Soon after I purchased a house the main water line entering the house broke. Called plumber, he dug out the line and replaced with a nonmetal pipe that connects inside the house to a copper pipe. This was a few years back. Recently I had a plumber come out to remove an old tank when he saw the ground wire running from breaker box to the copper pipe and the connection to the nonmetal pipe. He informed me that the house was no longer grounded.
So is it grounded? and if not will this be an easy fix?
I have had constructiion workers and myself using power tools is this a problem?
I will call an eletrician. I just wanted to know and understand what needs to be done.
Replies
Possibly not grounded.
Depending when the house was built you may have lost the ground. Water pipes are required to be bonded so a ground clamp to the water piping is no indication that it was the source of grounding. After about 1978 a UFER ground to re-bar was required. To be on the safe side you should install ground rods. You should have 2 several feet apart. (I don't remember the exact distance since they aren't often used anymore.) This will be the main source of ground, but you still need to keep your piping bonded.
You really can't tell without having a knowledgeable person inspect it in person. It may be that the ground wire you see on the copper is actually there to ground the copper inside the house, vs provide a ground to the electrical sysem. Or not.
(If the first plumber really did break the ground connection he screwed up pretty royally.)
(But the ground connection you're wondering about is, in homes newer than about 50 years, redundant, and the electrical system should also be grounded (after a fashion) through the service connection. So the safety exposure is relatively minor.)
Two Questions, Two Answers
Your're asking two things: Is the house 'grounded," and 'does it matter?'
"Grounding' means that somewhere there's a wire connecting the neutral for the house to a long piece of metal in the ground. It once was very convenient to simply attach the wire to a water pipe, and let the pipe serve two purposes. This is called the 'water bond.'
Since the early 60's, there has also been a second means used- often a wire from the panel to a steel rod in the ground, usually next to the panel. The code has all manner of details about how this is to be done. Any electrician can tell at a glance if this was done. If not, such can be easily added, probably for about $100.
Now ... does it matter? Code rules aside, probably not. "Grounding" is still not completely understood, and many code provisions date back to earlier theories, ideas that have since been discredited. Some modern countries don't even try to "ground" the service to mother earth.
Many, many homes operate just fine without any 'ground' to the dirt under the house. The houses may have been built that way, the wire to the steel rod may have been cut, the pipe removed, or the steel rod has long ago rusted away. Motors turn, lights glow, and everything works just fine.
FWIW, modern homes do not have the traditional 'ground rod.' Instead, they have the panel connected to a steel bar within the concrete foundation. This, for a number of reasons, is a much better way to do things.
"Tradition" is a strong thing. Inspectors fuss endlessy over the details of 'grounding.' A local electrician should be familiar with all the local foibles.
good answer....
Very well put Reno.
Drive 2 8' rods 6-8 foot apart and connect it to the ground bus in your panel with 4ga copper wire. Your electronics will thank you if you ever have thunderstorms in your area. The surge suppression works better. It also makes the ground pin in your power tool cords a little closer to real ground.
Grounding
I have had personal experience with this in the last two years on two properties I own, both built when 'ground' was connection to a water pipe. Extensive research on my part leads to the following:
"Neutral" is connected to "ground" by the utility,and out at the power pole they are the same.
Neutral and ground serve two different purposes in your building. Neutral is a 'live' conductor when power is connected to it through an appliance, a bulb, etc. Ground is an emergency backup system to route unwanted stray power. Once power reaches your service entrance, both by code and by common sense they should be thought of separately. Code requires separate and unconnected neutral and ground after the service entrance.
"Bonding" pipes (including gas pipes and metal conduits) to ground (earth) decreases the chance of these components becoming acidentally energized. Anything that breaks the free path to ground such as plastic pipe or rubber bushings increases the chance that a metal surface can become energized. Bonding is different from grounding in this respect although bonding can also accomplish grounding if the pipe IS well connected to earth, so using a water pipe as a grounding point is legitimate only if the pipe is in substantial contact with the earth. Anything plastic or rubber which breaks the connection must be 'jumpered' by the bonding wire.
Modern electronics and their protection devices (surge protectors) are absolutely dependent on quality ground conductors and connections.
Ground contact deteriorates over time due to corrosion. This includes connectors, and even copper and steel pipes buried in the ground (the reason why rebar in concrete is now mandated in the latest codes).
With all of this in mind, it only makes sense to ensure that your ground connection(s) (and related wiring) is up to snuff (and code). Driving a fresh ground rod is relatively easy unless you're built on rock.