light switches in a larger box. The ground wire leading to the switch was raw copper without any insulation. After replacing ...
End Anti-Semitic Hate's user avatar
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Ground and neutral bus considerations when wiring a gfci breaker

Hello all, I am adding a gfci breaker to my main breaker panel. By the looks of my panel I think the ground bus and neutral bus are bonded but not certain of this. It looks like my right bus bar is ...
Ben's user avatar
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Grounding new panel

My meter is two hots and a ground. Installing new breaker panel and new service wire from meter to panel. Current panel has neutral and ground connected. With the new 3 wire with neutral and ground ...
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Why is my receptacle tester not showing a complete lack of ground?

I've been using a receptacle tester which shows me that my outlets are perfect as far as it can tell. Yet I know for a fact that ground is completely missing from many of the receptacles I've tested. ...
brentonstrine's user avatar
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Looking to ground roof mounted mast - No ground rod at service entrance

So I'm looking to install an anemometer on my roof. With my last house, in Ohio built in 2000, when I added a TV antenna there was a grounding rod near the electric meter. However, my current house, ...
Charles's user avatar
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How to ground a kitchen exhaust blower fan?

Recently our kitchen exhaust fan stopped working, only humming and not moving. In the kitchen there's a butterfly damper, the exhaust switch is on the vent hood, and the motor and exhaust fan are on ...
user1661890's user avatar
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Connecting to system ground for equipment ground

Some previous owner of my house installed new lighting and receptacles in the attached garage, and these are all wired with 14/2 NM cable with ground on a 15A circuit that is otherwise ungrounded ...
Tyler McHenry's user avatar
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Replacing #6 Ground Wire

Do I need to replace #6 solid copper ground wire from Service panel to water pipes with #4 solid copper wire in 1997 construction as recommended by inspector?
Phil Zimmerman's user avatar
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1 answer
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Broken ground wire in receptacle box

I’m pretty new to home DIY and had to replace a few outlets this weekend. On the last one the ground wire snapped as soon as I unscrewed the old outlet. It looks like the wire was clamped to the other ...
Bean's user avatar
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Is the advice "don't operate light switches barefoot" outdated?

I was taught in my young age (1980s-1990s) not to operate light switches (or anything electrical) barefoot. Is this advice still relevant in 2021 (in a modern house in Western Europe with grounding, ...
Federico Poloni's user avatar
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On a side by side house that has two meters and two separate main panels. How many ground rods are required

How many ground rods are required for a side by side house that has two meters and two separate main panels.
user130290's user avatar
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2 answers
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Do I need a ground rod in addition to a pipe? Subpanel in separate structure

The scenario: detached garage with a subpanel supplied by a 30a 240v feeder from the house, with two hots, neutral, and EGC. There is also an Ethernet cable from the house to the garage, carrying a ...
DaddyBean's user avatar
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Can I bond my ground to my gas pipes?

Do I have to install the grounding electrode all the way to the service section, or can I bond the gas pipe to building steel which is continuous through out bldg and then bond the steel to the ...
Brian Mack's user avatar
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Where does ground of wall socket actually go?

Where does ground of wall socket actually go? Like maybe a nail in soil beneath building? Or maybe high voltage power grid utility has it's own ground, which connects to a power plant, and our ...
Superuser's user avatar
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When installing a 14-30R dryer receptacle, do I need an additional ground connection to the box?

Thanks to Stackexchange's Hot Network Questions, I found out that my 3-prong dryer outlet was a safety hazard and I'm replacing it with a 4-conductor 14-30R receptacle and matching cord. I've replaced ...
Dan C's user avatar
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No Neutral Wire to Install Smart 3 Way Dimmer

I am replacing a 3 Way switch (master) and remote dimmer with Decora Smart devices. The master has the correct wires to install the smart 3-way dimmer master. The remote box had a dimmer device with ...
Jaime Alfaro's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
126 views

Connecting Sub Ground to Main

A year and half ago I set up my sub panel around the back side of my home for pool equipment and further outlets and patio lighting/fans. I set 3x #3 copper THHN in a 1.25 ENT in the ground from my ...
Matt P's user avatar
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Where is the grounding in this fixture box

We are replacing a light fixture and I removed the old one and am having trouble understanding the grounding here. There are 3 twisted together copper wires up there that you can see in the photo. Are ...
Trickyredcoat's user avatar
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318 views

How to tell whether metal junction box is properly grounded?

I have a detached garage that is powered by a circuit breaker in the main house’s breaker box, which is properly grounded. The outlets in the garage have metal junction boxes, fed by metal conduit ...
Casey Heeg's user avatar
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At a wall socket, is using thin wires at ground pin dangerous?

I paid a hardware shop owner to modify my wall light switch to socket for my washing machine in bathroom. The power in my area right now is 3 phase 220V AC. At first it is a switch. Then we modified ...
Superuser's user avatar
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Where do I attach the Ground and Neutral inside a sub-panel?

I'm wiring 100 amp subpanel to detached Garage with 2/2/2/4 copper. I'm hoping to replace the subpanel to my detached garage which was previously wired to run on a 40 or 60 amp subpanel with like 6 ...
Matthew Martinez's user avatar

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