[Heathkit] Gadzooks, when is a ground a ground?

[Ian]

San Jose, CA area, circa 1980.

When I did some rewiring (with proper permits) I was told that I had to have
a COLD WATER PIPE ground.  They wanted heavy copper wire to the pipe which
was a long way away from the service entrance. 

I ended up doing some trenching and putting in some extra hose bibs and
running the cold water pipe by the service panel.

Much cheaper.  They would NOT accept a ground rod of any sort.

Look at alternatives to make the job least costly.

Ian, K6SDE



-----Original Message-----
From: heathkit-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:heathkit-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of John Hensley
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:30 AM
To: heathkit at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Heathkit] Gadzooks, when is a ground a ground?


Can anyone explain when a ground is a ground?  I have an available 60A 220V
line but there is no ground.  The shield on the cable is being used as the
neutral.  This is an old house (1956 construction).

Is it sufficient to hammer in a good earth ground and use it as the ground
or should I have the heavy cable line (expensive!) rerun with 3 conductors
and a shield?

Another way of asking:  what test procedure could be used to check and
verify a ground is a ground ?????  As I understand it, a surge protector is
rather useless unless a true ground is present.

TIA, John W5JV
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