Hi all -
I have a wood frame house on concrete slabs.
I have a main breaker panel in the garage, with the meter directly connected to the top of that panel (no spacer or conduit run to the meter)
I'm trying to determine whether or not the main panel is correctly grounded or not, by NFPA code (grandfathered or not)
There is a bare copper wire (looks to be #8, maybe #6), going down into a conduit entering the slab of the garage floor. I don't know where that goes, but it's the only thing in the conduit whatsoever.
It does start a turn just as it enters the slab, heading towards the back of the garage, where there is no other exterior wiring of any kind.
Other conduits contain the wiring going out to a light out in the yard, RV storage area, etc.
Just for sake of mentioning it, there are two subpanels
- one is a Square D panel with a 2" conduit containing four wires coming from the main manel in the garage - two very large wires and two smaller wires (probably #8/10 guage, not #6)
- The other panel is an old Edison fuse panel, which is fed by conduit with only three large conductors. The wiring in the original part of the house is 2-wire cloth covered 12/2
Most of it cannot be replaced due to no attic/basement, and wood panelling everywhere -- you'd have to demolish the house to replace it, since there are no alternate paths (ie, attic or basement paths)
I plan to replace that panel with a new breaker panel, and I'm told I'll have to install a #6 THHM ground wire for it - I've identified a pathway for that wire to run though.
Does anyone know a way I can test that solid copper wire I found in the outside panel? I can't figure out where the other end of it is -
thanks, T
I have a wood frame house on concrete slabs.
I have a main breaker panel in the garage, with the meter directly connected to the top of that panel (no spacer or conduit run to the meter)
I'm trying to determine whether or not the main panel is correctly grounded or not, by NFPA code (grandfathered or not)
There is a bare copper wire (looks to be #8, maybe #6), going down into a conduit entering the slab of the garage floor. I don't know where that goes, but it's the only thing in the conduit whatsoever.
It does start a turn just as it enters the slab, heading towards the back of the garage, where there is no other exterior wiring of any kind.
Other conduits contain the wiring going out to a light out in the yard, RV storage area, etc.
Just for sake of mentioning it, there are two subpanels
- one is a Square D panel with a 2" conduit containing four wires coming from the main manel in the garage - two very large wires and two smaller wires (probably #8/10 guage, not #6)
- The other panel is an old Edison fuse panel, which is fed by conduit with only three large conductors. The wiring in the original part of the house is 2-wire cloth covered 12/2
Most of it cannot be replaced due to no attic/basement, and wood panelling everywhere -- you'd have to demolish the house to replace it, since there are no alternate paths (ie, attic or basement paths)
I plan to replace that panel with a new breaker panel, and I'm told I'll have to install a #6 THHM ground wire for it - I've identified a pathway for that wire to run though.
Does anyone know a way I can test that solid copper wire I found in the outside panel? I can't figure out where the other end of it is -
thanks, T