Wife has that too. Neat little thing. Scanned the electrical panel at this house, one was red hot... didn't even have a wire connected to it, marked "Spare".
Planing to bring that this weekend and see what it does up there...
Home electric problem / question help
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Planing to bring that this weekend and see what it does up there...
pmsmechanic
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This is interesting. I'll learn something.
crackerjack222
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OP, did you say the "ground rod" was rebar? Located some distance from the breaker box? If so, I suggest you purchase and install (drive) a copper plated ground rod as close as practical to the breaker box and connect it with a 10ga copper wire.
That is what the electrician did, he did not tie into the re-bar. He used what I thought was marginal wire and sank 2 or 3 copper plated ground rods but they are mainly under our covered deck.
I asked if it would help to go ahead and tie in the re-bar also? but no one replied. :confused3:
I asked if it would help to go ahead and tie in the re-bar also? but no one replied. :confused3:
crackerjack222
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I misunderstood. I thought you were only tied into the rebar in the foundation.
I don't think it would hurt to tie into the rebar but I doubt it will solve your problem. I would try wetting/soaking the ground around the ground rods. How far from the box are the ground rods? Any idea what ga wire connecting them?
I had never seen the foundation rebar used as a ground until I had a vacation house built in NM about 15 years ago. the builder drove rebar into the ground then tied it into the foundation rebar, leaving a 6" stub outside the concrete for the electrician to tie into. Seems to work ok.
I don't think it would hurt to tie into the rebar but I doubt it will solve your problem. I would try wetting/soaking the ground around the ground rods. How far from the box are the ground rods? Any idea what ga wire connecting them?
I had never seen the foundation rebar used as a ground until I had a vacation house built in NM about 15 years ago. the builder drove rebar into the ground then tied it into the foundation rebar, leaving a 6" stub outside the concrete for the electrician to tie into. Seems to work ok.
20-25 feet.... I don't have a guess about the wire gauge. I'll most likely move the grounding rods over to the side of the house where it can be in moist soil.
Oldoak
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If your grounding rods are eight foot long, as per NEC, there is no pulling them out to move them. Just buy a couple of new ones. If they're shorter, that could be your ground fault problem.
The standard copper wire size should be no smaller than No. 6, and most codes recommend No. 4 wire. Where the ground rod is located far from the main electrical panel, thicker No. 3 wire may be required.
(This is pertaining to the wire from the electrical panel to the grounding rod.)
The standard copper wire size should be no smaller than No. 6, and most codes recommend No. 4 wire. Where the ground rod is located far from the main electrical panel, thicker No. 3 wire may be required.
(This is pertaining to the wire from the electrical panel to the grounding rod.)
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CobyRupert
Super Member
I can't see how having a poor ground would cause any breakers, even GFCI's, to trip. Can anyone explain?
If anything, having a poor ground connection or poor ground rods causes less current to flow in the event of a ground fault, where the earth is being used a the fault current path (instead of the green wire) back to the source transformer. (It also will cause a voltage imbalance problem between phases, but that's another issue)
In fact, in some industrial systems, the transformer, or neutral if you will, is not referenced / tied into ground, therefore there is no path back to the transformer in the event of a ground fault and the breaker doesn't trip.
If anything, having a poor ground connection or poor ground rods causes less current to flow in the event of a ground fault, where the earth is being used a the fault current path (instead of the green wire) back to the source transformer. (It also will cause a voltage imbalance problem between phases, but that's another issue)
In fact, in some industrial systems, the transformer, or neutral if you will, is not referenced / tied into ground, therefore there is no path back to the transformer in the event of a ground fault and the breaker doesn't trip.
LD1
Epic Contributor
Agree. The ground rod shouldn't have anything to do with the GFI.
GFI is simple. Current is measured on the outgoing black wire. It is again measured in the return neutral wire. If they are different by more than 5ma, it will cut power.
Ground has nothing to do with it.
Think of a garden hose looped out and back. And gpm relates to amps. If you put 10 gpm in one end of the hose, 10 gpm will come out the other. If not, there is a leak. If there are tees in this hose, with other sources for water to be introduced, or to leave the closed system, then gpm in won't equal gpm out.
You have neutral issues. Circuits are crossed. A neutral from something on breaker 3 might be tied to breaker 2. Given the flow another path to take. (Think tee in the hose analogy). The GFI is sensing it and tripping.
GFI is simple. Current is measured on the outgoing black wire. It is again measured in the return neutral wire. If they are different by more than 5ma, it will cut power.
Ground has nothing to do with it.
Think of a garden hose looped out and back. And gpm relates to amps. If you put 10 gpm in one end of the hose, 10 gpm will come out the other. If not, there is a leak. If there are tees in this hose, with other sources for water to be introduced, or to leave the closed system, then gpm in won't equal gpm out.
You have neutral issues. Circuits are crossed. A neutral from something on breaker 3 might be tied to breaker 2. Given the flow another path to take. (Think tee in the hose analogy). The GFI is sensing it and tripping.
teejk
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I'm not so sure that the "earth" leg has nothing to do with it but I'll take your word for it. Back to the OP...never mentioned (that I can see) is whether your construction was working for awhile and this problem is new. If so you might want to review any changes you have made. E.g. I recall some "chat" not long ago about LED lighting and GFCI. If this has been a problem from day one, then I dunno what to tell you.