How to ground my metal building.

[rickyb01]

I live in a rural area so their is no code inspector. I had a metal building built out of red iron. They put metal pads in wet concrete to weld the beams to. When concrete was poured nobody thought about grounding to rebar in concrete. The electric company made me run a separate meter to metal building. I put a ground rod at meter then ran three wires from meter to panel in metal building. I’m going put another ground rod for panel in metal building and ground panel to it. I used wood to attach to purlins and attached the panel to the wood. My question is how should I ground the actual building.

Should I run a copper wire from the metal beam that is welded to metal plate in concrete to my ground bar in panel? Or should I run copper wire from metal beam to a separate ground rod outside building. Or should I do both and if I can do both should I connect the two ground rods together?

No I’m not an electrician so giving me codes to follow want work. Just a guy trying to figure out the proper way to work with what I got. Yes I know I can hire an electrician but really don’t want to because I can wire up the shop correctly. Just have no experience with all metal building. Thanks

 

[Clintock]

No code... Sounds like my area. Drive ground round outside building and run a copper wire to it.

 

[rickyb01]

So connect copper wire to metal beam and ground rod. Thanks

 

[ruffdog]

That is what I did.....ground panel to building and also have a grounding rod outside with a wire running to it.

 

[Roadworthy]

Working from memory, two 5/8" (I think) eight feet long placed at least six feet apart. Number six solid copper wire connected to each ground rod unbroken and then to panel. Bond to building.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

Working from memory, two 5/8" (I think) eight feet long placed at least six feet apart. Number six solid copper wire connected to each ground rod unbroken and then to panel. Bond to building.

Good post!

"Bond to building", connecting grounding wire to building steel on one end and to the ground bar in the electric panel. I usually use green insulated wire for this connection. If the building steel becomes energized it will trip a breaker this way, protecting someone from getting shocked.

 

[Fallon]

Good post!

"Bond to building", connecting grounding wire to building steel on one end and to the ground bar in the electric panel. I usually use green insulated wire for this connection. If the building steel becomes energized it will trip a breaker this way, protecting someone from getting shocked.

Yup, bond (connect together electrically) everything. Any metal framing, siding & roofing should be bonded to the electrical ground. It dumps errant electrical current to ground directly rather than energizing metal, then letting it find a path to ground through you.

 

[grsthegreat]

not that you care as theres no inspection, but you should have run 4 wires to separate panels as codes for past 10 years require running 2 hots, a neutral and a ground between panels. but since its done, add 1 ground rod for 100 amp shop panel or 2 rods for 200 amp service 8' apart like described above. use #6 to ground rods.

bonding wire to iron building needs to be #4 copper minimum. just add a large chair lug to one of the red iron post and run to panel ground bus. They actually sell a non removable red iron grounding kit at supply houses that is required on commercial jobs, but no one seems to care (at least where i live) if there used on residential structures.

since your establishing the ground at the new panel, keep the neutrals and grounds on same bus in new panel, and you need to drive in the neutral bonding green screw on new panel, to ground the neutral bus.

 

[rickyb01]

Grsthegreat. If I ran the 4th wire which would have been a ground wire. I’m thinking I would have separated the neutral and ground at shop panel and still ran a ground wire to a ground rod.

I can still pull service wire back out and run a ground with it. Not a very hard pull. If I do what size ground wire do I need? #4 or #6 thhn. Will be a 45 foot pull.

 

[LD1]

IF I understand your setup, 4th wire is not required. Because you are not pulling this service from a main panel. The Panel in the building IS the main panel because you said "electric company made me use a separate meter".

IF you were pulling this out of the house panel or another "main panel"....your shop would then be a sub panel...which indeed the correct way would be 4-wire and separate neutrals and grounds